Route 38
In the forest, three shady characters were walking through a small path. Two of them were shorter than the third, who was quite tall, the giant afro on his head adding to his head, and he was moonwalking as he led them down the path
"Who would've thought that all that treading away from the Orre region, we would end up all the way out here in Johto." one of the shorter guys stated.
"Tell me about it. Guess thieving ain't what it used to be." the other short guy answered, "What're we gonna do, boss?"
The tall man stopped as he answered, "If we can't start owning all the Pokémon in the world in one region, we might as well make a start in another. It may not be as scarce as our home region, but our goal has not changed."
"But I've heard there is another gang of baddies in this region, too." the first guy stated, "Their name is Team Rocket
He turned to the sky, which shined its sunlight down on him, revealing is appearance, in which he wore tinted glasses, a red and white afro, a purple open jacket revealing his bare chest, purple dance pants with a belt and a star-shaped buckle, black and yellow disco dance shoes, a yellow scarf, and a black glove on his right hand.
"Those Rocket members may be shooting for the moon, but they don't shine like the stars! That's where we, Team Miror, come in to shine! We will be the ones who own all the Pokémon in the world! And we got the moves, the grooves, and the music to get what we desire. While Shadow Pokémon don't exist here, we might as well snatch up Pokémon the ol' fashioned way! Come, my posse. Let's show Johto and everyone else what we want. We want it all!" He continued his moonwalk as the other two followed him.
(Insert 'STAND UP' by Twill (full version))
Music Intro
(Traveling through shining golden tunnel of energy, leading out into space with many world, all of which different colors, with the central world being the Pokémon world. The logo 'Jackson in Johto' appears on screen, before the camera passes through the arch of the 'n' from 'in, going into the world, through the clouds, where the glowing shadow of Ho-Oh can be seen, to the sea, where the shadow of Lugia is flying beneath the waters, before reaching the shoreline, getting blinded by the sun.)
Yeah, stand up boys!
Come on, face forward
(Jackson stands up, with Quilava at his side, followed by Dewott, Weavile, and Scizor, all of which expressing their unique personalities to Jackson.)
The call enveloping you is your guide
Step towards tomorrow
(Dewott gets angry at Weavile for trying to act so cool, while Jackson rolls his eyes before he, Quilava and Scizor took off ahead, with Weavile following behind, ignoring Dewott, who panicked and ran to not be left behind.)
Yeah, stand up girls!
At the end of what's more than real
(Leafeon rises up with Lyanne as Jackson and the boys pass by. The two look to one another, before giggling at the sight of the boys, before looking to the sky.)
We'll grab a light that's been covered by thick clouds
(Camera goes up into the starry sky, where a ball of light was slowly falling down, with the image of Gardevoir inside, her eyes slowly opening up as she looked up.)
How we spend our days before isn't good enough
(Camera passes by still images of all the companions and gym leaders that he has met or will meet in the future, including Cypher at the end of the pictures, while Jackson, Lyanne, Leafeon, and the rest of his current team walked along the bottom of the screen.)
At full speed
We can blast through
Even the highest wall
(Team Rocket suddenly appears, with the four admins of Team Rocket standing together, with the images of their ace Pokémon at their side, and the satellite system right above them.)
Stand up for your dream!
(Jackson draws his sword, while Lyanne turns into her Latias form, and the rest of his team ready to fight together.)
Be enthusiastic at what you do, no matter what it is
(Jackson rushes forward as he slashes his blade against Team Rocket grunts, followed by a spin kick, sending them flying, while Leafeon leaps up and unleashes a forward somersault Leaf Blade, taking out their Pokémon.)
Push your way through to make an opening
(Weavile unleashes an Ice Punch as Dewott throws a Water Pulse at a different direction, followed by the pair unleashing simultaneous Night Slashes. Quilava leaps through their attack, going into a Flame Charge.)
No matter how far
The answer you're seeking is
Stand up for your dream!
(Scizor flies in, striking with a couple Bullet Punches before firing a Hyper Beam. Latias flies above him, unleashing a Mist Ball, sending it ahead. The attacks all created an explosion that consumed the scene in smoke.)
Even if my feeling show weakness
Your voice that I hear close by
(In the burning Ecruteak City, a serious Jackson raced along the path with Leafeon and Quilava at his side, towards the two towers, where a deranged Ho-Oh and Lugia were at, unleashing Aeroblast and Sacred Fire onto the city.)
Gives me courage and strength
I can go the distance
(Jackson leaps high, landing on Latias's back as they flew off, with the rest of the team leaping with him before encased in a stream of their signature colors, before the screen turn white, with a crystal blue Pokéball with a gold and silver sword crossing behind it the only thing remaining.)
Jackson and Leafeon were leading Lyanne back to the Miltank farm he had been to before. There, he reunited with the farmer, who greeted him happily, with the Tauros Jackson caught and gave to him right by his side.
"Looks like you're doing well." the farmer stated.
"Your Moo-moo milk did play a part in that." Jackson stated, "That's why I'm back to get another batch. And also seeing how things have been since I left Tauros with you. Is he behaving well?"
"Oh, yes." the farmer replied, patting Tauros's head, "He's been very good at keeping away other rogue Pokémon, and even a group of Team Rocket members who tried to terrorize my farm."
"Team Rocket was even targeting here?" Jackson asked incredulously, "Is there any place they DON'T target?"
"They were pushovers. SO I RAMMED THEM OUTTA HERE!" Tauros exclaimed.
"Good boy." Jackson answered, patting his head.
Leafeon and Lyanne were hanging back as Jackson continued to talk with the farmer, watching. "So that Tauros technically belongs to Jackson?" Lyanne asked.
"Yep. He caught it after he and the rest of his herd were terrorizing the pasture and all the Miltank." Leafeon explained, "He got it for the farmer so the rest of the herd would obey and stop bringing harm here."
"So he caught him to protect the place." Lyanne understood, "Does he have any other Pokémon he caught before?"
"Actually, yes." Leafeon answered, "He has a Ledian who is being trained by a Gym Leader, currently. He also has a couple of Unowns that an archeologist is taking care of."
"He even caught Unown?!" Lyanne gasped, "I am instinctively familiar with them, and they are quite ancient."
"Yep. And it was through them that we learned of a prophecy that we seem to be part of." Leafeon noted, giving a concerned look as they watched Jackson get another half-dozen bottles of milk from the farmer. Lyanne looked from her to Jackson, seeing his carefree smile, and wondering what she meant by that.
After they were done with their business, Jackson made his way back to the girls, saying, "Seems like all the Tauros are partnered up with the Miltank here. That includes my Tauros."
"Isn't that sweet?" Leafeon swooned, "And right after you abandoned Jasmine behind when she had feelings for you."
"Stop making it sound like something it totally wasn't!" Jackson argued, blushing in embarrassment, causing Leafeon to giggle, "Besides, I am not ready for a relationship, yet. I am still sorting myself out. You, of all Pokémon, should know that."
"You're right. I'm sorry." Leafeon apologized.
"Say, Jackson?" Lyanne spoke up, "Leafeon was just telling me about some prophecy that Unown you caught showed you."
"Oh, she did, did she?" Jackson asked, looking down at her partner, who averted his gaze.
"I merely felt that since she is part of our team, she should learn about it." the Verdant Pokémon defended her actions.
"So, what is this prophecy?" Lyanne asked.
"Well, I can't remember it clearly. But I did record it." Jackson dug into his backpack and dug around into the 'larger than appearance' interior, before pulling out one of his journal logs. He flipped through the pages, before finding the one involving the futures according to the ruins.
He began reading it out loud to Lyanne as they continued their travels to Ecruteak City. He spoke about the ultimate evil, the split futures, and the chance he was part of one of those futures. Once he was done, he put the log away, leaving Lyanne walking alongside him, startled.
"So, this evil that seems to be coming our way... The evilest of all Pokémon... You're saying there is a chance you are gonna have to confront it?" she asked.
"Yep. And it is further proven by Celebi." Jackson added, "It showed me a future of which I was involved in a fight against something sickeningly evil. I know I'm far from prepared, so that's another reason to go on this journey."
"We have met other Pokémon who acknowledge our involvement in this future, like Suicune, Entei, and Raikou." Leafeon further explained, "And we went to another world where Jackson turned into a Torchic to test his 'out of body' experience and save another world from a falling meteor."
"Eh?! You did that, too?!" Lyanne asked Jackson, who nodded, "And I thought just hearing your backstory before coming to this world was crazy."
"My trainer and I are practically anything but normal." Leafeon noted.
"I am constantly forced to admit the truth in what she says." Jackson answered, shrugging it off, "I can't change that part of me, so I'll just roll with it."
Lyanne looked up to the sky, before muttering, "I wonder if I am involved in such a future? If I were, would I also be able to deal with it?"
"You may be a Legendary Pokémon, but I can tell you aren't even close to dealing with opponents like that." Jackson argued, "I may have not noticed whether or not you were a part of that future I witnessed. But if you are, then you need to get stronger, too."
"I know." she replied looking to him, "So I hope that you can be patient with me and help me improve myself."
Jackson smirked back, replying, "A journey of self-discovery and improvement. I guess this is what it means to be a proper trainer, huh?" Lyanne giggled back. "In that case, let's start with a race." the swordsman trainer suggested, "First one to the entrance of Ecruteak City. Last place has to do what the first place winner wants."
"Am I gonna be part of this race, too?" Leafeon asked.
"As a matter of fact..." Jackson pulled out all of his Pokéballs, tossing them up, calling out Weavile, Dewott, Quilava, and Scizor onto the field, "...we're all gonna race!"
"Did everyone hear that?" Leafeon asked, "Racing to the next town. Last place must obey what the first place winner wants."
"Then I am gonna make sure Weavile is last!" Dewott declared, stretching his legs, "I'll make him bow before me and call me the best Night Slash user."
"Sure. Let's see if you can." Weavile huffed, triggering Dewott yet again.
"Are moves allowed in this race?" Quilava asked.
"Nope. I won't even use my Speed Shoes." Jackson replied, "It's all about muscle and speed. No moves allowed."
"You might need to turn into your Pokémon form, Lyanne." Leafeon suggested, "We are a fast bunch."
"If you say so." she replied, transforming into Latias.
Scizor flexed his wings, stating, "My body is heavier since I evolved. It will be a chance to see how fast I really am in my new form. I hope to do sensei proud."
"Everybody ready?" Jackson asked, getting into starting position. Everyone else readied themselves to take off. "On your mark...get set...go!" Jackson pushed off the ground, running as fast as he could, with his team joining with him as they raced down the path to Ecruteak City.
It was clear from the start that even without his Extreme Gear, Jackson was no slouch in his physicality. His legs were moving a lot faster than humanly possible. His running position was just like his friend, Sonic's, his arms behind him, and his head tilted to reduce wind resistance. Latias was far ahead of the pack, with Weavile in second place, and Jackson, Leafeon, and Quilava fighting for third place. Scizor was trying to speed up as fast as he could, with Dewott neck and neck with him.
What usually took hours for regular trainers took only several minutes for the team. Latias was clearly the winner, reaching the entrance before any other trainer could see her, transforming into her human form once more. She turned as Weavile brought up the rear, coming to a halt.
"Very quick, Latias." he commended her.
"Thanks." she replied, before the pair turned to see the three that were racing to be in front of one another race with all their might. Jackson put all he had in the last few seconds, and got just barely ahead of Leafeon and Quilava before skidding to a halt. The two quadruped Pokémon stumbled with their forepaws, skidding face first along the ground behind him.
"Ha! Still got it!" Jackson cheered, pumping his fist.
"You seriously are incredible, Jackson." Lyanne noted, "You could keep up with Pokémon as quick as Leafeon and Quilava!"
"Aw, man..." Quilava sighed.
"At least we didn't get last place." Leafeon admitted, turning around, "That honor goes to..."
The team watched as Scizor and Dewott raced as fast as they could, not wanting to go last place. Dewott roared like a madman as he pushed his legs as hard as he could, while Scizor was sweating from flapping his wings so fast. When they reached the others, Jackson could see that Dewott had just barely made it ahead.
"And Scizor comes in last place!" Jackson declared, raising his hand.
"YEEAAAAAAHHHH!" Dewott roared triumphantly, glad he wasn't in last place.
"Forgive me, sensei." Scizor apologized, "It would appear that I am still not use to this body."
"We'll continue to train." Jackson told Scizor, "In the meantime, who was it that was first place?"
"That would be Latias." Weavile answered.
"Even better! YOU didn't win!" Dewott declared, glad he didn't outshine everyone else.
"Let me think on that." Lyanne answered, turning to Jackson, "For now, I am still kinda curious as to how you were able to move so fast. Can you tell me?"
"Part of it is due to my training at Ryouzanpaku." Jackson answered, "Pulling heavy tires and even more heavy things around while doing miles upon miles of running a day will do that. The other part is my Mobian genetics. Humans in my world are built a lot better than those in this world. Our joints are looser, and our muscles are naturally better-developed."
"So that's how come you're able to move your legs so rapidly." Lyanne understood.
"But back to the previous subject." Leafeon intervened, "What plans do you have for Scizor?"
"Well, let me think about it..." the disguised Latias muttered, pausing to think about what she wanted from him.
Suddenly, Jackson heard something, and turned to town to see some panicking people pass by. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Maybe Morty's set a ghost on them." Dewott huffed.
"Be reasonable, Dewott." Leafeon argued.
Jackson raced into town, finding a person who was calling out for Officer Jenny. "Hey, what's going on?!" Jackson asked, stopping him.
"Some tall guy with an afro entered the theatre and is causing trouble!" He answered, "The sisters were struggling, but he and his Pokémon were trashing each of them!" He pushed passed Jackson as his Pokémon and Lyanne joined him. Jackson had a fierce glare as he looked to the direction of where the theatre was at.
"Jackson?" Lyanne muttered, noticing his expression was similar to the one he had when Ariana and the Team Rocket members tried to capture her.
"Jackson, I know what you want to do." Leafeon told him.
"The Kimono sisters helped me at my lowest point in this world. I can't repay them enough for helping me." Jackson noted, "Let's kick out whoever this afro guy is!" He called back all but Leafeon to their balls, activated his Speed Shoes, and shot off towards the theatre, with Lyanne running behind him.
Within a minute, Jackson made it to the theatre, coming to a halt, and barging in. Within moments, his ears were greeted to the sound of disco music ringing all around. Wondering what the heck was going on, he noticed a lot of the Kimono sisters had been knocked to the ground, along with their Eeveelutions, all of which took a lot of damage, and were unable to fight.
Two fights that were taking place. Zuki and her Umbreon were fighting a young man in an orange vest and red-tinted glasses, with an Ariados and a ghostly, one-eyed Pokémon in front of her. At the same time, Morty had his Gengar and Misdreavus were facing another guy who had blue-tinted glasses and an armguard on his left arm, with a Lombre and a big-mouthed Pokémon with what looked like pieces of a pipe organ growing from its body. On stage was the said tall man with an afro, boogying to the music with a pair of dancing pineapple-looking Pokémon in lilypad sombreros.
"You will pay for harming my sisters!" Zuki said, furious at her opponent, "Umbreon, Dark Pulse!" Umbreon inhaled and unleashed a stream of dark rings at the ghostly Pokémon, taking the full blast and knocking it out.
"Dusclops!" his trainer cried, before calling out Ariados, Signal Beam!" His spider Pokémon shot a beam of energy from its mouth, hitting Umbreon. The force of the attack caused debris to fly from the ground, scratching up Zuki, and caused her to fall over in pain. Her partner ended up falling to her feet, barely able to get up. "I've dealt with my fair share of Umbreon-users in my past. Ain't no way am I gonna deal with another one!" the guy called out.
"Excellent job, Trudly!" the afro guy called out.
"No, Zuki..." Morty grimaced, seeing the condition the eldest Kimono Sister was in. His Gengar and Misdreavus were having their own struggle against their opponent, Folly, and his Pokémon.
"Hey!" Jackson called out, getting everyone's attention, "It's kinda unfair to have two Pokémon against one!"
"Jackson!" Morty gasped, "When did he get back?!"
"Who's this loudmouth boy?" the afro guy asked, Trudly, teach him a lesson!"
"You got it, boss!" he answered, "Ariados, sick him with Poison Jab!" Ariados scurried across the floor, going to Jackson with glowing purple feet.
"Scizor, block it!" Jackson shouted, tossing out a ball, revealing Scizor, who took the blow from Ariados's attack, only to sustain no damage, being a Steel-type taking a Poison-type move. "Now, Bullet Punch!" Jackson commanded, and his partner quickly did a glowing punch that was too fast for the normal eye to see, striking Ariados, and knocking him back into the rubble in the theatre, knocking him out.
"Eh?!" Trudly exclaimed as Lyanne finally caught up, startled at what was taking place.
"Lyanne, Leafeon, go help out the sisters and their Pokémon." Jackson ordered the pair.
"Right!" the girls answered, scattering to help out Zuki and Naoto first. Jackson and Scizor marched towards the afro man, who kept on boogying despite his presence. Jackson hopped onto the stage, glaring at him.
"Stop the music!" the afro man ordered. Folly, who was playing the music from a speaker, turned off the music. The afro man came in close, looking down at Jackson due to the height difference. He sniffed a couple times, before saying, "Oh, oh, oh! I smell the presence of finely trained Pokémon. I can see you are more of a challenge than these slow-dancing girls about here. Say, how about you join my posse?"
"You messed with people who helped me a great deal in the past." Jackson growled, "You're messing up their theatre. And you'd think I'd join the person who would do that?! Just who do you think you are?!"
"Boy, I am the one and only Miror B.!" he introduced himself, "I hail from the Orre region to continue my goal; owning every Pokémon in the world, whether they belong to somebody or not!"
"Orre region?" Jackson echoed, "Never heard of that region before."
"Not surprising." Morty muttered, "The Orre region is a mostly desert region to the northwest of Johto. It's not well known for a lot of things, but there had been stories about a violent villain group called Cypher, and Pokémon who were modified to become stronger through corruption with dark energy. They were called Shadow Pokémon, if I'm not mistaken."
"Shadow Pokémon?" Jackson echoed, finding the whole thing very detestable.
"Oh, look whose done their research!" Miror B. stated, "But that is correct! Through the science of Cipher, they were able to unleash the Pokémon's true violent and destructive capabilities. I wanted to steal every Pokémon in the region with the power of Shadow Pokémon, but seeing as Cipher fell to a rogue once, revived five years later, then fell to a kid, of all things, I had to boogie on outta there in order to make my dream a reality. And thus, that brings yours truly to this day!"
"Okay, I can understand from all that you are out of your mind and you're a bad guy..." Jackson understood, mentally noting that the name 'Cipher' was not the same Cypher he knew, "But why would attack this theatre?! What did the Kimono Sisters do to deserve this?!"
"Oh, their tunes were not my groove!" Miror answered, "They call Orre a hick region, but with that draggin' music, we're more hip than hick compared to this region! So, I am setting this place up as Team Miror's base of operation!"
There was a sudden blast, and Jackson and Miror turned to see Morty's opponent fall over, along with his Pokémon. "This theatre is part of Ecruteak city's history!" Morty shouted, "Not only that, but you even used brute force on the Kimono Sisters themselves when you told them to get off the stage. You don't deserve to be even in this theatre, let alone own it!"
"You heard the gym leader." Jackson growled, as Scizor snapped his claws, "Looks like you are the biggest interference in this place. So make like Jumpluff, and fly on outta here!"
"Oh oh oh! You are one feisty child!" Miror taunted, "If you wanna send me packin', you're gonna have to dance to the Orre-style beat in a Pokémon battle! And Orre's specialty is all about the double battles!"
"Sounds fine with me. I can do those battles, no problem!" Jackson answered.
"In that case, Ludicolo gang, let's go!" Miror waved hand forward as the two dancing Pokémon danced their way in front of Miror while he moonwalked back to the backside of the stage.
Jackson pulled out his Pokédex, examining the opponents. "Ludicolo. The Carefree Pokémon, and the evolved form of Lombre. Ludicolo begins dancing as soon as it hears cheerful, festive music. This Pokémon is said to appear when it hears the singing of children on hiking outings."
"Since they're Grass and Water-type, then Scizor, you are the perfect candidate to take them on." Jackson told his partner.
"I will not fail you this time, sensei." he replied, flying into position.
"For my second one, I'm going with Weavile!" Jackson shouted, tossing out his ball, bringing the said Ice/Dark-type onto the field.
"Start the music, Folly!" Miror called out.
"You got it, boss!" he responded, racing to a large speaker and music set, and activated the music.
(Insert 'Miror B. Battle Music' Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness)
Miror did a surprisingly smooth backflip, a leg-spreading jump, before showing off his loose limbs and ending with a snap of his fingers.
"Not that I like you, but if you wanna dance..." Jackson started. He suddenly went into a breakdance spin, spinning around twice, before pushing himself off the ground with a free hand, and flipping onto his feet again. "...You might find I can step it up!" Jackson finished, quickly brushing the underside of his nose, "Scizor, Agility! Weavile, Ice Punch!" Scizor immediately glowed as he picked up speed, zipping around the stage, while Weavile charged ahead, an icy fist in play.
"Now that's some groove! But mine far exceeds yours!" Miror B. replied, "Rain Dance and Ice Punch!" The first Ludicolo started to spin to the beat of the music, unleashing his own icy fist, while the second danced behind it, dancing to a rhythm as rainclouds were summoned into the sky, raining down onto the field. The two Ice Punches collided, freezing the air and even the rain that started to fall down. However, Weavile was able to overpower his opponent, and send Ludicolo tumbling backwards. It was able to stay on its feet, and it continued to dance.
"Scizor, Bullet Punch! Weavile, Night Slash!" Jackson called out. Scizor went into high speeds as he came in close and struck the second Ludicolo, while Weavile went after his first target, producing an energy sword, and slashing at his target.
"Posse, Hydro Pump!" Miror snapped his finger. The second Ludicolo did get hit a couple times, but shot a powerful gush of water, just as the other Ludicolo did. Both of Jackson's Pokémon got sent flying back as a result of the attack.
"The rain empowered that attack, so they must've taken a ton of damage!" Leafeon grimaced, with an injured Miki, Zuki, Kuni, and their Pokémon watching the fight with her.
'Scizor! Weavile!' Lyanne mentally spoke up, with battered Naoko, Sayo, Espeon, and Jolteon by her.
Jackson's pair were able to get back onto their feet, glaring at their opponents. "Guys, you okay?" Jackson asked.
"Fine." Weavile answered.
"That is a troublesome move." Scizor noted.
"Let's get grassy groovy!" Miror called out, "Giga Drain and Energy Ball!" the first Ludicolo danced even harder than before, its body glowing green, before energy surged out in streams, going towards the pair. At the same time, the other one opened its mouth, and summoned a green energy sphere that was shot alongside the Giga Drain.
"Counter their attack with our own! Vaccuum Wave and Icy Wind!" Jackson called out. The two Pokémon fired off their only long-ranged attacks, with Scizor's attack being carried along by the Icy Wind. The two attacks collided, and there was an explosion of smoke that blew away the rain momentarily. However, once it continued to go on, the Ludicolo's Energy Ball continued to fly.
"It stopped one attack, but not both!" Morty noticed.
"Jump, together!" Jackson called out, and both Weavile and Scizor leapt into the air as the Energy Ball came straight at Jackson. He drew out his sword, and slashed at it. It exploded upon impact, but Jackson's counter made sure he took no damage.
"Boy, you are a crazy one." Miror exclaimed, "You actually carry around a sword with you? And I thought some of Cipher was crazy with what they carry! But regardless of you, your Pokémon can't protect themselves against my posse o' Pokémon! Hydro Pump!" Both Ludicolo fired off their powerful blasts of water out of their mouths, aiming at the airborne opponents.
"Scizor, fly!" Jackson called out, "Weavile, wheel spin and Ice Punch!" Scizor used his wings to fly and avoid the attacks, but Weavile started to go into a front roll, his claws ignited in icy aura. He barely grazed the Hydro Pump aimed at him, but that's what Jackson wanted. The ice started to freeze the circumference of the Hydro Pump stream, and continued to go down the steam thanks to the force of the Ice Punch.
"That's different!" Trudly gasped.
"He froze boss's Hydro Pump with an Ice Punch? Can he even do that?!" Folly demanded.
Weavile slid down the iced attack, his fist still coated in his Ice Punch. The Ludicolo that fired it, the one with the Ice Punch attack, was gaping with its mouth frozen. "That's it, Weavile. Now unleash that Ice Punch!" Jackson called out.
"Chop off his path with Brick Break!" Miror called out. The other Ludicolo came in and, with a glowing hand, he chopped the frozen parts of the Hydro Pump, causing Weavile to tumble off as it was stuck in midair. Ludicolo looked like he was ready to attack him with the same glowing hand. If it hit, it would cause intense damage to the Dark and Ice-type.
"Scizor, X-Scissor!" Jackson called out. Using his boosted speed, Scizor flew right between Weavile and the attack, creating a cross slash with his pincers, blocking the Brick Break with his attack. Weavile was able to get over their colliding attacks, and punch right at his target Ludicolo, sending him reeling backwards in pain. Meanwhile, Ludicolo and Scizor's clash ended with Scizor overpowering Ludicolo, and pushing him back. Jackson's team returned back to his side, while the two Ludicolo were exhausted, injured, but still prepared to fight.
"I won't let the music end like this!" Miror B. declared angrily, "Hydro Pump and Energy Ball!" The two Ludicolo unleashed their attacks together, the Energy Ball being carried by the Hydro Pump, creating a combo attack that was stronger than either one individually.
"Dodge it!" Jackson called out. Weavile and Scizor dove to the sides, while the attack passed them, the force of the attack barely felt by the two. The attack continued onward, going towards Jackson.
"Jackson!" Morty gasped.
"He's in the path of the attack!" Naoko noticed.
"No!" Lyanne gasped in shock. Even Leafeon was worried.
"Hey, there aren't any rules saying that knocking out the trainer is illegal." Miror pointed out, "Better move, kid, or-"
Jackson drew out his sword, pulling it back as held it to one side, point towards the oncoming attack. When it got close, his eyes flashed, he twisted around and unleashed a sword beam with a downward slash, fluidly followed by a spin and a thrust into his attack, combining the two individual attacks into one. The attack sliced the Energy Ball and Hydro Pump in two, flying on either side of him. The attacks couldn't carry their momentum behind Jackson, and dissipated from his attack. When the attack was over, Jackson held his stance, glaring ahead of Miror B., who was stunned at how effortlessly he cut the attack. Everyone else behind him was equally as shocked.
"How did he do that?!" Folly demanded.
"He cut such a strong attack with a sword?!" Zuki questioned, "Something like that is incomprehensible!"
Lyanne, already aware that Jackson was beyond that of a normal human, was still stunned for what took place. Meanwhile, Leafeon sighed in relief, before smirking as she muttered, "Should've known. A paltry attack like that wouldn't stop him.
"As impressive as ever, sensei." Scizor acknowledged.
"He is the coolest there is." Weavile accepted, glaring at the Ludicolo, "We should strive to be as cool as him. Scizor, let's move!" He drew out his Night Slash blade, and launched himself forward. Scizor saw this, and flew in with X-Scissor. Both of them were targeting the stunned Ludicolo.
"Wait, wait, wait! Stop the soul train!" Miror B. shouted, but they continued their attack without their trainer's command, striking the two Ludicolo, and sending them crashing to the ground behind their trainer, unable to continue.
"Excellent work, you guys." Jackson told his victorious teammates.
"As you taught us, sensei." Scizor responded, bowing to him.
"It wasn't a big deal." Weavile answered simply.
"How dare you! How dare you!" Miror B. growled, pulling out his Pokéballs and calling back his fallen Pokémon, "You threw off my attacks with those funky moves of yours! How can you slice up my Pokémon's attacks as easily as shaving hair?! How can your Pokémon attack without you needing to say anythin'?! No way can that be normal?!"
"Normalcy is in the eye of the beholder." Jackson quoted, "I have trained my Pokémon to fight skillfully without my commands. It may not be normal to most, but we still fight as one, knowing what the other wants to do. But that's the strength we show to our opponents, and it's how we will continue to fight!" This caused Morty and the Kimono Sisters to smile at his words. He was growing into a better person than how he already was last time they saw each other.
"This won't do at all!" Miror B. growled, "Trudly, Folly, get him!" His henchmen leapt onto the stage and charged at Jackson on either side, attempting to grab him.
"Big mistake." Leafeon muttered.
She was right. Just as they came close to Jackson, he placed his sword away, and utilized his Chinese Kenpo to beat the two guys off without any effort, knocking them to the ground unconscious. He then turned to Miror B., who was trying to make a quick getaway after seeing his posse defeated. However, Jackson's high speeds, got him directly in front of him when he tried to exit backstage. He then thrusted his palms forward as he shouted, "Double Palm!" The force of his attack, plus the ki he put into it, caused Miror B. to be sent flying. He managed to land with his feet on the ground, skidding to a halt. He glared at Jackson for a second, before feeling his whole body give way. He clutched his heart as he fell backwards next to his posse, defeated.
Jackson regained himself as he walked over, while the audience watching below gathered in front of the stage. "Is he okay?" Leafeon asked.
Jackson approached Miror B., picked up his hand, checking his pulse. "He'll be fine. The force of my attack just shocked his body into unconsciousness. Guess that means the police will have it easy picking them up." He smirked down at everyone, who smiled back at him.
Moments later, Team Miror was taken away by the authorities. Meanwhile, Jackson, his Pokémon, and Lyanne were assisting the Kimono girls in repairing the theatre again. All the girls had their injuries healed up, while Morty unfortunately had to leave with the authorities to speak about what took place.
"You didn't have to come and do this for us." Miki told Jackson.
"I wanna. You ladies had been really helpful to me before." Jackson responded, "The least I can do is take care of this theatre after that guy's destruction."
"He and his goons caused so much damage." Sayo muttered, her Jolteon grabbing some broken wood in her mouth to take it away.
"It will be some time before we can be fully ready for our next performance." Zuki muttered, seeing a damaged bench, "Why would someone cause this much destruction like this? What causes this much hate to grow in a person's heart to detest even our dance?"
"His hatred was pretty petty." Jackson argued, "He did say his true goal was to own all the Pokémon in the world, which was a ludicrous ambition from the start. But his whole dancing passion and his detest for other forms of dance? Miror B. was bladin' delusional."
"Regardless, we can't thank you enough for stepping up when you did." Naoko thanked Jackson, "You've gotten stronger since the last time we saw one another. You and Leafeon."
"Not to mention your new friend." Zuki added, looking to Lyanne, who had deposited more rubble in the gathered pile, looking to see she was being addressed, "So who is she."
"Her name is Lyanne." Jackson answered, grabbing two halves of a broken bench, "She hails from Alto Mare, and is journeying with me. She is mute, so she can't talk."
"I see..." Zuki understood. She looked to the other kimono girls, who looked to her, and nodded in understanding. They knew she was no normal girl, and could tell she was something different. Still, if he didn't want to say, they didn't need to press it.
Jackson looked to see that among the stuff that was damaged, a photo near the back of the theater had its frame slightly damaged. He took it and looked at it, seeing the kimono girls, a few years younger than what they were now. He noticed something peculiar about the photo, then walked to Naoko as he asked, "Here. Looks like one of your photos took a hit. The picture is fine, but the frame could use some work.
"Oh, thank you for finding this!" Naoko replied, taking the photo, "I noticed it was missing, and feared the worse."
"There seems to be another girl in this photo." Jackson pointed out, seeing a girl with black hair and big lavender eyes in the photo of girls, all of which were in kimonos, the girl's being lavender, and all of them having Eevees as their partners.
"Oh, that's Valerie." Naoko explained, "She wasn't a sister of ours but took an interest in what we did."
"Actually, I think she was more interested in our clothes." Miki further explained, "She was rather eccentric, really wanting to be a Pokémon, herself."
"Wanting to be a Pokémon, eh?" Leafeon asked, sneakily looking to Jackson, who understood what she meant by her gaze.
"Currently, she's in the Kalos region as a fashion designer." Kuni noted, "She's also a gym leader in the same region."
"A Kalos region Gym Leader, eh?" Jackson echoed, "Hopefully, I'll meet her one day."
It was nighttime, and the team had just finished cleaning out the debris, and only started a bit at getting everything back into place again.
"We can take over from here." Zuki told Jackson and his friends, "We don't want to stop you from moving on."
"That's okay. I don't mind helping out." the swordsman trainer answered.
"But you still are going on your journey." Zuki prodded him, "You can count on the rest of us to fix things up from here. We're not as delicate as we may seem."
"That I know." Jackson agreed with a smile, "Well, I'll go to the Pokémon Center to sleep for the night, then move on to Mahogany Town the next morning."
"Mahogany Town?" Miki echoed, "Just so you're aware, I have heard unsavory rumors about what's going on there."
"What unsavory rumors?" Jackson asked, while Leafeon and Lyanne looked to one another.
"There seem to be activity there that seems shady. Among it involves activity connecting to the Lake of Rage nearby it." Miki explained, "I even heard rumors of an evil group working behind the scenes."
"And evil group?" Leafeon echoed.
"Is it Team Rocket?" Jackson asked, looking concerned. He closed his eyes, thinking about it, before opening his eyes again and answering, "Well, hopefully it is figured out when we arrive. And if not..."
"Let me guess, you'll resolve it yourself." Leafeon finished his sentence."
"If I have the capability to do something, I might as well do it." Jackson answered, looking determined, "For now, let's sleep on it, then make our way there tomorrow!" Lyanne and Leafeon nodded in approval. They waved farewell to the Kimono girls, going to get some rest.