Hey guys, welcome to the second to last chapter of Pokémon Society, I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. I just wanted to remind you guys to answer the poll. Now, let's get this story started.

In the Gamma Team base, everyone was partying over Scarlet's successes. THe only reason Executive Dakota allowed it was because there was nothing else they could do at the moment.

"Order up! One black coffee with a cherry souffle!" shouted Kazuma.

A man came over and accepted his order. Kazuma's Gamma Team coffee shop was packed thanks to his seventy-five percent off victory sale. Everyone was in a good mood, even Olivia when faced with Unovan Pokémon, but that was only because of Molly.

Jacob and Henry were with Kazuma, helping him with all the baked treats. Marlow was in his lab, finishing Scarlet's army. Most people had noticed that he seemed different, more sullen.

Devon was training in one of the room's with Executive Henderson. Both were very good battlers, and Devon could still learn a thing or two from him. Watching them while hanging out together were Mia and Gabrielle. The two were very good friends considering their similar pasts.

On the other side of the building, Elaine was creeping around the base, moving quickly. Most people knew her as the mysterious and skilled thief Dagger, so they paid her no heed. It was much easier and safer to walk among allies then to sneak around and bring attention to herself.

Seeing as Scarlet herself said she had no more use for her, she figured it wouldn't hurt to see what the Gamma Team truly was about before she left.

She climbed a flight of golden colored stairs that had red outlines. This was the staircase that led to Scarlet's room. Almost no one went here save for Executive Dakota. When Scarlet left, Executive Dakota had moved a few files into her room.

Elaine looked around her before climbing the stairs. As expected, there was no one around. She went up to the door and looked at the keyhole in the lock, pulling out a mini flashlight and a tiny camera attached to a thin rod as well.

To most people, the lock was extremely complicated to pick. From a simple glance, the key for it was obviously weirdly shaped to the point of being unrecognizable. Elaine however, could easily see how the lock would work.

To put it simply, the key was claw shaped with teeth on the hooks. The key would be inserted in the lock, then turned ninety degrees so the teeth would be in front of the tumblers. Then, the key would be pulled backwards to push the tumblers downwards and open the door.

Elaine got out her lock picking tools. She selected a hook shaped one and quickly attached a small tooth shaped piece of metal to it. She pulled out a straight piece of metal and carefully inserted both into the lock. The hook shaped piece of metal was for dropping the tumblers while the straight piece was for steadying it.

Within two minutes, she had picked the lock and opened the doors. She already knew that Scarlet didn't have any security save for the complicated lock.

She entered the room and strode toward Scarlet's desk. Most of her things had been cleared out, which Elaine figured made sense. She was reaching the end of her endeavors, no need to keep a small office in a dingy room.

She tested all the drawers and only found the lowest one locked. She unlocked it in ten seconds and found a folder full of files. She put the file on the table and pulled out the first one.

The file was a scientific report labeled. "Mentem Ardentem Omnium Scientiam et Potestatem." She scoffed at the long name before translating it on her phone.

"The Burning Mind of All Knowledge and Power? Is that what they call Scarlet?"

She looked at the rest of the file, reading it quickly.

"The Pokémon Mentem Ardentem Omnium Scientiam et Potestatem, also known as The Burning Mind of All Knowledge and Power, also known as Sorelflare is in its final stage of development. The DNA has been implanted and its main body has been successfully formed. We are not sure how its emotional state and mental state will turn out, but early reading and signs are telling us that it is indeed powerful. If its mental state is indeed stable when we activate it tomorrow, there is no doubt this will be a powerful bioweapon."

Elaine frowned as she read through it. The report was dated twenty one years ago, which obviously meant that their activation failed. Of course, if Scarlet had access to these files, it meant either she was involved with the experiment or it was conducted by the Gamma Team. However, the rest of the files were simply earlier reports about Sorelflare. What she did gather however, was that it was a combination of the DNA from legendary psychic and fire Pokémon. As well as a few altered human genes. The fate of it however, was unknown.

She looked around the room for anything of interest when one part of the desk caught her eye. A small square piece of wood seemed out of place. She examined it closely and realized it was a hidden area. She took out a small piece of metal from her pocket and pried it open. Inside she found an old weathered journal.

She opened it up and flipped through it. Some of the entries showed it to be Scarlet's journal. She quickly headed to one of the latest dates, it was dated shortly after the scientific report.

"The activation went differently than we expected, for good or for worse. The Pokémon we created was unstable thanks to [redacted] and split itself into separate parts, each part granting a varying degree of power. This power is still uncontrollable. I've already destroyed the laboratory and most of that traitor's house. Fortunately for me, she was destroyed along with her ugly house, but I might have destroyed the Pokémon's soul piece as well. No matter, she was weak. That piece is inconsequential."

The entry ended there. Elaine was about to continue on when she heard a commotion downstairs. She quickly replaced everything back to the way it was, save for the diary, and peeked out the door.

Peering out, she saw a crowd of people had gathered, welcoming Scarlet. She ducked back into the office and headed out through a window, closing it behind her.

Scarlet floated above the crowd onto the staircase. She turned around and spread her arms, addressing the crown in a grand voice.

"Welcome one and all, members of the Gamma Team! I am so glad you accepted my summons and gathered before me." she looked around the crowd, glancing at all the faces. "It appears however, not everyone is here. Dakota, who are we missing?"

"Let's see," said Executive Dakota, also joining her on the stairs. "We're missing Elaine Marron, Mia Henderson, Guy Doe, Nowen Cares, and Jessica Helmish."

Scarlet waved a hand. "It's fine. Either way, I gathered all of you here because as you know, I have completed the second to last phase in our operation. The operation which will allow the downtrodden to rise, the weak to be powerful!"

Most of the people gathered there let out a cheer at Scarlet's words. She waited for them to stop before holding up a finger.

"But, there is an issue. We are all human, so we are bound to make mistakes. Sometimes, it's the wrong word to the wrong person, or not being careful enough in our affairs," she said as she threw a subtle glare at Molly. "But among us are traitors, in this gathering itself. They pretend to be with us, but plot treachery behind our backs. I can see it in their minds. We will not allow people to benefit from the society we shall create while they plan betrayal amongst us!"

Everyone expressed their outrage at the idea, all while casting glances at each other, trying to discern the traitor.

"I have one final thing to say. We shall not let these traitors and backstabbers infringe on our society! If you want to preserve our goals, and prove your loyalty, then find those who deceive us and bring them to me."

Immediately, everyone started looking at each other and pointing fingers, yelling as they accused others as traitors. This continued on for a minute before Kazuma climbed the stairs.

"Everyone be quiet!"

Someone looked at him with annoyance. "Who made you the leader?"

The person was surrounded by a psychic aura and thrown back. People looked at Scarlet in surprise and Kazuma in admiration, but Scarlet didn't give any indication that she did anything.

"Alright people, I know you want to find out who's the traitor, but squabbling like Combuskens won't help. Besides, I already know who the traitors are."

"You do?" asked Jacob.

"Yeah! How do you know?" asked another person.

"It's pretty obvious. May I present to you, Gabrielle Lemmings."

Gabrielle, who had for the most part been keeping quiet, looked at him in outraged surprise. "What do you mean-"

"Oh please, it;'s been pretty obvious you weren't even a villain from the start. Supervillainy involves style and presentation, Villany on the other hand, requires real talent as an individual. You have none of that, you are just a thug at best."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, getting heated.

"Oh it means what it means. You haven't been acting like a villain or a supervillain. Especially when it comes to your brother. How's Gavin doing? Has he told you anything about him and his Oak Agency buddies?"

"You can't just say I'm a traitor because my brother's on the opposite side! I haven't done anything traitorous!"

"Well I'm sorry, the risk is simply too great. And you can't hide it, you miss your brother, you want to be with him. Wouldn't all of you agree that's traitorous?"

Everyone roared their approval, facing Gabrielle angrily.

"But unfortunately everyone, we still have other traitors. Other's more traitorous than Gabrielle," a disappointed look came over his face. "Messiah Noel."

A man in the back looked up at him. "Wait, me?"

"Yes you, I know what've you been up to. The Gamma Team is supposed to be confidential, something you're supposed to keep in the circle of members. But not you, you can't just waltz around, telling whoever you want about the Gamma Team! And to think you're one of my top buyers, I am disappointed."

"But-"

"You've lost your chance. People, make sure none of the traitors don't escape. Like you, Devon Manson!" shouted Kazuma, turning around and facing Devon. "I can't believe you shared so much information with your little girlfriend! Especially since she works for the Oak Agency!"

Devon, unlike everyone else, didn't try and defend himself. Instead, he was eerily calm.

"That's right Kazuma, I did leak information. And you wanna know why?" he asked, addressing the entire crowd. "Cause I don't care about the Gamma Team! The only reason I signed up was because I expected someone strong to face on either side! Turns out, y'all just weak disappointments! I've rarely lost any battle in my entire time here, battles that actually count!"

He looked directly at Kazuma when he said his next words. "Unlike when I fought against you. You can't hide it anymore."

"Keep blathering Devon," said Kazuma, trying desperately to read the rest of his thoughts. When he was unsuccessful, he turned and faced Marlow.

"And finally, you. I am honestly so surprised. You had everything going for you, Scarlet gave you such a great task! She gave you resources that allowed you to create everything you desired! And now, you want to defect from the Gamma Team?"

"That's correct," said Marlow boldly. "I am defecting. I'm fed up with all the cruelty and torture. And you may stand up there feeling high and mighty, revealing all of our secrets, but what about you? I've been watching you came back from that mission with Elaine, you have power similar to Scarlet!"

"What? How could you accuse me of that? Where's your evidence?"

"All the times you seem to know where someone is without actually seeing them, one of Scarlet's powers, the way how you seemed to know every single one of Devon's strategies in order to defeat him, another one of Scarlet's abilities, and the fact you somehow knew exactly who was a traitor, and other times before now! All these signs point to my claim!"

Kazuma quickly tried to think of a way to defend himself, but then Scarlet spoke up.

"That's enough. Thank you Kazuma for exposing these traitors. But I must apologize, I wasn't honest to all of you. You see, I despise humanity, having to tolerate all of you has been driving me close to insanity. The only thing that saved me was the fact that all of you are simply tools. Once all this is over, I'll be the supreme leader. Humanity will fall under me."

Everyone was surprised by her words. Anger filled the room as everyone registered Scarlet's deceit.

"Well Scarlet!" shouted someone in the crowd. "We know almost everything about the Gamma Team! What's to stop us from leaking it all?"

"Oh I already had plans for that. All of you will be destroyed."

"You just flew half the world in order to get here," said Devon. "You may be powerful, but we have strength in numbers. You should've saved your big reveal for when we weren't outnumbering you!"

"Oh I never planned on fighting all of you, I'm not that stupid."

The ceiling opened up as silver colored pokèballs fell down, surrounded by psychic energy.

"With my army of Pokémon, I can easily take all of you out before waging my war on humanity."

"An army of fifty Pokémon won't wipe out humanity Scarlet," said Marlow with a snarl. "I'll never help you again, your plan won't succeed!"

"Oh Marlow, I've told you less than I thought. I used to be a Pokémon genetic scientist myself. You thought you were so clever by destroying your work. Nope! I have all your information. I'll mass produce your army easily. Now, bye bye."

The pokeballs all opened at the same time. Various Pokémon burst out in streams of light and landed among the assembled people. Instantly, more Pokémon appeared as people sent out their own Pokémon to counterattack.

Marlow grabbed Devon by the arm. "No point in fighting them, I understand you're an amazing battler, but these Pokémon are too strong. We have to leave and regroup. There's something I must tell you all. Get the rest of the mission branch."

Devon was about to argue, but flinched as his Gyarados was sent flying by a Wild Charge from a glowing Luxray.

"Fine, but it better be good. This is partly your fault!"

Devon returned his Pokémon and grabbed Gabrielle by the arm, pulling her. She had been frozen, rooted to the spot by news of Scarlet's betrayal.

"Come on! We have to go, mission branch follow Marlow!"

Jacob looked over at Marlow before looking back at the battlefield and Scarlet. Scarlet had her eyes closed, her mental powers commanding all fifty Pokémon at once.

"What about the others!" he shouted as Olivia and Molly moved past him.

"Forget it, we can only trust each other!" shouted Marlow, moving towards the hall.

"Kazuma come on!" shouted Henry, joining Jacob's side.

This whole time, Kazuma had been standing there, undecided. Not a single Pokémon had moved to him, they seemed to actively ignore him.

Everyone who'd been escaping with Marlow turned to look at Kazuma.

"Don't tell me you're siding with her!" shouted Jacob. "What about what we all have been through together?"

"Forget about him," said Gabrielle bitterly.

"Come on Kazuma, you're part of the team!" shouted Henry. "Come with us."

Kazuma made up his mind and moved towards them. All of a sudden, Scarlet's eyes snapped open as she glared at Kazuma.

"Where do you think you're going, Kazuma? I still need you."

Suddenly, a large Arbok that was glowing with a dark aura lunged at him. He wasn't able to send out his Pokémon before it used Wrap and trapped him.

"And don't think I've forgotten about all of you," said Scarlet, looking straight at Marlow and his group.

"We don't stand a chance at freeing Kazuma," said Marlow, pulling Jacob back. "We have to run, come on!"

Everyone in the party ran down the hall as Pokémon chased after them. Devon flipped around and sent out his Rhyperior.

"Block the hall with Stone Quake!"

The Rhyperior gave a roar and slammed its fists against the ground, creating a huge quake as jagged pillars erupted from the ground in a combined attack. A Meinshao slipped through the attack and leapt into the air, getting ready to deliver a powerful High Jump Kick.

"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball!"

Molly sent out her Gardevoir right when the Meinshao got through. It attacked the unsuspecting Pokémon and sent it flying backwards with the powerful attack. The Meinshao hit the stone wall and glared at the Gardevoir completely unhurt, causing her to shrink away.

"Out, Nerium!" called Olivia, sounding genuinely scared.

"Take care of this Mary," shouted Jacob.

Both Olivia's Espeon and Jacob's Azumarill joined the fray. Nerium went right in with Psychic, surrounding the Mienshao with psychic energy and throwing it backwards. The Rhyperior trapped it with Stone Edge as Mary buffed herself with Belly Drum. Molly's Gardevoir meekly took another shot with Shadow Ball, but missed completely.

On the other side of the wall, the Pokémon were rapidly bashing themselves against it and using their moves against it. The Meinshao was taking damage but hadn't been defeated, and time was running out.

"We have to finish this fast!" shouted Marlow. "Advance, Snox! Psycho Cut!"

Marlow's Malamar appeared and whipped psychic blades at the Mienshao. The Rhypeior got behind it as it tried to dodge psychic and fairy attacks and grabbed it, preventing it from moving.

"Now Jacob!" shouted Devon.

"Mary, Play Rough!"

His Azumarill leapt forward and unleashed a fairy barrage on the Mienshao. Despite its power, it couldn't handle the attack and fainted.

"Alright let's go!" shouted Marlow, returning his Pokémon. "We have to find a way to escape."

"The only escape is through the front door though," said Gabrielle. "Scarlet's room is the only place with windows. The door is sure to be guarded heavily."

"What about blasting a hole through a wall?" asked Olivia.

"Oh yeah," said Henry. "Let's alert every Pokémon in the vicinity we're here."

"I'm just trying to give suggestions!" said Olivia, her voice rising.

"Everyone calm down," said Marlow. "I know how we can escape."

"How?" asked Molly.

"There's something in my laboratory that will help us greatly. If we can get there, there's a very good chance we can force our way through."

"Is it a mega laser?" asked Olivia, her breath coming out in ragged gasp from running.

"As long as it's something to even the odds I'm good," said Devon.

"What about Kazuma?" asked Jacob. "I doubt he's safe with Scarlet."

"We'll worry about him later," said Marlow. "Our top priority is protecting ourselves. Now hurry, I doubt those Pokémon have lost our trail. By this point they've broken free and are looking for us."

Kazuma found himself locked in a room that seemed suspiciously like a dungeon. Heavy steel bars trapped him in a room with thick stone walls. He could see a thing that was tied to a metal chair with heavy rope.

"Hey! What gives!" shouted Kazuma, looking around.

After he didn't hear or see anything, he activated his power and set his hands on fire, grabbing the rope. The rope caught on fire and started burning. The moment one part burned, he used his psychic ability to pull it away before it burned him.

He got off the chair and stood up, moving towards the bars. The bars were positioned vertically and horizontally. He figured he could slowly melt it, but it would take a lot of time and energy.

He readied a single, white hot stream of fire, when a voice stopped him.

"Well, well. You're awake," came Scarlet's voice.

Scarlet walked in front of the door, her view broken up by the intersecting bars.

"Scarlet! What am I doing here?"

"You really weren't paying attention were you? I already said I detested humanity, you included. None of you meant anything to me, almost no one does. I only trust one person, one person only."

"Executive Dakota."

"Correct."

"If that's true, then why did you say you had a use for me? How come you didn't try and destroy me?"

"Take a wild guess, I'm sure you're smart enough to realize your only value to me."

"My powers," Kazuma said bitterly.

"The powers you stole from me."

Kazuma took a step away from Scarlet. "But why Scarlet? Why do you hate humanity to the point of destroying those who were loyal to those, and to enslave the rest? What could've driven you to this?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"As if you'd understand. I was almost stillborn, only by some curse or miracle I survived. My birth almost killed my mother, and my family's situation made it hard to raise a sick, half-dead child. I was never supposed to be born, so I came as a surprise to my parents. Why would you want another child when you already have a lovely five year old daughter?"

"You're talking about Ashley."

"Of course I am. Either way, my mother never recovered. She died when I was four from a long sickness after my birth. My father was emotionally attached beyond reason to her. He viewed her death as my fault, as if I was a curse. After her death, life became unbearable. Little to eat, beatings, and worse. But of course, I managed to survive, my father made sure of that. Kept the windows locked tight, took away any sharp objects, force fed what little he gave me. All so that he could keep torturing me."

"Of course, my sister was no better. You know what they say? If you're not solving a problem you're part of it. She never said anything or tried to intervene against my father's cruelty, never called the police, nor told anyone. At school she'd tell everyone that I was a sickly child and couldn't make it to school a lot, when in reality I was recovering from my father's torture. Not only that, but whenever our father would tell her to do something, she'd do it without hesitation. Kicking me, throwing stones, anything."

"But this can't warrant enslaving the whole of humanity!"

"It can't? Well let me tell you this. No one ever asked about me, whenever people came over, my father locked me in my room. No one questioned this, tried to investigate, they just took it as it was. After I ran away at age ten, I lived on the streets for some time. No one offered the poor, starving, freezing girl any help, and rarely looked her way. My only other option was to do crime. I had the will to survive, hate and anger at my family was the only thing driving me. But no one understood me. They labeled me as a delinquent, a runaway, but not as a desperate survivor. They locked me in a Juvenile Delinquent Center. At that point, I was still a small and weak girl. Everyone was bigger and stronger than me and therefore I always ended up with the worst quality of things. I slept on the floor, ate leftovers, and had to use their excess water."

"I was fed up with it all. Humanity at that point had never shown me a single kindness of any consequence. It wasn't until I was eighteen and out of prison for the third time that someone came to me. I had been sleeping on a bench in the dead of winter when a man came over and offered his coat, despite the freezing weather. He also had been tossed away like a Mimikyu doll by this empty society. Unlike me however, it was Pokémon that ruined his life. His nephew and younger sister were killed by Pokémon inflicted with a madness disease during a hike on Ankhurr Mountain. After killing two of the Pokémon following a brutal fight with whatever he could find, he was arrested and put in jail. He lost his job, and was put in a crippling debt. His property seized, his life ruined. That man was Dakota Stewart."

"After that event, he grew to hate the society so dependent on Pokémon. He couldn't understand why a society created by people treated Pokémon as equals. He never understood it before, and grew to hate it. His profession had been a Pokémon genetic biologist for the purpose of understanding how Pokémon worked. He told me that day that he wished that he could do something to change how the world worked. That was my dream as well. From that day, we worked together and gained knowledge to make our dreams a reality."

"Okay, I get it, your life was horrible. But there are hundreds upon thousands of people around the world! Not all of them can be as terrible as the people you encountered!"

"I've suffered too many betrayals for leniency. Ashley, old coworkers, and your mother."

"What? My mother? She's a bank accountant, she'd never work for you."

Scarlet laughed. "I see he really did keep his promise and never told you."

"What are you saying, Scarlet?"

"You 'mother' is actually your stepmother. Your real mother died more than twenty years ago. I should know, I was the one who killed her."

"You're lying!"

"Well, I did lie about many things, like how you obtained your powers. You weren't the original holder of that soul piece. Your real mother was."

"We have been in the final stages of creating Sorelflare. It was the day before we activated the Pokémon, when you were only a few weeks old. Your mother had been one of my scientists on the project. I thought I could trust everyone, but I didn't have my powers yet. Before everyone had gathered to activate the Pokémon, Ashley had approached your mother and convinced her to betray me. Ashley never got in the facility on her own, your mother let her in."

"As I told you, Ashley sabotaged the machine and caused the soul to split. However, the last piece absorbed itself into your mother. She escaped while me and Ashley fought, but not for long. Outraged over her betrayal, I chased her down the moment I blew up the facility. She never expected me to catch up so quickly. I caught her at her house and immediately attacked her. She put up a valiant effort, but I was much stronger. When I finished her off, her soul piece flew off somewhere. I, however, didn't know that you were in the house. I had assumed that it flew off far away or vanished. I found your father and threatened him not to tell anyone, or I'd kill you and him. Then I burned down her ugly house and left. Apparently, you survived the house fire as well."

Kazuma stood there, processing what Scarlet said. It made sense, but it couldn't be true. His dad would've told him something like that, right?

"Oh, and if that's not enough, there's more to the story. I saw your picture while looking through a magazine one time. Your bright red eyes made me suspicious. When I traced your last name and found out who your father was, I knew exactly what happened to the soul piece. I hired a hitman named Emmet to set you up and frame you for the mayor's death. I then had Jacob arrested under orders to recruit you into the Gamma Team. You have always been in my grasp, in my sight. The only use you've ever had to me was your mother's soul piece. And now it shall be mine."

Kazuma had been standing frozen this entire time. Now, blinded by rage and pure hate, sprung into action. He swung an arm at Scarlet, fire streaming from it. Scarlet was caught by surprise and didn't defend herself fast enough. The fire barely hurt hur however.

Kazuma conjured a blue fireball, the heat slowly melting the bars. It grew in his hand as he blasted it at Scarlet. He put his hands around the bars as she dodged and melted them.

He leapt forward with fire blazing in his palm. Scarlet dodged his attack and flipped him over, causing him to hit the floor hard on his back.

Scarlet reached a glowing hand to his face.

"You lose Kazuma."

Marlow peered around the corner in the science hallway. A Lycanroc was walking around there. It lingered around Gwendolyn's lab for a moment, sniffing around before giving up and leaving.

"Do you think there's something or someone important there?" asked Molly, pointing at Gwendolyn's lab.

"Other than a few chemical's I doubt it," said Olivia. Let's hurry up..

"Hold on," said Marlow, approaching Gwendolyn's lab. "I know a bit about her work. There could be a chemical serum called G2-R64t. It's complicated, but it basically weakens the power of a Pokémon. Preventing it from using any special abilities."

"Perfect," said Jacob. "Exactly what we need."

"Should we really be going through her lab?" asked Henry. "I heard she goes psycho on anyone who touches her stuff without permission."

"She's probably dead," said Gabrielle, walking into the lab.

"Is it me," said Devon. "Or is she the most affected by this?"

"I don't care as long as I'm with Olivia!" declared Molly, hanging onto Olivia.

"We're wasting time," said Marlow, walking in.

Inside the lab, beakers and shattered bottles were lined on the floor. A monitor was lying on the ground and chemicals were spilled everywhere. Paper was strewn around the place and cabinets were thrown open wildly. Finally, the room was scorched. A dead Arcanine laid on the ground.

Gabrielle was kneeling on the ground next to the Arcanine, examining its underside.

"Don't look if you want to sleep tonight," said Gabrielle, looking a little green.

Marlow looked around the room. "Well we're not going to be staying long, there's nothing here for us."

"Hey do you hear that?" asked Jacob. "It sounds like a muffled voice!"

They traced the sound to a safe. They listened for about a minute before Marlow was able to discern the code.

When they opened the safe. Gwendolyn fell out, as well as a large backpack. Glass twinkled inside.

Her square glasses were broken on one side and were falling off of her face, her green eyes dull. He black hair, which was usually pulled into a bun, was undone and spread wildly around her face. Her lab coat was singed and ripped in many places and dust covered her dark skin.

"What were you doing in there?" asked Devon.

"What does it look like? Hiding of course. There were a bunch of Pokémon who attacked me before the Arcanine. My Mudsdale and Inteleon fainted when that thing came in, and my Maractus stood no chance for a reason you may know why. So I hid in the safe. Outside, the Arcanine caused havoc and killed itself. What are y'all doing here?"

"We need to recover an item from our lab before escaping. This item will greatly aid in our escape, you can come along too."

"Thank you, I'd love to leave this place. What is this item anyways?"

"You'll see, let's go."

They ran from Gwendolyn's lab to Marlow's down the hall. He went to his own safe and spun the combination lock. Inside, he pulled out a large briefcase.

"I had a lot more than I originally planned to have and that I needed, so I kept them just in case. And it seems we need it now."

He opened the case and out came a large number of Mega Stones, Keystones, and mega accessories. Everyone gasped in excitement.

"Mega Pokémon!" shouted Henry.

"Wait," said Olivia. "What about the people without megas?"

"We'll work something out. There's more than enough Keystones for everyone. So using two megas is possible. Send out your Pokémon."

Everyone with Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution appeared. Gabrielle's Lucario named Lucas, Marlow's Salamence named Orion filled the hall, Devon's Gyarados, Henry's Heracross named Taiho, as well as his Audino name Medi, and Molly's Charizard as well as her Gardevoir.

Marlow attached accessories as well as Mega Stone's to each Pokémon. Lucas got a glove, Devon's Gyarados got a band around its tail, Taiho got a band around his horn, Medi and Gardevoir had Tiara's, and Molly's Charizard had a chestplate. After that, he grabbed a Swampernite, a Mega accessory, and an extra Keystone.

"All right people. Get ready, cause we're getting Kazuma and busting out of here," said Marlow.

"What?" asked Gabrille. "After everything he's done?"

"It didn't matter either way. And you can't say he wasn't a friend," said Jacob. "We'll set a higher example. Let's go."

Paul Henderson rushed through a hallway. He looked around and saw the palace was damaged.

"Damn it! Am I too late?"

He ran through the hallway and caught sight of a Sunflora near a door.

"Go, Brawl!"

The Sunflora turned as a large Darmanitan appeared. Brawl leapt forward and used Flare Blitz, ramming into the Sunflora and throwing backwards. It whirled around and punched it in the face.

"Keep using Flare Blitz!"

Brawl pressed his attack and charged the Sunflora into a wall. It charged up a Solar Beam, but Brawl's fire prevented it from dealing much damage. Because of the small space, the Sunflora had no space to fight back as Brawl repeatedly slammed it into the wall. It eventually fainted and fell to the floor.

He returned Brawl and hurried to a door. He flung it open and was immediately hit in the head with a video game controller.

"Go away! Leave- oh, it's just you," sadi Mia, hiding behind her bed.

"Come on Mia, we have to get out of here."

She slowly got up and looked behind Henderson. "The authorities are here right?"

"No, it's worse. Scarlet was lying to us. It's not safe here anymore. You have to leave, now!"

"Just me?"

"Yes, Scarlet may not notice you if we're not together. I have to stay here and make sure you escape safely. When you do, stay with the authorities. Tell them you're waiting for me."

Mia looked annoyed. "So you're going to abandon me? Just like he did?"

"I'm trying to protect you. Scarlet's crazy, she won't hesitate to kill you. I'm sorry for getting you caught up in all of this Mia," he crouched down and put his hands on her shoulder, looking at her directly. "I know I wasn't the best guardian, or even a good one at that. I want to make it up to you. But I won't lie, even if you escape, there's no guarantee I'll make it out alive."

He pulled out a pokéball with a Gallade in it and removed a locket from his pocket. "This was from your mother. I kept it for you from Joe, it's worth a lot. Inside is a Keystone. Galahad has a Mega Stone with him, he'll protect you. There isn't much time. Go Mia, I'll catch up."

Mia stood there, unmoving. She took the locket and the pokéball in shaking hands and looked at Henderson.

"Do you promise you'll come back?"

"I'll do my best."

Marlow and his team were approaching the main hallway. A quick peek around the corner proved their suspicions correct.

"They're ten of them," said Gabrielle, moving behind the corner.

"And we have eight Mega Pokémon, if we include Sketch," said Marlow.

"But we have teamwork," said Olivia. "They're going to be uncoordinated. I think we stand a chance."

Marlow nodded. "Makes sense. Devon, tell us the plan."

"Okay, here's the plan. Most of our Mega Pokémon are big and strong upfront attackers. The only exceptions are Lucas, who's fast and specializes in ranged attacks. Molly's Gardevoir, who is a ranged attacker, and Medi who specializes in support. Gwendolyn, we need your Mudsdale to protect the Gardevoir and Medi. Olvia, you have Mors fight alongside Lucas while Jacob's Lily fights alongside Taiho to cover for his lack of speed. Are we ready people?"

Everyone nodded. They rushed into the hall and sent out their Pokémon. The opposing Pokémon faced them in surprise for a moment before attacking.

The room filled with a dazzling rainbow light as all of their Pokémon Mega Evolved. The advancing Pokémon stopped short as the light filled their eyes.

"All right team!" shouted Devon. "Let's go for it, Crunch!"

Devon's Gyarados charged forward and latched its jaws onto a Hatterene before slamming it against a wall. Lucas ran forward and leapt into the air, charging a huge Aura Sphere and firing it at a Drapion. Mors dashed forward and used Drain Punch, rapidly draining the Drapion.

Four Pokémon from the group came and ran at Medi and the Gardevoir. One of them, a Toxicroak, leapt up with its hand glowing with poison. A Shadow Ball and a Moonblast sent it flying backwards as an Infernape and a Hitmonchan took its place. Gwendolyn's Mudsdale ran forward and blocked a Fire Punch before whipping around and using High Horsepower to send it flying. A Hitmonchan landed in front of it and used Ice Punch twice before getting thrown by Psychic. A Pangoro came and used Close Combat, beating the Mudsdale over and over.

"Medi, Heal Pulse!" shouted Henry from across the room.

"Gardevoir, do something!" shouted Nolly.

Molly's Gardevoir stood there, slightly frozen. She closed her eyes and focused before using Hyper Voice. The sound waves were tinged with pink as they blasted the four Pokémon backwards. They crashed into a wall and slowly got up.

Taiho and Lily were busy fighting against a Houndoon. The Houndoom charged up a Fire Blast and shot it at Taiho, who quickly dug his horn into the ground and brought up a large piece of tile to defend himself. Lily jumped forward and used Drain Punch, and absorbed the Houndoom's energy. Taiho broke the tile apart and used Rock Blasts, flinging rock shards at the Houndoom and throwing it backwards.

The Houndoom was thrown backwards as a Boltund came forward to take its place, fire blazing in its jaws. Lily dodged the attack and used Victory Dance before leaping forward and using Leaf Blade to throw it backwards. Taiho dipped his head downwards and rammed into the Boltund with Megahorn, throwing it backwards.

Orion and Sketch fought together against a Dragonite and a Gengar. Sketch attacked the Gengar repeatedly with Stygian Slash as Orion threw the Dragonite against a wall and slashed it with a Dragon Claw.

Soon, the enemy Pokémon started dropping quickly. Devon Gyarados used Bulldoze and threw the Boltund and Houndoom backwards, causing them to faint.

"All right guys!" shouted Devon. "The way's clear!"

They turned and ran, returning their Pokémon as they ran. They were almost to the door when the ceiling above crashed down. A Krookodile and a Darmanitan fell along with a bulky, tall man with purple and red hair. He fell on the ground and didn't move. His clothes were ripped and he was bleeding heavily.

Gabrielle turned. "That's Hen-"

Henry grabbed her. "No time, Scarlet's there!"

They escaped to the outside as Marlow sent out Orion, Molly sent out her Charizard, Devon his Gyarados, and Henry his Heracross. As they climbed onto each Pokémon, Jacob stopped short.

"What about Kazuma?"

"Forget him," said Marlow. "Scarlet was right there!"

"But-"

"He's right," said a voice from on top of the building. "Forget him, cause I have him."

Elaine stood on top of the building, Kazuma over her shoulder. He was unconscious and didn't look good, but otherwise was okay.

Jacob looked up in surprise. "How did you-"

"No time."

She tossed Kazuma down to Jacob, who caught him and put him onto Orion. Elaine jumped down onto Gyarados.

All four Pokémon flew off as fast as they could. Looking behind them, it seemed Scarlet wasn't following them.

"So where do we head?" asked Olivia.

"The only place we can go to get help against Scarlet. She's going to destroy the world. It is not our place to do so, but the Oak Agency are the only ones who can help."

I have finally finished this chapter. I apologize for taking so long, I had a lot of work to do over the summer that got in the way of typing this. The final chapter should be done before August 21st. As a side note, I finished this chapter on my birthday!