7- Legacy of the Primes.
The sun was high in the blue sky in Greenfield, a very known place in the Johto region. It has been a while since a weird event almost destroyed that lifeful place. Hot Rod, Bumblebee and Arcee drove through the town until they stopped in front of a huge building, one which looked like a small castle.
"Here we are, Greenfield." Hot Rod announced.
"Look at this place, is so beautiful." Serena admired, sitting on Arcee with Ash sat ahead of her.
"It isn't bad at all, but why you asked us to bring you here exactly?" Arcee asked.
"This is the home of an old friend of mine and professor Oak's." Delia answered, getting out of Hot Rod and taking out a few things from his trunk. "And it's been a while since we saw him and his family, so we came for a little visit."
"It certainly looks different from the last time we been here." Ash remembered.
"Pika pi." Pikachu nodded.
"I guess you mean one of your adventures, right?"
"Exactly, Hot Rod. But even before that this place was pretty known for its natural beauty."
"It looks perfect for a peaceful picnic outdoors."
"I have already planned that ahead, Serena." Delia revealed showing a basket.
"I really appreciate you have come with us, Serena."
"You're welcome, Ash. But if I'm sincere with you, that's not the reason I'm here. There's something I need to talk with you about."
"Huh?" Ash said with a look of confusion. "Really?"
"What is it?" Delia asked with interest.
"Eh… actually Delia, I prefer to talk this with Ash in private." Serena clarified.
"And why that?" A younger voice asked, revealing to be Max, who came out of Bee alongside Bonnie.
"We are all part of the same gang, Serena. You can tell us anything." Bonnie.
"I believe what Serena wants to say this is a matter which concerns just Ash and her." Arcee explained.
"Couple matters." Bumblebee added.
Max put a face of disgust. "In that case, warn me when you two are done."
"You may take the chance to explore the house meanwhile." Delia suggested as they headed for the huge building.
"Whoa. Your friend lives here, Ms. Ketchum?" Max asked amazed.
"It looks like a castle. Is he some kind of noble? Or perhaps a king?"
Delia laughed, as well as his son. "No no Bonnie. He's a researcher, just like professor Oak, but he's more like an archaeologist."
"But he's not alone, he lives with his daughter, a nice girl around your age. I'm sure she will love to spend time playing with you." Ash added.
"We will be taking a look around while you attend to your matter."
"Okay Hot Rod, we will call you when we're done."
The three Autobots marched while the group stopped at the house's entrance. Delia pressed the doorbell and moments later a little girl of medium long, sandy colored and wavy hair with a large blue bow as an ornament in her hair, blue eyes, who wore a dark blue dress with white contrasts and long socks of the same color, opened the door. While Max, Serena and Bonnie showed no surprise, Delia and Ash smiled.
"Molly!" Ash saluted.
"Ash? Is…is that you?"
"Yes, it's me."
"Look at you, you look a little older since the last time we met." Delia observed.
"What a surprise. I can't believe you are back." Molly expressed with a big smile.
"We decided to visit you and your father by surprise."
"Hey Molly, say hello to Pikachu as well." Ash said, right before the yellow pokémon jumped onto the girl's shoulder and started tickling her in the face.
Molly laughed. "Hey, that tickles."
"Are you alone? Where's your dad?" Ash noticed, seeing the house's inside so big and empty.
"Don't tell me he's on one of his research travels again and we missed him." Delia suspected.
"No, he's on town. He and mom went for a little walk around the market. They decided to take the chance that not many tourists are visiting the town right now." Molly answered while she grabbed Pikachu.
"Your mom?" Ash asked surprised.
"She…she's back?" Delia asked in disbelief.
Molly nodded. "Now we are a whole family again."
"That's wonderful, I'm happy for you. I can't wait to meet her after so long. Ash, I'm going to town to see if I can find them there. There's so much I want to talk with them, so I will let you here with Molly."
"No problem mom, go ahead. We will be fine by ourselves."
"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded saluting.
"Okay then, better get going. I will be back once they do." Delia said goodbye heading for the town.
"Oh, you are such a cute girl." Serena complemented.
Molly looked at Ash's friends with a different look: she seemed scared of them. In fact, she hid a little behind Ash.
"Who are they?"
"Fear nothing, they are my friends. Guys, this is Molly Hale, the daughter of mom's old friend and someone I met when I was little. Molly, these are my friends: Serena, Max and Bonnie."
"Nice to meet you, Molly." Max greeted.
"Hi there." Bonnie saluted. "Here, meet my little pal, Dedenne."
"De." The little pokémon said before jumping out of Bonnie's bag into Molly's hands. "Dede nene."
"Oh, what a small pokémon." Molly saw before petting him.
"See? They and their pokémon are new friends who you can play with as well." Ash reassured her.
"Have you brought some pokémon of yours too?"
"That if I did? I remembered you right before we departed so I passed before by the lab to pick some of my pokémon. Ones which I'm sure will be glad to play with you." Ash responded pulling out three of his poke balls. "Come out, guys."
The three pokémon Ash called were Bayleef, Leavanny and Buizel.
"Whoa, these pokémon look so cute and wonderful." Molly admired.
"How about if we all go to play somewhere around the castle? I mean the house." Bonnie corrected.
"Sounds good to me." Max supported.
"I know just the perfect place to play. Follow me." Molly offered.
"You guys go ahead. Ash and I will catch up with you later." Serena said taking Ash's hand.
"You go with them, Pikachu."
"Pikachu pi."
And while the little kids and the pokémon went for fun, Serena and Ash sit under a tree nearby.
"What's wrong, Serena? It's something bad?"
"No, of course not. You see Ash, there's something I needed to tell you for a long time. I managed to met your mom, but you also know mine. Except for one little detail."
"Huh?"
"Your mother knows we are together, but I have still don't tell mine about it. So I need to introduce you to her officially as my boyfriend, and I'm not sure how she will react. That's why I need to ask you a favor: I would feel a little more comfortable if you were with me when I told her."
"Is that all? Why were you so nervous by the need of telling me that? Serena, I love you, and you don't need to be afraid of telling me that kind of things. I should be the one shivering for that, but don't worry, I'm sure everything will be just fine." He reassured her taking her by the hands.
"You…you really mean it?" She asked relieved, earning a nod. "Oh Ash, thanks so much. We can do it after the visit. Think we should tell your mother?"
"Nah, she will understand this need. For now, let's just enjoy the moment."
Meanwhile, far from there, hidden underground, the Star Seekers still continued getting their warship ready.
"Captain, repairs of the Tidal Wave are almost complete. According to my estimate, it should be ready to take off around two or three hours at most."
"Excellent news, Cannonball. Once we're back in the air, we will be ready to counter anything the Decepticons threw against us. Or outstrip the Autobots."
"And that's not the only good new, captain." Starquest announced, coming with a data pad. "According to this, the code breaker we snatch from the Cons long ago has fulfill its function: it has been able to break through some of the encryptions and revealed one promising location."
"Hum, interesting. We better take action before anyone could get ahead. Sandstorm, Brimstone, you two take a squad and make your way to that location. Destroy any opposing force and retrieve whatever long lost treasure it may lie."
But the Star Seekers weren't the only ones who managed to access that info: on the Nemesis' lab, Shockblast had been working on trying to decrypt the Legacy of the Primes' database. Despite taking him longer, he managed to link enough parts to form the next set of coordinates.
"Xiaxus, Starscream, my efforts to unlock more profitable intelligence have proven successful. A new secret location has been revealed." Shockblast announced.
"If this may be like when I faced Prime, it could end being another lost item from Cybertron's past. Mostly an ancient relic." Xiaxus deduced.
"Or perhaps a lost weapon from our mighty arsenal which probably ended here in a pathetic attempt to get it as far as possible from its rightful owners. A relic hunt, just like the old times. We better get ready." Starscream proclaimed.
Back to Greenfield, the three Autobots were taking a peaceful ride, until one of them saw something.
"Hey, isn't that Ratchet?" Hot Rod spotted.
"Yeah. I wonder what the good doctor is doing here." Arcee wondered.
"Let's go find out." Bee encouraged.
The trio turned at the hill where Hot Rod swore to have seen their medic and once there, they saw it was true: Ratchet was in middle of the field working on his wrist terminal. But he wasn't alone, he was accompanied by Bonnie's brother.
"Oh, hey guys." Clemont saluted them.
"What are you doing here, Ratchet?" Hot Rod asked.
"Just out for a little…outfield testing." The Autobot medic answered.
"Blaster has performed on Ratchet the same upgrades of the stealth force as the rest of Team Prime." Clemont revealed.
"So we are about to see if I can perform like the old days." Ratchet said checking his arms, ready for practice.
"Ratchet testing his skills on the field? Doesn't this look you familiar?" Arcee reminded.
"Yeah, just like when he abused on the synthetic energon and made him lose his judgment." Hot Rod nodded.
"That was another situation, and Ratchet knows what not to repeat, and now it is completely normal. This is more related with his alt mode. And it's been a long time since I remember battling alongside Ratchet in the field." Bumblebee defended.
"Alright, but why here?" Arcee asked.
"Clemont suggested it, so in case something happens he can be near his sister for assist." Ratchet answered.
"Ratchet, where are you?" Blaster called through com-link.
"Right at Greenfield, with Clemont. Arcee, Bumblebee and Hot Rod are here as well."
"Glad to know. And better impossible, because a situation has come up so suddenly."
At the other side, on New Iacon, Blaster was with his Minibots and Optimus at the command center.
"The Primes' database has revealed a new set of coordinates, one which pinpoints a nearby position regarding your current signal. Reaction time is critical, go with the others and see what you discover. Depending on the situation, I will send you any help you may need."
"That's so lucky." Clemont opined.
"Fear nothing Optimus, we will check it immediately. I will report more by the time, over and out." Ratchet answered before turning at the others. "Guess it was lucky for you to show up, because now you can help me inspect another possible item for recovery."
"Another lost relic of the Primes that we need to take away from the Cons? Count us in, Ratchet." Hot Rod nodded.
"We should let the kids know just in case they wonder why is taking us so long." Arcee suggested.
"I can handle that." Clemont offered using his pokétch.
Meanwhile, while Ash and Serena lied together under a tree they observed Max, Bonnie and Molly playing with the pokémon nearby. Ash decided to take out Riolu so he could get used to be around other people and pokémon, to become more social. But for the moment he simply sat next his trainer.
"It looks Riolu is still reluctant to interact with our other pokémon." Serena noticed.
"Give him time, sooner or later he will see how fun it can be interact with new friends." Ash reassured her.
In that moment, their pokétchs sounded.
"Who is it?" Ash answered.
"It's me, Clemont. I'm also here in Greenfield with Ratchet. We were making some test until Optimus contacted us. It seems there's another relic of the Legacy of the Primes somewhere nearby."
"Is that's the case, surely the Decepticons will try to reach there before us. Serena and I are coming, we will reunite with you."
"I will send Hot Rod to pick you. Hurry up, we must get on the move as soon as possible." Ratchet added before ending the call.
"Do you think we should warn Max and Bonnie?" Serena remembered.
"No, I think it's better they remain here, better not to trouble them. Besides, if they accompany us, Molly would be alone, and I also don't want to drag her into this." Ash decided.
"Yeah, better safe than sorry."
But unfortunately, Max saw from the distance how after retrieving Riolu and calling Pikachu, Ash and Serena met with Hot Rod and they drove away.
"Hey Max, can we ask Serena if we can get some snacks? I know we should wait for Ash's mom to return, but I'm a little hungry right now." Bonnie requested coming.
"I think that's gonna have to wait, Bonnie. Ash and Serena seem to be leaving. And without us."
"Where are they going?"
"I don't know, but it must be a mission for sure."
"How can you tell?"
"First I noticed my pokétch made a sound, so someone was calling. And then, I saw them meeting with Hot Rod."
"It may be for a relic search or something like that. Why didn't they invite us? Oh, maybe it's not a mission, maybe they just want to spend some time in privacy, to speak about what Serena wanted to talk with Ash."
"They have had a lot of time for that. Trust me, I have a good feeling about it."
"Well, I know big brother is currently here as well helping Ratchet with something. Hey, maybe they may be also going with them. I can't believe they didn't warn us." She said annoyed crossing her arms.
"Well, we are not going to let them have all the adventure."
"But how we will know where they are?"
"Easy. Remember when Blaster taught us how to use all the functions of our new pokétchs? Well, that also includes a tracker which will allow us to know exactly where any of us is." He revealed showing on his pokétch.
"Whoa, that's so amazing, Max. We can also ride on Bayleef to reach them faster."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
After asking Bayleef if she could take them with the others, the pokémon nodded in answer. Buizel and Leavanny also were going with them as well. They were about to leave until…
"Where are you going?" Molly asked them.
"We? Em…well…we need to…" Bonnie started, trying to invent what to say.
"Our friends are in need of an assist and we are going to help them." Max answered.
"Are you going into some kind of adventure?" Molly guessed.
"More or less."
"Can I come with you too?"
"I'm not sure, Molly. It could be dangerous." Bonnie objected.
"I also went through lot of danger in the last adventure I had."
"Are you serious?" Max asked surprised, earning a nod. He and Bonnie looked for a moment until he came with a decision. "Okay, but you should stay with us every moment."
"And do whatever we say." Bonnie added.
"Of course." Molly accepted.
Time before, at almost the place displayed by the coordinates, a platoon of Decepticon heavy soldiers arrived by ground bridge. They saw the coordinates indicated a cave in front of them, but it was very thin and no one could move through. So they changed to vehicle form, some kind of military vehicles with missile launchers, and started firing missiles at the entrance to make it bigger. The noise made by the explosions prevented them to hear other undesired guests: Sandstorm and Brimstone, alongside a squad of Star Seeker air soldiers (which alt form was military helicopters), landed on a hill above them, which allowed them a nice point of view.
"Look at them, wasting military resources like if they grow in every land. A shame to see so many good missiles being used just for making a big hole." Sandstorm expressed in shame.
"But you have to admit the results are very notable." Brimstone noticed. "If my intuitions are correct, the relic must be inside that cave."
"Yeah, we all saw that, mister obvious." Sandstorm snarled as he kneeled for a better view. "We will wait until they enter the cavern. Once inside, we will finish them off."
A few moments later, the Decepticons ceased fire, seeing after the smoke cleared the result of their operation, the entrance was now triple as big, enough to allow them to enter.
"They are in. Let's get ready." Sandstorm authorized, jumping down to the entrance.
Immediately, they heard sounds of fight coming from the inside, so they got their weapons ready. Brimstone changed his hands for medium cannons while Sandstorm changed his for some kind of cybertronian shotguns. Suddenly, the Vehicons came out running from the entrance with some little scars on their chassis, and some seemed to still fire to inside the cave.
"Hello, Deceticreeps." Sandstorm saluted before they started shooting them.
Because they were so agitated from what they encountered in the cave, the Cons didn't have enough time to react against the Star Seekers and ended receiving a storm of shots which took them down in no time.
"Yeah, that's how is done!" Sandstorm celebrated. "Aren't you feeling yourself a little weird about taking down your former comrades?"
"Not much, since Vehicons aren't considered as original as most cybertronians. But there's something that concerns me: those Cons seemed to been attacked. There must be something in that cave which may reacted defensively against them, probably some kind of native lifeform. It may be protecting the rewarding artifact, on purpose or not. We should proceed with caution." Brimstone analyzed.
Sandstorm recharged his shotguns, sign that he was ready. "Whatever scared those Cons should be the cautious one."
And the pirates proceeded into the cave, leaving the Decepticon corpses behind. However, they seemed to be not the only ones there besides the Autobots and Decepticons, because seconds later after they entered, another shadow covered one of the bodies. The Con remains were held in the air, the sound of a crunch sounded, and when it fell back to the ground now a piece of it was missing, with the mark which meant something tore it apart. Some drops of energon leaked from what was chewing those remains, revealing who arrived to the scene: Protoform X.
"Promising." The creature snarled before some kind of mask covered his face, seeing a trail which led to the cave.
Back to present, the Autobots arrived to the same place, but there was no trace of the previous fight, not even the bodies.
"According to the coordinates, the relic must be inside that cave." Ratchet reported seeing the scanner displayed by his wrist terminal.
"I have to admit these little upgrades are very useful." Arcee admitted.
"Do you think the Decepticons could be there already?" Ash asked.
"Who knows? Maybe this time we are lucky and we may beat them." Hot Rod encouraged.
"We better recognize the place before jumping into hasty conclusions, you guys remain here. Once we check the whole area and see it's safe you can come." Bee instructed.
The three kids stayed behind while the Autobots made their way into the cave.
"Hey, I know. How about we use the time to think about what we are going to say to my mom when we talk with her about us?"
"That's a good suggestion, Serena." Ash agreed.
"Then this trip has been for nothing?"
Everyone looked surprised at who spoke the last, seeing the little kids standing before them ridding on Bayleef.
"Max, Bonnie! What are you two doing here?" Clemont requested.
"We thought you came here because the Autobots were involved in some kind of mission." Bonnie answered.
"They are actually exploring that cave searching for a possible relic of the ancient Primes." Serena responded.
"Aha, I knew it." Max celebrated.
"But that's not the case, why have you followed us? Don't tell me you left Molly alone at her house." Ash confronted annoyed before looking at his pokémon. "Seriously guys?"
Buizel, Leavanny and Bayleef looked down in regret, but Ash was going to get madder once he saw Molly wasn't that far.
"Molly? What are you doing here?"
"Hi Ash, everyone. Is this part of your adventure?"
Ash's face turned angrier. "Bonnie, Max, have you brought her with you?"
"Hehehe, surprise?" Bonnie said as nervous as Max, being this the first time they saw Ash this mad.
"What were you thinking in bringing her here?! How do you think mom will react when she knows you have involved her?"
"Hey, we are a team, and we have faced situations like this before many times. This isn't new for us." Max defended.
"I agree with Ash, this is too far. She doesn't know anything about the danger it comes to be in middle of a fight between the Bots and Cons." Clemont supported.
"Wait until we say this to your sister." Ash added.
"Oh Ash, I find it cute for you to care for Molly that way. But I'm sure Bonnie and Max didn't do it with bad intention." Serena opined.
Ash was caught by surprise because what Serena said first, which blushed him a little, before regain his pose. "That's not the point, Serena."
While they were arguing, Molly took a look around until she heard a sound. The girl found that sound very familiar, as if she already heard it before. She followed the sound to a near small circle of rocks, near the cave's entrance, and gashed in disbelief for what she found.
"Ash, come here! Look what I found!"
Everyone answered to Molly's call and met with her. Once with her, they saw her holding a little pokémon with a weird form: it looked like a H letter with an eye in the center.
"Is that…a pokémon?" Bonnie asked confused.
"Not just any pokémon, Bonnie. That's a Unown, not considered a legendary pokémon, but also a weird one." Max identified.
"I heard from them. They are supposed to be completely surrounded by mysteries." Clemont added.
"But what is this one doing here?" Serena asked.
"Maybe it got separated from his friends and ended up here."
"How can you tell, Ash?"
"This is not my first time meeting an Unown, you see? While I was traveling around the Johto region with Brock and Misty, we also had an encounter."
"Yes, when that weird event happened at home in which we had to fight them, remember? We also had Entei on our side." Molly added.
"What?! You also saw Entei?" Max asked in disbelief.
"No Molly. Besides that time, we also found an alone Unown which was lost. I wonder if something similar has happened to this one." Ash corrected.
"How do you know about the Unown, Molly?"
"My dad's research is focused on them. He used to search some ancient ruins related to them."
"Whoa, that's amazing." Max answered, making Molly smile.
Bonnie didn't know why, but when she saw Max compliment Molly, she didn't like it.
"Look at its body. I think its hurt." Serena noticed pointing at some bruises present on its body.
"Fortunately I have something to calm down the pain." Clemont said checking his backpack.
He pulled out a potion which sprayed over the Unown's injuries, healing them almost instantly. Moments later, the little pokémon opened his eye and levitated happily around the gang.
"It seems he's feeling better." Bonnie noticed.
The Unown approached to salute everyone, starting with the pokémon.
"I'm glad you're feeling better." Molly said, allowing the Unown to land on her hands.
"What happened to you, little buddy? Did you have a fight with your pals or something like that?" Ash questioned.
The Unown denied and started to make sounds as he moved from one side to another. Of course, no one could understand what he was saying.
"Clemont, did you or the Autobots have invented something to translate what pokémon say?" Max asked.
"Unfortunately not."
"If only we could know what it's trying to tell us." Serena hoped.
When the Unown ended speaking, Pikachu got an idea: he picked up a stick from the floor and started to draw something in the ground.
"And now what he's doing?" Bonnie asked.
"I think Pikachu is trying to let us know what Unown was saying." Max deduced.
After a while, Pikachu ended his drawing: after examining it well, they saw it represented something like a robot fighting the Unown.
"Is that…a robot?" Molly asked.
"Now I understand: Unown is saying he and his pals got into a battle with the Decepticons." Ash interpreted.
"If that's the case they were trying to defend their territory against the invaders. And we know how respectful the Decepticons are when it comes to trespassing private or sacred places." Clemont added.
"But why would the Decepticons invade the Unown's home?" Serena asked.
"Because that's probably where the relic is buried. Which means the Autobots are also going to enter." Max deduced.
"And the Unown could mistake them as more invaders and attack them." Bonnie realized.
"Now we have a good reason to go after them: we need to make sure they don't run into the Unown by accident and end in a fight." Ash decided.
"We can use him to lead us. Surely he will know the place better than we." Molly suggested, making Unown act as it smiled.
Ash didn't want to put Molly into danger, but he knew she seemed determined to help her new friend. Besides, when it comes to the Decepticons, sometimes it's impossible to step out of the fight.
At the end Ash sighed in defeat. "Okay Molly, you can come. But remain close to us anytime, and at the first sign of danger get behind us. Understood?"
Molly nodded with a smile.
"Then we better get going before they run into any trouble." Max encouraged.
"And Molly, it would be best to not tell Ash's mom and your parents anything about this adventure. It would be our little secret, okay?" Serena invented to earn her silence.
"Sure."
"Pikachu, tell Unown to lead the way." Ash requested.
Pikachu did what his trainer asked and in no time the group followed the floating letter pokémon into the cave. The inside was getting darker, but fortunately Clemont turned on a flashlight he had on his backpack. Suddenly, they reached an intersection, divided into several tunnels.
"Now which way?" Serena asked.
"Do you know which is the correct one?" Max asked to Unown.
The letter pokémon inspected each of the routes, looking for something familiar, but ended with a sign of failure.
"This certainly is going to delay us." Bonnie expressed.
"If only I remembered installing some scanner like a sonar on my equipment to know exactly where to go." Clemont lamented.
Suddenly, an idea came to Ash. "We don't need a sonar. We got something the same as useful. Riolu, I choose you."
Ash called his newest pokémon.
"Riolu, we need your help. Think you can use your aura to see which direction our friends may be?" Ash requested.
Riolu answered with a determined look and started to focus. He used his connection with the aura to see behind the tunnels. After a while, he pointed to one of the tunnels, leading the group.
"Nice job, Riolu. That trick is very handy." Serena congratulated.
"Let's hope Hot Rod and the others didn't run into any trouble with the Unown or the Cons." Ash hoped.
But there was a fight already in the cave, but not involving the Autobots. The Star Seekers were in a confrontation with the other Unown, which defended themselves with Psychic and Psybeam against the pirates. But because of their tiny side their attacks weren't very effective against the cybertronians.
"I guess now we know why the Decepticons were in a hurry in exiting the cave." Brimstone deduced covering his weak parts from the beams.
"Arg, curse these annoying pests. Time to speed things up. Take cover!" Sandstorm warned before firing some warheads from a launcher on his back which impacted in middle of the cave, scaring the Unown. "Ha! I have scattered them like scraplets! Sometimes I'm surprised how good I am."
"But you also need to use more your head, Sandstorm! What if those warheads impacted some pillars of other part of the cave's stability? You could bring down the entire ceiling above us!" Brimstone complained. "Anyway, that explosion just bought us some time. Given the fact we are in their territory they will be back, so we better hurry and find that relic."
"We agree the first time on the day. Soldiers, cover our back. If those pests return, made them leave."
Back with the gang, they continued following Riolu. Suddenly, he stopped and hide.
"You got something, Riolu?" Ash asked.
Riolu pointed to the entrance of the next tunnel, saying it may be something just around the corner.
"Are the Unown? Or the Decepticons?" Serena asked.
Riolu made some marks on the wall, leaving four scratches.
"What does he mean with that?" Molly asked.
"Maybe…that there just four the things he saw?" Ash suggested, earning a nod from his pokémon. "Then it must be the Autobots. We reached in time."
"Hey, did you guys hear that?" Bumblebee's voice sounded.
"I sounded like Ash's voice." Arcee's voice followed.
"It's them." Max confirmed.
"Hey guys, it's us." Bonnie announced revealing herself to them.
"Bonnie? What in the Allspark are you doing here?" Ratchet asked.
"Do you know it is reckless for you to enter here alone?" Arcee reprimanded.
"Actually, I didn't come alone." Bonnie answered pointing at the others appearing as well.
"Guys, what's going on here?" Hot Rod asked.
"Are those…giant robots?" Molly asked a little scared, hiding behind Serena.
"Fear nothing Molly, these are friends of ours. They are here to make sure we won't get hurt."
"I know you told us to stay out, but we got a clue that the Decepticons may be here as well looking for the relic." Ash started.
"Which clue?" Hot Rod asked again.
Without warning, Unown appeared in front of the Autobots, making Hot Rod to fall backwards, which the little pokémon found amusing.
"Guys, tell me I'm seeing a floating letter in front of me."
"You're the not the only one hallucinating, Bee." Arcee confirmed in disbelief.
The gang also laughed at this.
"It's not a letter, it's Unown. A very peculiar pokémon which resembles a letter." Max clarified.
Ratchet sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Just don't try to perform more pranks like that. You could get some of us a spark attack."
"This Unown told us he and his pals were attacked by other cybertronians, the reason we found him hurt." Ash continued.
"Which means they are currently here looking for the relic." Clemont ended.
"Then we need to catch up with them and prevent they succeed." Arcee decided.
"But how? We have been searching around this cave and we still haven't found a clue. It's like a maze." Hot Rod reminded.
"Fortunately we have someone which can lead us through this maze." Bonnie said looking at Riolu, who stood proud.
Moments later, the group made its way through the tunnels, with Riolu and Unown at the front to lead them. After a while they stopped in a cavern with lots of ruble and crumbled rocks.
Bumblebee started to inspect the area with his scout skills. "There was a fight here. And from the looks of it, it seems someone used heavy artillery, causing this mess. And from what I can tell from these tracks, it could only have been done by cybertronians."
"Which means we are in the trail of those Cons." Hot Rod deduced.
"Wait, listen." Arcee ordered. "You hear that?"
"Sounds like…" Serena started.
"Blaster fire." Ratchet recognized. "This way."
They followed the shoots' sound until they saw some laser shots, forcing them to take cover. Sneaking around the corner, they spotted the Star Seeker soldiers firing their weapons at more Unown facing them, but now they weren't in large numbers so their attacks were not enough to combat their opponents.
"Looks like we have found the trespassers." Max saw.
"But those don't look like Decepticons. Who are they?" Bonnie asked noticing their green touch.
"Star Seekers." Bumblebee answered.
"The space pirates?" Ash remembered.
"What are they doing here?" Serena asked.
"They may be after the relic as well. Thundertron always had an obsession in acquiring valuable relics to aid to his personal collection." Ratchet deduced.
"And if that relic turns out to be another Prime weapon like the Star Saber, who knows what he could do with it." Hot Rod added.
"We gotta enter that cavern. If they are guarding it the relic must be inside." Arcee noticed.
"We have to do something. They could hurt the Unown." Molly pointed.
"They are attacking the Unown, so they don't know we are here as well. We got the element of surprise." Ash smirked.
"Then let's use it." Hot Rod nodded.
"Unown, go tell your friends to step aside. A few friends will take care of clearing the passage, but to not attack them because of their similar appearance." Molly instructed him.
"Good advice, Molly." Ash thanked.
Unown approached his pals, transmitted the message and immediately all Unown retreated. The Star Seekers didn't seem to care, unlike the horn sound of Bumblebee, who alongside Hot Rod charged at them in vehicle form, running them over, and while tackling them changed to robot form and kicked them hard against the ground.
"Nice move, pal." Hot Rod congratulated Bee, high-fiving him.
"All clear." Bee announced.
"No, not at all." Ratchet corrected pointing at two remaining foes.
"Hey, isn't that…" Hot Rod recognized.
"Yeah. Let's go give him our regards." Arcee nodded gritting her teeth.
The two remaining Star Seekers were Sandstorm and Brimstone, who was drilling through the stone with a drill. After a while, he stopped, changing his drill back for his hand, inserted his hand and tried to pull out something.
"Step aside, weakling. Let this to someone who has muscles." Sandstorm said pushing him aside and pulling in his place.
Once he pulled the thing out, they saw it was a relic's container.
"Hum, doesn't look very valuable." Sandstorm observed.
Brimstone groaned. "Because the relic must be inside the container, dumb one."
"Oh, that makes more sense. What do you think it holds?"
"Whatever it is, you are not going to take it. We will." Hot Rod shouted.
"Freeze right there, Star Seekers." Arcee warned aiming her weapons.
"Well well, look who we have here. My former comrades in the flesh." Sandstorm smirked.
"We would not name this a pleasant reunion as we will prefer." Bumblebee snarled.
"Wait, you know this pirate?" Clemont asked.
"Sandstorm used to be one of our own." Hot Rod revealed, shocking the humans.
"Until I got bored, all that about fighting in the name of freedom, what fun is there in? But that doesn't mean I preferred the Decepticon way. This is what suits me, being myself. And bringing true justice for the loss of our precious Cybertron!"
"That is the past, Sandstorm. Our home planet is safe, and alive. You don't have to keep following this path. You can redeem yourself." Hot Rod tried.
"Do you expect me to believe your Autobot lies? How stupid do you think I am?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?" Ash asked confused.
"Pretty much." Arcee answered.
"Anyway, you arrived too late, the treasure is ours. But since you went through all the trouble of reaching here, I will allow you to take a quick look to our recent acquisition. And once done, we will take our leave." Brimstone announced as he was about to open the container.
"We cannot allow you to take that relic. It's an object of great historical importance from the thirteen ancients. A proof of their legacy." Ratchet warned.
"A Prime object? Thank you very much for informing us, doctor. I'm sure the captain will find it fascinating."
"Oh no, you won't. Guys, get them!" Ash authorized.
Ash's pokémon followed his command: Buizel used Water Gun on Brimstone's face to disorient him, making him drop the container; which Bayleef and Leavanny caught with Vine Whip and String Shot; while Riolu attacked Sandstorm with Vacuum Wave, hitting him on the head. But that didn't stop the Star Seekers, since they grabbed the container and tried to pull it back to them, the same as the gang and the Autobots assisting the pokémon, like if they were playing tug of war. Pikachu and Dedenne were about to sneak behind the Star Seekers to electrocute them and make them release the container, but before they could something happened: the entire cavern started to shake, like if there was an earthquake, but of less intensity. Then, some parts from the ceiling broke and fell above everyone, forcing them to drop the container and dodge the ruble. The gang and pokémon were fortunate that the Autobots covered them totally, but while the dust was clearing, they heard a loud and sinister screech.
"Oh no."
"What's wrong, Bonnie?" Arcee asked.
"I already heard that sound before, and I don't like who belongs to."
Everyone looked to where the dust was still clearing, and for their horror they saw the responsible one of the collapse.
"Oh scrap, it's Protoform X!" Hot Rod recognized.
"What in the Allspark is that?!" Sandstorm exclaimed in disbelief.
"Your worst nightmare." Protoform X answered.
"The Decepticons may have sent heavy reinforcements." Brimstone deduced.
"Well, you know what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall." Sandstorm declared before charging against their new foe.
The renegade Autobot tried to tackle Protoform X, but the monster was too tough for that and managed to stop him very easily.
"My turn." He said grabbing the Star Seeker by his head and throwing him hard against the wall.
Instead of facing such opponent, Brimstone saw the relic's container next to him and made his best to open it quickly, in case the relic was something he could use against it. At the same time, while the Autobots decided to leave the Star Seekers been the ones to deal with the abomination, the remaining Star Seeker soldiers which accompanied Sandstorm and Brimstone arrived to the cavern. They saw his superiors being attacked by Protoform X and fired at him from behind. Although the shots were not enough to cause him harm, X felt them and turned at the Star Seeker soldiers. He pulled out his claws and with two swings took down the first two before stomping the third hard, crushing him against the ground. One of the first two survived and continued firing, but X hit him again with an uppercut slice, leaving some ugly claw marks on the chest, hurt enough for keep battling. While this happened, Brimstone opened the container at last and saw what was inside.
"This is a legacy from the ancients? It looks like a little gun and some kind of darts." The Star Seeker observed, seeing the item looked like some kind of attachable dart gun with some strange darts as ammunition.
The monster took the chance to grab the injured Star Seeker by the leg, raise him in the air above him.
"Suppertime." Protoform X announced while he opened his jaws totally and brought the Star Seeker near slowly.
Bonnie gasped in fear. "He's going to do it."
"Kids, turn your heads around. Don't watch!" Bumblebee instructed in a hurry.
Although they didn't see it, they could hear the screams of pain of the soldier being devoured, while the Autobots and Star Seekers watched in horror. Protoform X tore apart and swallowed the soldier's entire head, neck and let some bite marks on the chest.
"Scrap the mission, I'm out of here. I refuse to be dessert." Brimstone decided.
"I agree with you once again, pal. But even if we don't leave with the price, let's make sure this place becomes that monster's grave." Sandstorm followed.
Both Star Seekers changed to vehicle form (a F-16XL and a Mil Mi 24 combat helicopter) and started to launch missiles at the ceiling, making a hole as an exit, while they didn't notice Ratchet took the chance to sneak around and recover the relic. The ceiling started to crumble, interrupting Protoform X's meal and troubling the Autobots.
"This whole place is going down. We need to get out immediately!" Bumblebee said.
"How? We don't have enough time to get out safely." Arcee complained.
"We will do it the best we can." Hot Rod encouraged.
"Besides all, make sure the humans and pokémon remain beneath us."
As Ratchet ordered, the Autobots stood between their friends and the failing rocks as shields to ensure they remained safe. While Ash was retrieving all his pokémon, Riolu noticed someone who returned.
"Unown, you're back!" Molly announced happy. "We need to get out the cave! Can you give us a hand, please?!"
Immediately, Unown went out of the cavern and made a call. Moments later, an entire swarm of Unown circled around them shining. Suddenly, the Autobots felt no more rocks falling above them: it was because of the Unown, they were projecting some kind of psychic force field around them.
"Is that…a protective shield?" Arcee asked surprised.
"They must be using their entire collective power to create one big and strong enough for all of us." Clemont supposed.
"Amazing, that such small beings are able to such achievement." Ratchet admired.
"Nice call, Molly." Max appreciated, making her smile again, which made Bonnie a little annoyed again.
"Look. The collapse is almost none present outside the cavern." Ash pointed.
"We will be able to move more freely out there. Let's go." Hot Rod said.
They walked out of the cavern with the Unown shielding them until they were hardly any failing rocks. Once there, the Unown left and the Autobots changed to vehicle form, allowing their friends to ride on them. But then…
"Eh guys? It seems it isn't over yet." Serena warned noticing more cracks forming above them.
"We have no time. Let's roll out." Hot Rod announced.
The team started to drive as fast as they could out of the cave.
"Not to bring more bad news, but how are we supposed to find the way out if this place is like a maze?" Max reminded.
"Fear nothing Max, already taken care. Remember when you told me about that time you got lost in the forest and used little trails of berry juice to mark your way back? So I did the same with a little paint you let Sideswipe borrow."
"Wow, seriously? Bumblebee, you are a genius!"
"That's the trail we need to follow."
Thanks to Bee's idea the group marched in the right direction. And thanks goodness, because there was another thing to be worried about.
"Guys, you better speed up. There is a huge rock coming right behind us threatening to crush us!" Ash communicated.
"Why I have the feeling I have seen this in a movie?"
"Not now, Bonnie!" Clemont interrupted.
Finally they made it out of the cave, just in time before the big rock blocked the entrance. Ash managed to grab his hat before it was crushed.
"Uf, that was close." Clemont gasped in relief.
"Wait, what about the relic? Did we let it inside?"
"Fear nothing Bonnie, I have it right here." Ratchet announced.
"Let's hope it has been worth the risk." Serena expressed.
But before they could check what the relic was, they noticed the rock of the entrance shaking, like if it was receiving hits from the inside: something was trying to make its way out. And according to what they saw, it could only be someone.
"Oh, you got to be kidding me." Max said.
Ash didn't waste time and pulled out one of his pokémon.
"Charizard, I need you to take Molly back home. Once you are done, come back to assist us."
"Ash wait, it's too dangerous. Even for you."
"Don't worry Molly, we'll be fine. We are used to battling these rogue machines, but you need to be safe. We will meet with you back home once it's over."
"You promise?"
"We promise." Serena reassured.
Molly rode on Charizard's back and took flight back to her home. Meanwhile, Protoform X finally got out, breaking the rock in pieces and roaring in fury.
"We need to draw that monster far from human locations. Let's roll." Ratchet commanded.
"I don't think that's gonna be a problem, it's only interested on us." Hot Rod reminded.
"But just in case…" Max started before saluting through the window. "Hey ugly, you're hungry?! Come and get us!"
"Do you think that really is gonna work? I don't think it could get any madder." Arcee asked not convinced.
But Arcee got her answer when Protoform X roared at them in fury before charging.
"Scratch that."
The Autobots drove as fast as they could, making X follow them to get him far from human territory. Surprisingly, despite they were driving at high speed, Max saw through the rearview, which had written 'objects in mirror are closer than they appear', the contrary.
"Guys, the giant robot monster follows us closely!" Max yelled.
"Then we will have to force him to slow down. Keep moving, I will handle it." Ratchet said.
"You what?" Clemont asked surprised.
Ratchet turned and keep driving in reverse facing Protoform X. Then, both sides of his vehicle form opened and two turrets came out which fired laser shots, surprising their chaser. X decided to cover his face, but Ratchet decided to aim at another part: his feet. He charged his weapons at full power and fired two powerful shots which hit the legs so hard that made him trip over.
"I guess I have had the chance to test my upgrades on the field regardless."
"Oh Ratchet, you are my hero." Bonnie congratulated.
"Not bad for a veteran from the War for Cybertron." Bee noted.
While they put more distance between, Protoform X got back on his feet, spilled some grass from his jaws and covered his face with the strange mask, allowing him to see a trail to where they were heading. Instead of running, he now chose another way for transportation: he jumped the highest he could, taking such long strides that he managed to travel quite a distance. The Autobots saw it too.
"Oh great, here he comes again." Hot Rod announced.
"How he can do that?" Arcee asked in disbelief.
"He's going to catch us in no time if he keeps like that." Max anticipated.
Ratchet tried to do the same as before, but this time Protoform X was harder to hit. He landed next to Ratchet so hard that the impact force sent flying the Autobot medic, forcing him to transform, but he lied on the floor stunned. Fortunately for him, the abomination focused on the others. The three Autobots allowed their friends to get out before they returned to robot form and engaged their opponent. Of course, despite they fired everything they have, Protoform X didn't stop. He used one of his hands as shield while he approached them, and tried to hit them with the claws of his other hand. Arcee jumped high above him and fired while she did, annoying him a lot, and dodged his next strike, making him to get his claws stuck in the floor. Bee and Hot Rod attempted to punch his head from both sides, being careful with the jaws. Until he managed to get his claws out, and then grabbed them both, smashed them together and threw them downhill. Arcee continued firing him from behind without effect, she jumped to climb on his back, but in middle of the jump X turned at her fast, grabbed her with one hand and threw her against his teammates.
"You now look like what I saw humans called sandwiches. I was hoping to try one of my one." X menaced approaching them.
"Guys, I can't move. Can you please get off me?"
"Sorry Hot, but Arcee is blocking my feet. I am as stuck as you unless she comes back." Bee lamented.
Before X could terminate them, he was zapped by a strong current of electricity which caused him pain enough to shriek.
"Nice job buddies, keep it up." Ash congratulated to both Pikachu and Dedenne.
"Don't stop until he's out." Bonnie advised.
"You have a nice idea, Bonnie." Max complemented, which Bonnie appreciated inside.
But unlike last time, Protoform X didn't collapse. Instead, he endured the pain and turned at the electric pokémon, charged and hit the ground near them, making them to fly backwards.
"One thing you should learn about me is that attacks like that may work effectively against me at first. But once I know the pain it causes, I can endure it. So don't event think about trying it on me again." X mocked.
But before he could keep attacking, he felt a strong hit on the face which forced him to step back a little stunned. The gang saw how was the responsible: Riolu, who used Force Palm.
"Nice move, Riolu." Ash congratulated.
"How dare such an insignificant being challenge me?!" Protoform X shouted in anger before trying to crush Riolu with his foot, but the little pokémon was faster and continued jumping around the monster's body and striking his face again and again when he could. Although the hits were enough to cause him damage enough, it still was such a hassle. "Get still at once, you bothersome pest!"
"Go on, Riolu. Teach him a lesson!" Bonnie encouraged.
Ratchet managed to come back, and saw the situation in which his friends got into. He saw the relic next to him, so he grabbed it.
"I hope this works as I expect." He hoped placing the darts into the gun.
He ran at them and once close enough he fired the gun, shooting three of the darts, which nailed into his back. Feeling the pain, Protoform X turned and roared at Ratchet before charging at him, that made Riolu fall. His lunge pushed the Autobot medic back so hard that he was lying on the floor again. Seeing the monstrous cybertronian advancing at him, Ratchet grabbed the relic next to him and fired two more darts, one nailed on his neck, which took some moments to remove it. Next, he stomped on his chest.
"You should not have confronted me, old one. You have signed your death warrant." Protoform X menaced raising his claws.
"Ratchet, no!" Clemont shouted.
Fortunately a beam of fire hit X on the face, forcing him to cover himself.
"Charizard, you're back. Just in time." Ash greeted.
Charizard continued attacking Protoform X with Flamethrower, until he grabbed a tree trunk near him and hit the pokémon with it. With the gang assisting Charizard and the Autobots still unable to help, X proceeded to finish Ratchet. However, as he approached him, he started to fell a little weird, reeling from one side to another, holding his chest with one hand as he kneeled down and even his vision was getting affected.
"What…what's happening to me? My vision…is getting woozy. I…don't feel very well." Protoform X expressed as he acted like if he had problems to breath.
"What wrong with him?" Max wondered.
"I don't know. It's like if he is sick." Serena deduced.
"But how is that even possible? We are talking about that thing." Hot Rod reminded as he and the rest of the Autobots finally arrived.
"That doesn't matter, this is our chance. Blaster, can you hear me? We need an emergency ground bridge, and backup with it. Hopefully heavy armed." Bumblebee requested.
Meanwhile, Protoform X was now on all fours like convulsing.
"Looks like he's about to throw up." Clemont noticed.
"Puaj, I prefer not to see this." Max said with a disgust face.
And he ended throwing up, spilling a strange sticky substance from his mouth. He repeated it a few times until he seemed to calm down. Then, he smelled the substance.
"Venom?" He identified before looking at Ratchet, furious again. "How dare you poison me?! It seems I will have to make you felt the same as I by ripping out your limbs one by one…with my bare hands."
But before he could do that, a cannon shot impacted him in the chest, taking him down. Everyone looked at the distance and saw it was Warpath in vehicle form with a ground bridge open behind him.
"How do you like it, huh? You want some more? Then Kaboom!" The Autobot tank said firing again.
And he didn't come alone, because May appeared from his entrance, allowing Blaziken to jump out and advance at Protoform X at high speed. Once there, before the monster could react, Blaziken hit him on the face with Sky Uppercut, which seemed to impact hard enough to tear a piece off his head.
"I recommend you to get back to base because Warpath and Blaziken are not going to contain that thing much longer." Blaster reported through com-link.
"That's our clue. Let's move!" Arcee instructed while Ash retrieved his pokémon.
After taking a quick sample of the substance the abomination expelled, Ratchet joined with the others in retreating back to the ground bridge. Surprisingly this time, Protoform X was too weak to follow them. Finally, everyone was safe back in New Iacon.
"That was the so called and feared Protoform X? It didn't look that dangerous back there." May opined.
"That was because he wasn't feeling himself in that moment. He seemed like if he was unwell." Max corrected.
"But it is supposed that monster is tough and indestructible. How could it be?" Warpath demanded.
"I believe is thanks to this." Ratchet answered holding a tube with a sample of the substance.
"What is it?" Clemont asked.
"No clue, but it may be extremely powerful if it managed to affect Protoform X that way. I will need to take a deep analysis." Ratchet said as he used the proper instrumental and took a look through the microscope. "Hum, just what I thought. A toxin, of cybertronian nature."
"A what?" Bonnie asked.
"Some kind of poison which only affect cybertronians." Bumblebee translated.
"But I have never seen one this powerful. One thing for sure, this kind of toxin cannot be found in any natural source of the native lifeforms of Cybertron. So it must be from artificial origin." Ratchet reported.
"So it was created? By who, Cons?" Warpath asked.
"I cannot say for certain. All I know is that they seem to be within these darts." The Autobot medic revealed showing the dart gun with just one dart remaining. "It appears those darts are the ammunition this weapon was designed to use."
Optimus took the dart and took a closer look. "Ratchet, have anyone of you have been hit by those darts?"
"No, fortunately not. The Star Seekers didn't have time to use it before Protoform X made his appearance."
"Then everyone is safe from harm."
"Dear, do you know what these things are?" Elita asked.
"We are in possession of one of the most powerful relics of the ancient Primes, and one of the deadliest: the Liegian Darts of Liege Maximo. It is said the darts contained powerful toxins and chemicals designed to incapacitate his enemies in various ways once they entered the body, including Unicron."
"So, they are like a kind of biological weapon." Ash deduced.
"One very powerful if it managed to put Protoform X on his knees." Serena added.
"That could explain his behavior, the toxins were affecting his body so hard that he felt how his body was combating them. On a normal cybertronian it could kill it in a matter of seconds." Ratchet theorized.
"So we now have a way to capture him at last." Fixit suggested.
"No. These darts are extremely dangerous, not a weapon anyone should use lightly. They must be storage safety, to ensure no one could abuse of their power." Optimus decided.
"Even if we could, I don't know how effective they could provide against him. From what I saw it appears Protoform X's body reacts at it by expelling it out." Ratchet added.
"At least now we can rest assured the Decepticons cannot use them against you." Max pointed.
"Blaziken."
"Huh? What is it, Blaziken?" May asked to her pokémon, which revealed something he recovered: some kind of composite mask.
That caught Optimus' attention. "Where did you get that?"
"It appears Blaziken recovered it from the field, after facing X. He surely managed to hit him hard if it could break a piece of his body."
Riolu stared at Blaziken amazed and gave him a compliment, which the fire pokémon appreciated.
"If that part belongs to Protoform X we could study it in order to comprehend his biology to exploit any weaknesses he hides." Hot Rod suggested.
"This is not something from Protoform X. But…another relic of the Primes." Optimus recognized, surprising everyone.
"What?" Arcee asked.
"How can you tell?" Warpath followed.
"Micronus told me about each one, and this is the one which belonged to Onyx Prime: the Triptych Mask. It allowed him to see what others couldn't, and it's said each part of it has its purpose: the top part showed visions of other places and times, the nether is told that it allowed Onyx to see the journey of a spark through the hidden regions of death, and the middle gave him immediate vision of any creature so he could hunt without fail."
"How did a relic of the Primes end up in Protoform X's possession?" Elita questioned.
"No idea, but that might explain the anomaly."
"What do you mean, Blaster?"
"When I saw the location of the darts I also noticed another open entry, but this one showed nothing. I first though the entry was still not completely decrypted, but I checked it a couple of times and still remained the same. I started to fear the info was incomplete or probably erased, but now the finding of the mask regarding X may explain why: my theory is that when Protoform X seized the mask, the ancients had no idea where it may lay, so it remained the only missing relic without known location. With the lack of info as the only clue."
"Hum, can you repeat that, please?" Bonnie asked.
"Oh, now I understand: because Protoform X possessed the mask all this time they didn't know where it was, so they simply put an empty message as a sign to report its missing." Clemont translated.
"Exactly." Blaster nodded.
"But what was Protoform X wearing the mask for?" May asked.
"For hunt. One of the parts of the mask was used for the purpose of hunting." Ash recalled.
"And we know X has the need to feed on another cybertronians as primary source of energy." Hot Rod supported.
"Well, fortunately now that he doesn't have it, he will not be able to hunt as well as before."
"We cannot jump to that conclusion, Max. As the stories narrated, Protoform X managed to perform as well as now even before he managed to get in possession of the mask." Elita reminded.
"Perhaps he has using it merely to enhance his senses." Ratchet deduced.
"Which means the loss of it could not be a hard hit for him." Optimus assumed.
Speaking of X, the monster was not totally healed from the toxin's effects. He was now resting on top of a mount vomiting the last remains of the venom, but at least he was now far from any human settlement. Meanwhile, Ash and the others returned to Molly's house, and just in time before Delia and Molly's parents returned. They didn't say anything about the incident with the Autobots, and for the rest of the day they spent great time at her house, and she swore not to tell anything about the special friends of the gang. Time later, at night, it was the time for Ash and Serena to go to her home and tell her mother about their relationship, reaching faster by ground bridge, Blaster's courtesy. Of course Ash was nervous, but not as nervous as his girlfriend, so he took her by her hand all the time. Surprisingly, when they revealed Serena's mother they were dating, she was surprised, but in the good terms, because she hugged them both happily. Serena was also happy, seeing her mother also approved their relathionship, so they passed the rest of the night together on Molly's house seeing the stars. While they were having good time, others were actually furious with others' performance.
"Are you telling me you decided to abandon the relic because of a bunch of simple Autobots?!" Thundertron asked furious.
"It wasn't for the Autobots, captain. We were attacked by some kind of monster." Sandstorm defended.
"It was something awful. A creature that stood as stall as a tank class and had five eyes. We saw how it tore off one of our men's head and devoured it like Cesium Salami." Brimstone narrated.
"How did the Cons manage to create such an abomination?" Starquest asked.
"No idea. Actually, I don't think it was created by the Decepticons. I recall the Autobots referred to it as Protoform X."
"The monster of the old dark myth of Cybertron? That's impossible." Thundertron denied.
"Well we just saw it in action, so I will no deny it doesn't exist anymore." Sandstorm groaned.
"If is true what you are reporting, we must be extremely careful from now on."
The Star Seekers were not the only ones swallowing bad news: on the Nemesis, Dropkick returned with a squad of Vehicons and met with Starscream and Xiaxus.
"So, what it was?" Starscream demanded.
"We checked the place, but there wasn't any relic to be found, instead signs of battle. We weren't able to locate the remains of our own, but we did find a body." Dropkick revealed stepping aside, as two Vehicons dragged a dead body. "It isn't much of it, but it presents a familiar symbol."
"It cannot be. That's the emblem of the Star Seekers." Starscream recognized.
"It seems we are not the only cybertronian refugees on this planet." Xiaxus deduced.
"What are those treacherous murderers doing here?"
"We don't know what purposes Thundertron has in mind for this world, but I ensure you this: we reached this planet first, and so it belongs to us. And we will not let those pirates take over it, not without a fight."
"It seems we Decepticons have another enemy to deal with before start enforcing authority."