Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter for your enjoyment. This one took a while to get right because of the action scenes, but I was eventually able to get them right. This one's got some intense turns and moments in store, so hopefully you all have fun with it. This is the climax of Alola, so next chapter will be its end before we move on to the next arc.

Before that, however, I'd like to give a special thanks to Echoh for helping beta the entirety of this chapter. In addition, a friend over on AO3 - Kasan_Soulblade - was kind enough to help with a few battle scenes as well. Without their help, this chapter wouldn't be as good as it is. Be sure to give their own stories a read. They're fantastic authors.


Even all this time later, Aether Paradise never failed to steal Ash's breath away.

When he had first come to visit it with Lillie and the rest of his friends from Alola, it had been a stunning display of modern technology. An artificial island created for the rehabilitation of injured Pokémon and the advancement of Humanity? One with enough beauty to match any forest he'd ever seen?

It was a one-of-a-kind experience.

Looker had brought the entire team with him this time. Ostensibly, it was so they could get a feel for the grounds and see what they were fighting to protect. Maybe that was true for the others, but for Ash? He got the feeling it was more about getting his mind off of the people he'd killed.

It wasn't working, but he appreciated the sentiment. Pikachu would have too, if he were allowed outside of his ball.

Being back here now, it was no less beautiful. Something about it was… different, though. Where before he had been enraptured by the advanced technology and menagerie of Pokémon, now his mind couldn't help but wander.

With the island so far away from the others in the Region, it would take a long time before help could arrive if there was an emergency. Aether had barely any security on their docks overseeing the incoming ships or cargo. What little security they had were armed with only a few Pokemon and simple pistols, at best.

Everywhere he looked, Ash saw flaws in their security. Too few cameras at key points; lax security on their phones or playing with Pokémon; nonexistent cover. He could go on… and that worried him.

Why was it so hard for him to look at things normally now? Why could he only see flaws where he once saw beauty?

He blinked when he felt something nudge his arm. A quick glance to the side showed a concerned Anabel looking up at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Is being back here difficult for you, Ash?" Anabel asked. "I know it's been a while."

"No, I'm fine." He tried to smile. "What makes you say that?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you forget that I can feel people's emotions?"

He cringed. Right… he had forgotten, actually. Even if he knew that she was a Psychic, Anabel wasn't like any other he had met. She was just so normal. Most Psychics always had an aura of power surrounding them; a glint of confidence in their eyes, that lingering suspicion they knew your every thought.

Anabel, though? There was never a hint of that with her. He didn't know if Interpol had trained her to hide it or if she was just naturally able to blend in. Whichever it was, he was thankful that she had better control of it than other Psychics.

"Sorry." He apologized. "I guess I'm still trying to get used to it all."

"Get used to what?" Latias asked.

Rather than hide herself, she had come in her Human form today. Wearing a stylish black and white suit with a navy-blue tie, she cut an imposing figure next to Anabel. Or she would have, if she weren't constantly looking at everything with wide, curious eyes.

He shrugged. At the moment, the three of them were standing on the railings above the nature reserve of the island. Looker and Petrovic had gone off to see Wicke, leaving them behind here. In this section of Aether Paradise, injured Pokemon were slowly being rehabilitated and allowed to practice their survival skills for when they were released back into the wild.

"Being an agent, I guess?" He said. "It's strange. I used to just accept things the way they were. Never gave a second thought to my surroundings or the people. Now…."

"You can't walk into a building without knowing how many exits there are. You can't sit by windows and have a hard time turning your back to other people." Anabel finished. "I miss anything?"

He sighed. "It's hard to take what people say at face value, too. I'm starting to think that everyone is always lying."

"It's alright, Ash. I was the same after my first few missions." Anabel smiled reassuringly, tucking her violet hair behind her ear. "I'm pretty sure most new agents feel this way."

He wasn't sure how much he believed that. Ash couldn't picture Looker acting on edge every time he went out for a bite to eat. Their leader was always in control. He doubted Looker had a problem turning it off, so to speak.

"Does it ever get any easier?"

"You never stop, if that's what you mean. You're always going to worry about these sorts of things now." Anabel ran her fingers along the edge of the railing. "It's like the old saying. Ignorance is bliss."

Was it? Once upon a time, Ash might have believed that. It was an easier way to live, he'd give it that. Without having to worry about anything, you could focus on enjoying life and taking it as things came.

Ash… wasn't so sure he would want to go back to that. As peaceful as that may have been, it made him vulnerable. Too easily manipulated by others. Not to mention unprepared for the real dangers of the world. If he'd been half as aware back when Domino hypnotized him, none of this would have happened.

Anabel patted him on the shoulder. "It'll get easier. Eventually, it'll be as natural to you as breathing. You won't even notice you're doing it."

"Like riding a bike. You spend so much time thinking about how it works when you start out, but don't even worry about that stuff after a while. Even after years go by." Latias chimed in.

"Latias… you've never ridden a bike. How would you know?"

She laughed, flipping her scarlet hair over her shoulder. "Bianca needed someone to vent to when she was a kid. It was either me or my grouchy brother."

He rolled his eyes. If it was Bianca, then he got the feeling it was more ranting rather than venting. As much as he loved his friend, she could be intense when she was angry. He still remembered how she'd sicced an angry Latios on him after stumbling into the garden in Alto Mare.

Good times.

His eyes drifted down below. Some of Aether's doctors were tending to a clutch of baby Flying types. Laughter and joyful chirps were carried on the wind up to them. Within the walls of Aether Paradise, the problems of the outside world might as well not exist. Working and living here was like a dream come true for humans and Pokémon alike.

"Does Looker really believe Team Rocket will attack this place?" He suddenly asked.

"It's not something we can ignore." She said, "Team Rocket made it clear. If Aether doesn't hand over the data on Ultra Wormholes, the company would bleed for it."

Latias tilted her head to the side. "They've already done that, though. Wasn't that the whole point of targeting their businesses and research stations?"

"And it hasn't worked." Anabel pointed out. "For as much money and public faith they're losing, it's not enough. Aether isn't capitulating. If Team Skull wasn't around, maybe they'd be willing to wait it out."

"But since we've helped save them, we're putting too much pressure on Rocket." Ash finished. "You think Rocket will try to take the data by force because they're worried about Skull?"

Anabel shrugged. "It's possible. Right now, they're splitting their focus and resources in two ways. Back when Skull and Aether were weaker, that was just fine. Now that they've got us backing them? They can't afford that luxury anymore."

He had to agree. They wouldn't be able to deal with this discreetly. Not without risking their entire operation in Alola, anyway. If they were going to remain in Alola, they needed to focus their full attention on Skull and Interpol. Team Rocket would need to either abandon their plans for Aether completely… or make a dangerous gambit.

"If they attack, can we fend them off?"

"It's hard to say." She sighed. "If they're desperate enough to attack, they'll come in force. Dozens of Grunts; their strongest Pokemon; military hardware. Nothing less than a small army."

Latias frowned. "Would they really risk something that overt? They'd be labeled terrorists."

"None of that matters if the prize is valuable enough. Pay off the right people and wear the right disguises? At that point, it's easy to convince the world someone else launched the attack."

Ash was sensing a but coming.

"But if they think it'll be easy, they've got another thing coming. The second they launch their attack, Interpol and every other branch of law enforcement will come down on them like a hive of angry Beedrill." Anabel smirked. "Not to mention the agents we already have hidden among Aether's security and workforce."

He sighed. "I guess we'll just have to hope that's enough. I'd rather avoid the violence, if we can."

"Have a little faith, Ash. We have everything under control."


"Have there been any new threats recently?"

Wicke shook her head. "None. Team Rocket hasn't threatened me or the company in the past week."

Off to the side of her office, Nanu snorted in derision. "That you know of. If they were threatening your people, I doubt you'd know about it."

Her eyes narrowed. "We're like a family here at Aether. We don't hide things from each other."

"Ya know, every time a company says that, it's a big sign they're abusive to their people." Petrovic drawled. "No wonder yer people ain't coming forward. Poor bastards."

Looker reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Stop, all of you. Arguing won't get us anywhere."

While none of them were happy being called out, they stopped their bickering before it devolved into an argument. When Looker had taken up a position as leader, he'd known half his job would be keeping the peace. He'd just thought it would be within his young team, not experienced adults.

"Have there been any signs they've tried to steal the data covertly?" Looker asked. "Odd security alerts that turned out to be nothing? New members of the science team a little too eager to prove themselves? Maybe some custodial staff who linger in restricted areas?"

Wicke sighed. "No, nothing like that. We haven't hired any new members for the science team, and few of them even work on Ultra Space research since we closed the holes half a year ago. Most of our custodial staff are just Pokemon too, so it's not like they could sneak an agent in with them." She said, "There haven't been any security issues I'm aware of either."

He narrowed his eyes in thought. Had Team Rocket really chosen not to try stealing it? Or did Wicke and the rest of the foundation just not nice the attempts? If they pulled off a heist without anyone noticing, the sudden cessation of threats would make sense.

It would be impossible to know for sure.

"Have there been any cyberattacks?" He asked. "Maybe some glitches with your systems?"

Wicke shrugged. "None that I can remember. Our tech is state-of-the-art. Anyone trying to hack their way in won't get far before we catch them." Her brow furrowed in concern. "What do you think this means?"

"It could mean nothing. They might just be too preoccupied with Skull to worry about you." Looker said. "With how hard Skull has attacked their territory recently, a little uncertainty would make sense."

Nanu flicked the cap off his flask. "Or they're preparing for something big. A grand display of power that'll stun the Region into submission."

Wicke shifted in place and bit the edge of her nails. "What kind of display?"

Nanu shrugged. "Way I see it? They've got two options. They either kill Guzma in such a gruesome way that Skull capitulates instantly and paves the way for their domination." He paused for a second to drink from his flask. "Or they burn Aether to the ground and take what remains from the ashes. Could go either way."

"We won't let that happen." Looker rushed to assure her. "They're far more likely to attack Skull than Aether. They know that we'll prioritize protecting that data more than anything else."

Skull would surge through their territory if they lost that gambit. The risk they'd be taking just wasn't worth it-

The lights abruptly shut off.

Petrovic narrowed his eyes. "What the hell's going on?"


"Another shipment already, Jimmy? That's the second time this week."

"You know how it is. Corporate wants their shipments."

"I'm just not sure why they'd want all this food. We've got plenty already."

"Eh, it ain't my money. I try not to think too hard about what the bigwigs are doing, you know?"

"Heh, fair enough. Alright, we'll just open the crates to make sure everything looks right and we'll start unloading."

"I-is that really necessary? Come on, it's a waste of all our time."

"Sorry, Jimmy. Boss says we gotta check every crate. Won't take more than a minute before you're on your way."

"R-right. Yeah."

"You look a little pale, bud. You doing alright?"

The doors to the cargo crate were pulled open. Light flooded in, illuminating the inside and revealing not crates of preserved or fresh food, but over a dozen men armed with assault rifles.

"What the-"

A gunshot rang out.

Matori sighed and stepped over the corpse of the dockworker. Similar gunshots could be heard in the distance as other ships pulled into the docks. Her eyes drifted up towards the captain of the small cargo ship, who even now was trembling in his boots.

"P-please, I couldn't stop him. You have to understand-"

Matori didn't waste her breath. A single shot between the eyes dealt with the problem. She waved her hand forward, gesturing to the docks ahead of them. The Grunts obeyed her silent command and moved forward to secure the area and kill any of Aether's security who had heard the gunshots.

She raised a finger to touch her earpiece. "Gozu, are you in?"

"Aye, we're in, boss." She heard gunshots on the other end. "We've secured the north of the island."

Matori glided over to the railing of the boat and looked over the edge. Dark silhouettes moved beneath the surface of the water. They emerged to reveal themselves as her Grunts, pulling themselves and their Pokemon up onto the docks. While they busied themselves with removing their rebreathers, her eyes flicked to the sky where flocks of Flying-types were converging on the artificial island.

And with them, the dozens of Grunts they carried along.

She unclasped a ball from her belt and released her Meowth to the world. "You know the drill, people." She cracked her neck. "Get in and grab the data. Kill everyone you find and make an example of them. If you spot any Psychic types? Nab 'em."

Project Ambrosia could always use more of them.

"By the time we're done, I want this place to be a pile of ash."


"They're here."

"How can you be sure?" Wicke asked.

Looker reached into the holster beneath his trench coat to pull out his pistol. Nanu and Petrovic both did the same. "The power to the island wouldn't go out for no reason. Since your backup generators haven't kicked in either, that can only mean they've been sabotaged."

Petrvoic scowled. "Comms are down. They're blocking every frequency, even Interpol's."

"If they're able to do that, it means they've got a mole on the inside." Nanu pointed out. "I doubt we'll be getting any reinforcements. Something tells me they kept that special signal of yours up and running."

Nanu was right. One of their agents really had sold the info to Team Rocket, their entire defense plan was bust. No one would be coming to help them. Not until the fires raged so violently, it would be impossible to miss them from the other islands.

If they were going to survive this, they needed to act fast.

Ever since being assigned to Alola, he had studied his enemy. Matori wasn't a precision weapon for Team Rocket, she was a blunt instrument. Specialized in hitting secure facilities and massacring those inside. The Grunts under her command – dubbed the Matori Matrix – were all dishonorably discharged veterans whose loyalty only extended as far as their next paycheck.

If the psych eval had been correct, she'd stubbornly stick to her attack no matter how dire things looked. All he had to do was play on her pride and goad her into overextending.

The real danger would be Gozu. His experience in the Great War would overcomplicate things. Even if they captured Matori, he could still lead the rest of the assault force without much trouble. Both of them would need to be swept from the field if they were going to survive this.

"Petrovic, get on your Golbat and fly to HQ." He ordered. "Get us as much reinforcements as you can manage. Interpol, police, League, I'll even take the Rangers if you can manage it."

The man in question snorted. "I'll see what I can do. Just try to survive until I get back, would ya? It ain't no fun mocking a corpse."

He felt a small tingle in the back of his head. "Looker? Looker, are you there?"

Anabel.

He held up a hand to silence Wicke and Nanu. "I'm here, Anabel. How are you contacting me?"

"Latias is boosting the range of my telepathy. What's going on?"

"I'll keep it short. Team Rocket has launched their attack. I've sent Petrovic to the other islands for reinforcements, but who knows when they'll get here." He frowned. "Where are you and Ash?"

"We're at one of the nature reserves." A spike of alarm. "We just heard gunshots. What's the plan?"

"Anabel, I want you to link up with any security in the area and lead them. These people aren't used to this level of violence. They'll need your leadership if they're going to survive." He ordered. "If you can, try to make it to the armory."

The firepower wouldn't hurt, after all.

"I'll do what I can."

"Latias, I need you in the air." He said. "Keep as much pressure on them as possible. If you can, find Gozu and Matori. Even if you can't take them out, don't let them leave the islands."

A rush of confidence. "I'll keep them focused on me. They won't be able to resist attacking me once they realize I'm here."

It's what he was hoping for. If they were lucky, the prospect of catching a Legend would be more enticing than the Ultra Space data. With Latias' speed and strength, she might be what they need to turn the tide of battle their way.

"Ash, you know where the science labs are?"

"Yes, sir."

A tiny smile graced his face. "Good. Get there and guard that place with your life. If they breach those labs, they'll have access to everything. Prototypes, research data, Ultra Space; anything and everything they could want."

"They won't get it. I promise." The young agent practically growled.

With his orders given, he felt the connection between them sever. Good. Looker had faith in his team. As young as they may have been, he knew they could handle themselves. Come hell or high water, they'd defend this place and its people if it was the last thing they did.

And he'd be right alongside them.

"Finally done having your Psychic chat?" Nanu asked. "We're a little strapped for time."

He ignored Nanu. "Wicke, the Aether family has a mansion in the center of the island, right?"

She nodded shakily. "They do. But with none of the family in Alola, it's been abandoned for the past few months."

"Doesn't matter. That's where you're going." His eyes slid to his old mentor. "Nanu, I need you to protect Wicke at all costs."

He frowned. "You sure about that? I'm a Kahuna, Looker. I'd be more useful fighting with you and the others."

"Please, Nanu. You're the strongest person I know. If anyone can protect her, it's you." Looker sighed. "I'd stay with her if I could, but I need to be out there. I won't ask my people to risk their lives without doing the same."

Wicke frowned and took a step forward, cupping his cheek in her hands. "Looker…."

He couldn't meet her eyes.

Their leaders during the Great War had sat back and ordered men to their deaths. Endless suicide charges to take a few feet of land or a worthless hill. It always ended the same: thousands dead or maimed. All in the name of Regional glory and the pride of their generals. Generals all too happy to sleep miles away from the battlefield and let other men die for their ambitions.

Looker would sooner cut his own arm off than become like them.

Nanu looked away. "Fine… the minute I see reinforcements coming, though, and I'm joining in. Not about to let my least favorite student die."

He smiled. "Thank you, Nanu." He turned and pushed open the door with Wicke not far behind. Glancing back at Nanu, he frowned. "Aren't you coming?"

The Kahuna grunted. "I'm coming. Just let me get one last drink in. It could be my last, after all."

With an exasperated sigh, Looker sprinted away and left Wicke outside the office. He didn't have any time to waste. Not with so much at stake. He would just need to have faith in his old mentor.

Once the door shut, and he was alone in the office, Nanu let out a tired sigh. He screwed the cap back on his flask and pushed off the wall towards Wicke's desk.

That boy really did trust him too much.

Unnoticed by the others, Nanu had slipped a thumb drive into Wicke's computer and downloaded every file in its database. While he couldn't know how much had been stolen before the power went out, he'd be willing to bet the data on Ultra Space was in there somewhere. To think that if Matori had just held off her assault one day, none of this would be necessary.

He shook his head in derision. Well, that wasn't his problem. Let the girl hang herself for all he cared. Once he gave this data to Giovanni, he'd be one step closer to getting out from under the bastards thumb. If he was lucky, it could even end the violence in Alola.

"Sorry, Looker." He mumbled, pocketing the thumb drive. "You should have known never to trust an old spy."


Three hours.

It had been three hours since Domino was supposed to meet with Pryce. In all that time, however, he had yet to show his face. A little tardiness was understandable. She had been the one to select the meeting place, after all. An old criminal like him wouldn't show until he was certain there wasn't a trap lying in wait.

A tiny café in the middle of a crowded mall had been an easy choice. It was public enough that neither of them needed to worry about an open attack. At the same time, it was just crowded enough that if either of them did, slipping away in the chaos would be simple.

Even if he sent assassins and hid them among the populace, she was prepared. Three of her Pokemon were hidden in the shadows and crevices nearby. A single signal was all it would take for them to leap into action and tear her attackers apart.

Hypno was hidden among the crowd, blocking his presence from the mind of everyone around him. Ariados had chosen to hide in the vents, out of sight and out of mind. Even the pen dangling from the pocket of her shirt was a Ditto in disguise. She was as prepared for an ambush as she could be.

The longer she waited, however, the more on edge she grew. Pryce wouldn't just forget to meet with her. He may have been an old bastard, but his mind was still as sharp as ever. Even if he looked down on her, she was here representing Giovanni.

Any slight against her was a slight against him.

Even Pryce wouldn't risk his wrath.

With an annoyed sigh, she dropped three sugar cubes into her mug of hot chocolate. It was her fifth one today, but that hardly mattered. Indulgence was the best thing about being a criminal. When your life and freedom were on the line, the boogeyman of heart disease stopped being so scary.

Frankly? She was far more likely to die to a bullet or Pokemon attack than a clogged artery.

"Chocolate? And here I had you pegged for a coffee lover." A familiar old voice said. "Then again, I suppose as long as it's not tea, you Kalosian's can keep sticking it to the Galarian's."

Her nose crinkled in disgust, and she fought back a sigh. "You're late."

Pryce slid the chair out opposite her and took a seat. His smile was entirely too pleased. "My life doesn't revolve around little Gio's games. I had more important things to do."

With narrowed eyes, she hid her annoyance behind a sip of hot chocolate. "We had a deal, Pryce. A trafficker for a traitor. You'd better not be thinking of going back on your word."

"And what if I am?" He challenged, leaning back in his chair. He set a simple briefcase down at his side. "What will you do if I tell you nothing? Kill me? If you were capable of that, I never would have caught you in the first place."

Domino scowled in distaste and set her cup down with a noisy clink. Her pride cried out in protest at the disrespect, but she forced it down. He had gotten the better of her then and had her dead to rights. Even if she was stronger physically than the fossil, she knew better than to underestimate him now.

He wouldn't come here unless he had a plan to deal with her in place.

"Maybe I can or maybe I can't. End of the day, it doesn't matter." She said. "If you go back on our deal or kill me, Giovanni will consider it an act of war. You wouldn't last a week."

"Bold words. I'm almost tempted to see if your confidence holds up being frozen solid." Despite the almost jovial tone of his words, his eyes remained as sharp as ice.

Domino tensed her legs in anticipation to evade.

She nearly flipped the table when she saw him reach down below, but calmed once she realized he was only grabbing the briefcase. If the grin on his face was anything to go by, he'd noticed the distress he caused her and took no small amount of joy in it.

"Fortunately for you, I'm a man of my word." Pryce slid the briefcase across the table. "Everything you want is in there."

She clicked open the locks and lifted it open. While some might have been worried about a trap, she knew better. Pryce wouldn't risk hiding a bomb inside, not when he was so close to the center of the blast. Even if he was prepared to invoke Giovanni's wrath, the attention and potential damage this could cause him were too great.

True to his word, the briefcase was full of documents, photographs, and manilla folders. Too numerous and too sensitive for her to go over in public.

"Summarize it for me." She demanded, snatching a single photo from the pile before shutting the briefcase.

It was of an older man in his late thirties to early forties. With a thick head of spiky brown hair and a goatee most would be jealous of, he looked cut an imposing image.

Pryce grinned. "The man you're looking for is Curtis Vaughn. An old operative of yours and something of a rising star." He grabbed a sugar cube from the table and popped it in his mouth. "Though you people would better know him by his title. Iron-Masked Marauder, or some such nonsense."

Domino grimaced. Oh, she knew the man alright. He was one of the first-generation Specters under Pryce's watchful eye. Ruthlessly efficient and excessively cruel didn't even begin to describe the man. She'd had the displeasure of working with him before on a mission. The victims he left in his wake… it would have been kinder to kill them.

He was always a loyal agent, though. He'd killed traitors for Giovanni in the past, even fellow Specters he'd known since he was a child. To think that he would turn traitor….

There was just one problem.

"He disappeared six years ago on a hunt for Celebi." She said. "We always assumed he got too close and bet on a bad hand."

"A fair judgement. Legends are notoriously prideful about their freedom. In this case, however, you'd be wrong." Pryce told her. "He nearly caught Celebi and bound it to his will. If it weren't for the aid of a small group of wandering trainers, he would have succeeded."

That hardly surprised her. Pokemon Trainers had the annoying habit of poking their nose into other people's business. Rocket had lost a lot of money to vigilante types over the years, and she knew the same could be said of their rivals in other regions.

"So, he what? Faked his death and has been working behind the scenes against us for years?" She asked. "Why?"

"He's a criminal, my dear. He wants what all of us do: money, power, and the freedom to act upon our desires. As long as little Gio remains at the top, he'll never have those things."

"And he came to you. Why?" She demanded. "You tortured him and everyone else like him for years. Turned them into monstrous pawns for your own power. By all rights, he should want you dead."

He laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he does. But he's also such a good boy. Does whatever his master wants, even all these years later." Pryce shrugged his shoulders. "He thought I'd want revenge on your boss for exiling me all those years ago. Came by around a year ago asking for my help leading his little splinter group and planning how to strike against you people."

"What did you tell him?" She growled.

"I told him I wasn't interested in his power trip and not to come back." He yawned. "Then he offered me a couple million to act as a consultant. I'd be a fool to pass up that opportunity."

Her fingers tightened around her mug. "You son of a whore."

"How eloquent." He teased. "It was hardly anything specific. I know nothing about Rocket's inner workings nowadays, and I didn't want any details. All I gave him was a broader grand strategy. Methods for dealing with larger opponents, a list of little Gio's weaknesses, and how best to exploit them."

"You were the one who told him to start feeding information to Interpol."

"Them and any other enemies Rocket may have. A coordinated effort is always more effective than a lone agent." Pryce hummed in thought. "I'd wager that if those fanatics in other regions had survived, he'd be working with them too."

"How many people has he turned to his side?" She demanded.

"You think he'd tell me after I said no? Don't be delusional." He tsked. "If he's started assassinating close allies of Gio and directing Interpol to your more important operations, though? He's getting close to the endgame. He'll make his move soon."

This was bad. If what Pryce said was true, then Marauder had to have a large support base in the organization. Enough that he felt confident in risking exposure and death at Giovanni's hands.

"If he thinks Rocket will follow him, then he's lost his mind." She stated. "We're loyal to Giovanni."

"You are loyal to Giovanni. Perhaps other key agents and members of the leadership. But the average Grunt or lieutenant? They won't give a shit who calls the shots." Pryce warned. "My guess is they'll hedge their bets and wait to see who looks stronger. All it'll take is enough of them seeing the king bleed and they'll flock to Marauder in droves."

She hated to admit that he was right. Most people who joined Team Rocket were selfish at heart. That was fine. Everyone was selfish, even those who claimed otherwise. It was just Human nature. All that mattered to them was the money and respect being in Rocket afforded them.

Even if they wouldn't have any of that without Giovanni.

"We'll just have to kill him and remind everyone why Giovanni is at the top." She snapped the briefcase closed and stood up, dragging it off the table. "I'd best be going… unless there's anything else you need to tell me?"

"Not you, but I do have a message for little Gio." He leaned forward, cupping hands together on the table. "Marauder knows his secret. If he wants it kept safe? He'd best step down now before things get bloody."

She frowned. "What secret are you talking about? What needs to be kept safe?"

"Now that would be telling. Why spoil the fun?" He smirked. "I'm sure you'll figure it out one day. If you live long enough to see Giovanni's downfall, anyway."


Aether Paradise was on fire.

Soaring high above the clouds, Latias had a clear view of the chaos below. Firefights had broken out across the entire island between Rocket and Aether security. Gunshots shattered the air like thunder cracks, drowning out all else. Fires raged below and scorched the earth, the scent of blood and smoke omnipresent everywhere she went.

It was an all too familiar feeling.

For a moment, Latias wasn't in Alola anymore. No, she was back in Alto Mare. A city that had once been a bastion of peace, romance, and culture for the world. Reduced to a pile of wreckage and a mass grave at the bottom of the ocean.

She could still hear the screams of a city under siege in her nightmares. Smell the blood and the smoke that tainted the air. Sometimes she would even see the bodies in the water of her dreams and recognize them as people she'd once knew.

Worst of all was the overwhelming fear that had gripped the city. The pressure had been so intense that Latias herself felt like she was drowning under the negativity – the fear, anguish, and loss of hope. At the time, she'd forcefully cut herself off from the emotions of those around her just so she could focus.

They had needed a guardian… and her failure would go down in history as the worst tragedy since the end of the Human's Great War.

She would not– could not– fail again. Her memories receded, and she found herself back in the present. In yet another beautiful region at the mercy of Team Rocket, with even more innocent people dying for their ambitions. All so they could get access to data on the mysterious Ultra Space.

It disgusted her.

Down by the docks, a firefight was taking place between Rocket's goons and Aether security. Only… it was far more of a massacre than a fight. Armed with powerful Pokemon and assault weapons, Rocket cut through Aether like a scythe through a wheat field. Bloody-white uniformed bodies alongside their Pokemon partners littered the grounds.

Team Rocket hadn't just come to steal data or send a message. They'd come to exterminate everyone on the island.

An angry cry escaped her lips, carried along the winds down below. Faster than the Human eye could perceive, she fell upon the Rocket group and unleashed her Psychic power upon them. From within the center of their formation, a shockwave of mental energy blew them all off their feet.

The first thing she felt was their shock, quickly followed by fear. Before they could even process what happened, Latias' eyes glowed a vibrant blue. The air hummed with Psychic power. The Rocket Grunts and their Pokemon were collectively lifted off the ground, suspended high in the air.

Only to be slammed back down with enough force to shatter bone.

She ignored their cries of pain and tossed them all aside. With broken bones, none of them would be a threat. Turning her attention to the Aether security she'd saved, the guns of the broken Rocket Grunts flew into their hands.

They'd need them if they planned to keep fighting.

Her eyes flicked to the groaning, prone bodies around her. Dealing with them had been easy, but they weren't the driving force behind this attack. If she wanted this to end, she needed to know where Matori and Gozu were in the middle of all this.

Breaking past the mental defenses of these Grunts was easy. Blinded by the pain of broken limbs and unused to defending from a mental assault, their knowledge soon became hers. Every pleasant memory, intrusive thought, or passionate feeling were stripped bare and revealed to her mind's eye.

Nothing. These Grunts were useless. Aside from general orders to cause mayhem and steal anything of value, they didn't know the finer details of the plan.

That was fine. There were always more where these came from.

Latias flew above the island – a sonic boom shattering the air in her wake. With so many attacking the island, it wasn't hard to find more Grunts. All across the island, so many people needed help… and only she could provide it to them all.

In myths from ancient times, Latias and Latios were considered the messengers of the gods. Traversing the world at blinding speeds and dominating the skies, even when facing other Legends. It was perhaps what her kind were most known for.

In modern times, her speed was not nearly as overpowering as it had once been. With the advent of jet engines and the widespread use of planes, Humans had long since surpassed the speed of Legends with their technology. Even ignoring their inventions, Humanity had found ways to enhance and train the speed of average Pokemon to previously unheard-of levels.

Yet as she flew above the island, she knew none of that mattered here. No Pokemon here could match her and there wasn't a jet in sight. For all intents and purposes, she was the undisputed master of the skies and could rain punishment down on her enemies unimpeded.

Across the island, she appeared where she was needed most. Flames and draconic energy spewed forth from her mouth, scorching the ground beneath her and sending Rocket scattering. Her mind seized hold of their bodies and all the loose debris nearby, battering and bashing the invaders into submission.

By the time they realized there was a Legend rampaging across the island, she had already smashed through half their forces. Kinetic barriers of Psychic energy swirled around her, protecting her tough hide from the bullets and energy attacks of her foes below.

Her very presence rallied the spirits of Aether's defenders. Once they had realized a Legend was on their side, they fought back with renewed vigor. It was as if a deity had descended from the heavens to smite their enemies. Even outnumbered and outgunned, Aether security and the Interpol agents hidden among them fought like wildcats.

Sooner or later, Matori would have to show herself. She was the only one who could rally her dwindling troops into action. Throw in the tantalizing possibility of capturing a Legend?

And it was only a matter of time.


Anabel had always wanted to be a hero.

When she was a kid, she would always fantasize about fighting evil and saving the day. Cartoons and fairy tales had instilled a strong sense of morals in her. Some of her greatest inspirations as a kid were the superheroes she'd see in her stories. When her Psychic powers had manifested, it had been like a dream come true.

Her journey hadn't changed anything. Traveling the world had given her a greater appreciation for the people and cultures around her. Unlike the nebulous concept of 'people' that she had once believed heroes fought for, now she had names and faces to use as motivation. Even after becoming a Frontier Brain, her drive to help others had only grown stronger.

Becoming an Interpol agent had been the culmination of all her years of training and ideals. Working from the shadows to fight the monster's society didn't know existed? Preserving the delicate sense of normalcy that good men and women enjoyed? Often using weapons and Pokemon that she'd only dreamed of in the past?

There was no length she wouldn't go to protect the innocent.

Anabel held her breath… and squeezed the trigger of the rifle in her hands.

In the distance, a glowing Manectric's head jerked backwards, a shower of blood exploding out the back.

She didn't wait to see its body hit the floor.

The moment she'd severed the connection to Looker's mind, Anabel had sprinted towards the armory hidden on the island. The attack had left Aether scrambling to survive with the sidearms and Pokemon they had on them.

Against the units of Team Rocket, Aether security didn't stand a chance on their own. If they survived this, Wicke and the other execs would need to start taking their security more seriously.

Fear that wasn't her own surged through her. Bitter, piercing, and dreadful all at once. Foreign faces of children and a loving husband flashed before her eyes. A heart beat in her ears before being drowned out by the buzz of insect wings.

She swiveled her gun. A Vespiquen dragged a groundskeeper up in the air. The hair on her arms stood on end as phantom mandibles clicked together in her mind like cruel laughter. Saliva dribbled down and splashed into the worker's eye. Her heart skipped a beat as phantom, insectoid claws dug into her skin.

She ignored it all. Waited for the insectoid to rear its head back and spread its jaws wide. Took a deep breath… and fired.

Her bullet shattered the red crystal of the Vespiquen's crown, showering the groundskeeper in blood and shards. Relief tickled her consciousness, even as the groundskeeper landed in a heap next to the insect's corpse. It was like a gasp of fresh air after being on the edge of drowning. Warm, soothing, and vibrant.

Anabel's instructors always said a sniper rifle suited her well.

They were right.

Her attention was drawn to the northwest. A small contingent of Aether workers and a lone security guard had barricaded themselves within an office building. Rocket were banging on the doors and siccing their Pokemon on them, but to no avail. The concrete walls held up against the energy attacks and massive bodies of the monsters. Even the makeshift barricade of desks and filing cabinets held strong against the hungry jaws of a pack of Mightyena.

One of them ushered the others aside and reached down to grab a grenade off his belt.

He never got the chance. A single pull of the trigger was all it took. The grenade exploded on his hip once her bullet pierced its shell. The flames engulfed the Grunt and everyone else nearby. It tore those not engulfed in the fire to ribbons by the burning shrapnel slicing through their bodies.

From her perch, Anabel had a clear view of the battlefield below. By now, most of Rocket had taken a more conservative approach to their attack. Wildly looking around the battlefield and blindly firing at every rooftop or ledge they could see.

It was a mistake. The best place for a sniper was inside a room with an open window. It hid the shooter, masked the sound of a supersonic round, and made the muzzle flash impossible to see.

She could pick targets off with impunity up here.

No matter how many she killed, however, it wasn't enough. Team Rocket could always replace the Pokemon and Grunts she took out here, no matter how skilled they were. No, if they were going to deal any lasting damage, she needed to target the head of the snake.

She scanned the battlefield. A pack of Mightyena to the north tore an intern apart. One of the nature reserves had been set ablaze by a roaming Magmortar, condemning everything inside to a fiery death. To the west, a Grunt gunned down a security guard begging for his life.

None of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was finding Matori. With so many of her peons running about, however, finding her was all but impossible.

Anabel needed a way to flush her out. Thankfully, she had just the technique.

Battle Coordination. The same technique she had used to take down Proton in Alto Mare. It was just a shame that she wasn't strong enough to place the entire island under her influence. Perhaps one day she'd be able to link that many minds together, but not yet. She was still too weak.

At her side, Espeon's eyes glowed with Psychic power. The two had connected their minds to amplify their power. Together, they linked the scattered minds of Aether's security and workforce. Every thought or feeling one had was felt by them all. Every word spoken or sight seen was instantaneously known across the battlefield. Orders were given and carried out simultaneously.

They were a hivemind now. Dozens of bodies acting as one in pursuit of a single goal: the defense of Aether. With her as the guiding influence, those under her sway fought with greater courage. Their shots hit their mark, their Pokemon swarmed the invaders, and they moved with a level of coordination no training could give.

The ground beneath an entrenched group of Aether security shook. A window near the edge of the room cracked. Her own precognition flared to life, compelling Aether's goons to do the same and dive away. It was the only thing that saved them, as an Onix erupted from the ground with a mighty roar.

She squeezed the trigger. Onix flinched back as a bullet slammed into its eye, a guttural growl drowning out the gunfire nearby. Anabel didn't hesitate, swiveling her rifle to its other eye and squeezing the trigger. The gargantuan rock snake thrashed and screamed in pain as its sight was taken from it.

Before she or any of her forces could capitalize on its injuries, someone else beat them to it. Faster than their eyes could perceive, Latias swooped down from the skies. A blast of sickly green wind blew from her mouth, slamming into the beast with enough force to push it back.

Try as it might, the Onix couldn't move an inch. Blind and paralyzed, there was nothing it could do to stop Latias from lifting it into the air with her mind and hurling it off the island. Even with the sounds of battle raging around them, a distant splash could be heard once the Onix hit the water.

The Legend battling on their side set a spark of hope through the mental link. Hope snapped from mind to mind. They could win this.

Even she was relieved. Anabel could manufacture a lot of emotions, but hope wasn't one of them. That had to come from within.

Anabel's eyes widened. She quickly swiveled her scope around to the southeast. Her troops had managed to pin a small group of Rocket Grunts down by a groundskeeper's workshop. Jets of fire, streams of water, and a sporadic stream of bullets kept them from escaping.

One of them had spotted a flash of purple hair amidst the firefight.

Purple was a rare enough color that those who had it stood out. Combined with the Rocket officer's uniform and Alolan Meowth at her side? Anabel could safely say that she had found Matori.

Even hidden behind cover, Anabel had a clear line of sight on her. She watched the Rocket admin blindly fire around her cover and shout orders to her Grunts.

It would be so easy to kill her. A bullet to the head and she would rob Rocket of one of its most effective agents. Rocket's attack on Aether and their entire operation in Alola would crumble with her death.

Shame she couldn't just kill Matori.

She'd just have to capture her instead.

Shooting to wound rather than kill was a tricky thing to pull off. There were only a few places in the Human body that could take a bullet without severing a major artery or destroying a vital organ. Getting shot in the shoulder wouldn't kill quickly… but almost any gunshot could be fatal if given enough time.

They'd need to act fast. Easy enough with the hivemind at her disposal

She zeroed in on Matori. Slowly, she directed her troops to feign a retreat. Deliberately missing shots, shouting about their grievous wounds, falling back to different pieces of cover. Just enough to sell that they were on the run.

Matori took the bait. With how poorly her plans in Alola had been going, she couldn't afford not to capitalize on this opportunity. She stepped out from behind her cover, ushering her people forward with a wild wave of her arm.

A flag in the background flapped to the right. Anabel shifted in place. Her breath stilled as her scope slid just slightly to the left of Matori. She gently squeezed the trigger and watched with bated breath through the lens of her scope.

It happened fast. One moment, Matori was galvanizing her troops into action and calling for the deaths of Aether security. The very next instant, she was blown off her feet in a shower of blood once the bullet struck.

Anabel didn't have to wait long to see if she survived. Matori screamed loud enough to drown out the gunfire around her and writhed on the ground. A mental command to her forces urged them out of cover, laying suppressive fire down on Matori's Grunts.

It wasn't enough. One brave Grunt rushed through the gunfire long enough to drag Matori back into the cover of the workshop. Try as they might, Aether wouldn't be able to break past the perimeter of assault rifles and enraged Pokemon Rocket was using to keep her safe.

No matter. Matori wasn't stupid enough to think she could survive a wound like that forever. Eventually, she'd surrender to get the proper medical aid. Assuming Looker or one of the other Interpol agents on the island didn't get to her first.

All Anabel had to do was keep her right where she wanted her.


It was a testament to how effective Interpol's training was that Ash's nerves weren't getting the better of him.

In the past, his heart would hammer in his throat. It didn't matter if he was facing down Legends or the megalomaniacs behind evil organizations. The fear he felt chilled him to the bone. How could it not? When death and destruction on untold scales played out before his eyes, only a fool didn't feel fear.

He always managed to fight past his nerves, though. If it meant protecting his loved ones, then his own fear was insignificant compared to their lives. Even in Alto Mare, facing down common criminals had been enough to make him hesitate.

Yet this time… Ash felt calm. Even with the muffled sound of gunfire and explosions coming from the outside, his nerves were steady. Rather than fearing for his own safety or running into one of Rocket's goons, the only thing he felt was determination.

He wouldn't let Team Rocket get their hands on Aether's data. If they got access to the Ultra Wormholes, who knew the damage they could cause? Who knew what their greed and arrogance would let in? He had seen the power of the Ultra Beasts and walked the grounds of a world destroyed by them.

Ash would die before he let that happen to his world.

His partner ran at his side, easily keeping pace with him. After surviving rampaging Legends and cruel organizations during their journey, Ash knew Pikachu shared that same commitment. The only one he had doubts about was Bewear… but even she would die before letting Team Rocket get what they wanted.

Even if it wasn't for the same reasons.

They just needed to reach the science labs. With how often he had visited Lillie, he knew this place like the back of his hand. From what he remembered, Aether had spared no expense to build the labs safely underground. Or underwater, considering this was an artificial island.

He just needed to make it through the office complex and-

A gunshot split the air. Ash and Pikachu both dove for cover behind a nearby cubicle. Sparks danced across Pikachu's cheeks. Ash's hand reflexively flew to the revolver on his hip. Yet when no follow up shots came, an uneasy frown wormed its way across his face.

Ash peaked around the corner of the cubicle. Down at the end of the hall, one of Aether's employees was dragging themselves across the floor. Older than Ash, but still too young to be a regular employee on the island. With the amount of blood leaking from their leg, the bullet must have hit an artery.

His first instinct was to rush forward and pull the boy to safety. Training and caution kept him rooted in place. A wise decision when a group of Rocket thugs stepped out from behind the corner. And at the head of the group was none other than Gozu himself.

The veteran criminal looked down at the Aether employee and scoffed. Without missing a beat, he drew his sidearm and shot the boy clean through the back of the head before he could even blink.

Ash tightened his fists.

"I told you people; we're going for clean kills. That means shots to the head and the torso." Gozu chastised. "We're professionals, not psychopaths. Start acting like it."

Professionals… what bullshit. They could call themselves whatever they liked. It wouldn't change what they were. Psychopathic monsters. Only someone truly evil could butcher the innocent and defenseless without flinching. Team Rocket liked to parade themselves around as above the cruelty of their rivals in other regions, but deeper down?

The only difference was the uniform. They were all the same.

He'd once thought they would never go to this extreme. That there was a limit to their cruelty. After what they'd done to him, though? What they'd done before Alto Mare drowned? He knew better. The only limit was what they felt they could get away with.

And if they somehow managed to pull this off? They just might. If word of this carnage got out, Aether and Alola would both suffer an economic hit as people now associated both with a massacre. Interpol, the police, and even Team Rocket would face the dangerous effects of a world who now saw them as dangerous terrorists, not simple mobsters.

The panic and fear that would cause… Ash couldn't begin to imagine how bad it would get. All he knew was that everyone would be doing their damndest to cover this up. Explain away all the dead, the injured, the destruction, and all the danger Team Rocket posed.

It would be like none of this ever happened. Whether Team Rocket snagged the intel or not, the world would never know what really happened here.

Ash was going to make damn sure they failed. He owed the dead that much.

"Search the rest of the floor. Make sure there aren't any stragglers hiding out nearby waiting to ambush us from behind." Gozu ordered. "I'm going on ahead to the labs. Find me once the floor is secure."

Ash and Pikachu exchanged a look. They needed to get to the labs, but if they could take down Gozu's backup before dealing with him? It just might tip the odds in their favor.

He glanced behind him towards the door of a nearby office that had been left open. Whoever it belonged to must have run the moment they realized what was happening. It would make for a good hiding place to ambush a Grunt when they came this way.

When the two of them snuck into the room and shut the door behind them, however, Ash heard a sharp gasp. He froze. Hidden in the corner of the room behind a filing cabinet was an elderly woman — an accountant, as far as he could tell.

Slowly, he pressed a finger to his lips. He gestured behind him towards the door and mouthed the word killers to her. If her shaky whimper and tear-stained face were anything to go by, it didn't have the calming effect he'd been hoping for.

"Alright, boys. You heard the boss." Footsteps grew louder as the Grunts drew closer. "You three take the left. We'll handle the right. Radio in if you find any trouble."

They were splitting up. That would make this easier, but not by much. If these people were former military like Gozu, they wouldn't wander far from each other. Unless he handled this delicately, he'd end up in over his head.

His eyes flicked down to the revolver in his hands. This wasn't the time to get trigger-happy. The Grunts may not bat an eye at their machine guns going off, but if they heard a revolver shot? They'd have no choice but to investigate. Which left him with one option.

He holstered his revolver and drew his dagger. His hand started to shake, but a quick glance at the woman in the corner of the room steadied it. This was no time to hesitate. Protecting her was more important than his reservations.

Pikachu raised his head in the air. He held up his paw and closed his eyes, ears twitching every few seconds. Ash watched his tiny, yellow paws flex closed four times. Finally, the electric mouse opened his eyes and looked up at Ash.

It was fortunate that Ash had spent years communicating silently with Pikachu. He'd had to learn his little buddy's tells. After all, he wasn't always lucky enough to travel with a Psychic.

He looked back towards the woman in the room. He silently shushed her one more time before tightening his grip on his dagger. With his hand on the door handle, he waited for Pikachu's signal.

A few moments and one sharp nod later, Ash pulled the door open and stepped out. On the other side of the office space, one of Rocket's Grunts was checking each of the cubicles for survivors. He gestured for Pikachu to watch his back while he crept forward.

Getting behind the Grunt was easy. With ample cover from the cubicles and carefully moving on the balls of his feet, it was just a matter of waiting until his back was turned. Yet once he was close – a single cubicle wall behind the man… he hesitated. Could he really go through with this?

A distant gunshot echoed from the other side of the floor.

His eyes narrowed. The terrified face of the elderly woman and the dead Aether employees flashed through his mind.

No more. They wouldn't kill anyone else if he could stop it.

It happened fast. Once the Grunt stepped out of the last cubicle to move on the next one, Ash sprang forward. A kick to the back of the knee sent him stumbling down. Before the man could cry out in alarm or react, Ash slipped his hand over the criminals' mouth and jammed his dagger clean through his throat. With a simple twist, he tore the knife from his enemy's body.

The Grunt let out muffled cries of pain, followed shortly by the gurgles of a man drowning in his own blood. The struggling stopped soon after. With a shuddering breath, Ash released his hold and let the body drop to the ground.

For a moment, Ash stared down at his blood-soaked blade. His hand wasn't even shaking…

Sheathing his dagger on his hip, Ash snatched the Rocket's rifle off the ground and searched the body for anything else useful. Aside from a couple of empty Pokeballs and an extra magazine for the rifle, there was nothing he could use.

One down. Six more to go.

Finding the other three on this side of the floor had been easy. They were busy checking the rooms further down the hall. With no clue that their friend was already dead, it made what came next far easier.

The first was simple. He'd gotten careless in one of the offices, and decided to rummage through the open safe on the wall. A bullet to the back of the brain dropped him quick enough. Since it came from the rifle, none of the other Grunts gave it a second thought.

The second hadn't been any more difficult. The moment he stepped out of the office, Pikachu leaped into action. His tail turned to steel and smashed through the skull of the Grunt. It didn't so much cave in as it exploded in a shower of blood and gore. Almost like a hammer smashing through a melon.

It was far from quiet. The third Grunt rushed out of the office he'd been searching, gun raised and ready to fire. If Ash hadn't been waiting for him, he might have managed to get a shot off. Instead, he stumbled back as a burst of bullets slammed into him. The first three slammed into his Kevlar vest. The fourth blasted clean through the Grunts eye and straight out the back of his skull.

He breathed a sigh of relief. That just left the three on the opposite side of the building. Once they were dealt with, he could move on to dealing with Gozu. He could rush that way and take them from behind… or he could play it smart and set a trap.

Searching the bodies for a working radio was easy. Next to the Pokeballs on the hip of one Grunt, he also found an unused grenade. Petrovic had taught him the basics of how to handle them, but this would be the first time he'd use one on anything other than training dummies.

He couldn't pass up on the firepower, however. Not now.

Ash held the radio up to Pikachu, turning it on. On cue, Pikachu let out an exaggerated roar and a blast of thunder at the nearby cubicle. It scorched the wood, and the air crackled with primal power. As far as the Grunts on the other end knew, this was a call for help.

"Hang tight! We're on our way!" One shouted through the radio.

Perfect.

Setting up an ambush was about the proper staging. Looker had once told him that positioning and timing were often far more important than firepower. If you could catch an enemy off guard and strike where they were weakest, then it didn't matter how powerful they were.

It didn't take long for them to get into position. While Pikachu rushed forward and hid within the cluster of cubicles, Ash stayed a bit further back within one of the open rooms. It was only another couple of minutes before he heard the Grunts arrive.

Interpol called hallways and alleys fatal funnels. Anywhere that was narrow and offered no cover was the worst place to be once the bullets started flying and Pokemon launched their attacks. Staging one of the fallen Grunts to look like they were merely injured had been a simple case of propping them up against a wall and placing their arms over their stomach.

Once he heard them take the bait and approach, Ash pulled the pin on the grenade and blindly tossed it around the corner towards the group. At that exact moment, Pikachu dashed out behind them and let off a blast of electricity so bright and powerful, the hairs on his body stood on end. Ash raised his hands to cover his ears.

While Team Rocket screamed and convulsed under the lightning, some of the electricity arced upward and struck the grenade. From there, it didn't take long for the intensity of the heat to ignite the gunpowder within and set it off.

The explosion that followed was deafening. Even covering his ears couldn't fully suppress the noise. It shook him to his very bones. Even with the wall and distance between him and the explosion, Ash was nearly blown off his feet.

Ash shook away his disorientation and stepped out from behind cover, rifle raised in anticipation. He shouldn't have worried. All that remained of the Grunts were mangled bits of gore coating the walls and a scorched hole in the ceiling where the grenade had gone off.

He winced. All this death… he hoped it had been quick. Quick enough that they hadn't even had time to register the grenade going off.

Pikachu scurried towards him. There wasn't a scratch on him, thankfully. He'd gotten to cover just before the grenade went off and avoided the shrapnel. Thank Arceus for small mercies.

Now, if only the bastard could give out some big ones.

"Is the old woman okay?" He asked.

Pikachu offered him a confident thumbs up.

Good. While she must have been terrified by all the gunshots and explosions, it was better than being dead. As long as she stayed hidden until reinforcements arrived, she'd survive this. He'd make sure anyone who could be a threat was more focused on him.

"Come on. It's time we dealt with Gozu once and for all."


When he'd been young, Pikachu had never wanted to have a trainer.

It was strange. Most Pokemon dreamed of going on journeys with Humans. It didn't matter what species or Type you were, all Pokemon grew up wanting to be strong. Whether you lived in the untamed wilds, the deep oceans, murky caves, or within sprawling cities, there was one fact of life all Pokemon understood.

Humans were strength personified.

Everyone knew the stories. Runts of the litter and the weakest of the tribe being cast out. Despised for their weakness. Adrift in a cruel world of bloody survival. Only to one day stumble upon a Human village and be taken in. Raised among their kindness and taught their ways, they found a source of strength more effective than simple survival.

Strength enough to not just surpass the alphas of their tribe, but to challenge the very gods themselves. Time and again, myths of Legends being bested by Humans and their Pokemon partners popped up across the world.

For Pokemon, strength was everything. It wasn't just simple combat; it was a way of life. The euphoria of growing stronger and the thrill of breaking your limits… It was an indescribable feeling. All of them sought it, in one way or another. Yet in the wilds, you were either born strong, or you were weak. Try as they might, Pokemon could never achieve the same heights on their own.

It was more than just that, though. Humans… they weren't just strong in a physical sense. They could fight well, but they lacked the same natural abilities as Pokemon. Somehow, though, they turned their weakness into strength.

Their bodies were weak, so they created armor. They had no fangs or claws or ability to harness energy, so they created weapons. Disease ravaged their bodies, so they eradicated it with medicine. Mother nature denied them the open skies and deep oceans, so they crafted machines to take them there.

They didn't just survive; they thrived. No matter what the world threw at them, Humans always overcame it. Their cities were on every continent and only expanding. The stars – once considered out of reach for all but the strongest of Legends – had been laid bare for them.

Perhaps most terrifying of all… their destructive potential rivaled the strongest of the gods. Even with Pikachu's limited understanding of Human technology, he knew this. If any Legend ever truly became a threat to their existence?

Humanity would retaliate with enough power to turn the world into a barren wasteland.

Despite all of this, Pikachu had still never wanted a trainer. Why give up his freedom to follow some random Human around the world? He could get strong on his own, or so he'd thought. That hadn't changed after being captured or meeting Ash. To say that his first impressions of his trainer had been poor would be an understatement. All meeting Ash did back then was cement his belief that Humans were overestimated.

Things had changed, of course. Seeing someone willing to die to protect you tended to have that effect on people. For as much as he teased Ash, his trainer was exceptional. Things Pikachu once thought impossible were now second-nature to him. To say that he was the strongest of his kind wouldn't be a stretch.

Few Pokemon alive could claim to have fought not one, but three Legends and won.

He owed it all to Ash. The Human he had watched gone on unbelievable journeys with and watched grow into a remarkable young man. If there was anyone who personified Humanity's will to grow stronger, it was him.

Recently, however, there had been a change in his partner.

Once upon a time, Ash wouldn't dream of hurting anyone. He was too kind-hearted to wish anyone actual harm. Ever since joining Interpol, though, he'd gotten more violent. Not eager, but willing to use it if he had to.

Not that Pikachu could blame him. He couldn't even blame Interpol, since all they'd done was help. It was just the monsters they were facing. Rocket, Skull, and all the rest. It was hard to keep your hands clean when constantly exposed to the cruelty of the world. Doubly so when others were relying on you to protect them.

Just because he understood why didn't mean he approved, though. The others may not have realized it yet, but he had. Ash wasn't built for this job. He wasn't meant to be an Interpol agent. Sooner or later, something in him was going to break beyond repair.

If it hadn't already.

Pikachu considered it his greatest failure that he couldn't protect Ash from all this.

When the two of them neared the entrance to Aether's labs, they came to a stop and hid behind a nearby wall. Close to ten meters away on the other side of the room, Gozu and his Aggron stood outside the entrance of the labs. The ground shook as the lumbering monster slammed its steel body into the reinforced doors keeping them out.

The man either hadn't heard or didn't care about the gunshots earlier. He must have thought it was just his Grunts dealing with security. It gave them the perfect opportunity to ambush him.

Pikachu looked up at Ash as if to ask what the plan was, but stopped. To his shock, Ash had already decided what to do. With his stolen rifle raised, Ash lined up a shot with the Rocket's exposed back. There wasn't a hint of anxiety, fear, or even anger on his face.

Only a calm sense of acceptance.

It was unsettling.

Ash held down the trigger. Deafening thunder cracks shattered the air. Even with years of League experience, Pikachu still flinched at the sound. Gunshots were always more impactful than explosions made by Pokemon attacks.

The ambush didn't work. Gozu wasn't an untrained civilian who would freeze up or frantically search for the source of a gunshot. He was a veteran of the Great War. The instant he heard the gunfire, he dove to the closest piece of cover he could find: Aggron.

Not that it was needed. Faster than its kind should have been capable of moving, Aggron spun on a dime and hunched itself over Gozu's body. The bullets bounced harmlessly off the metal titan's steel armor.

Once the rifle clicked empty, Ash ducked back behind cover to reload his weapon. Pikachu's cheeks sparked dangerously.

"Guess my boys are all dead." Gozu shouted from behind Aggron. There was no chance for either Pikachu or Ash to hit him from this angle. "You must be with Interpol. Aether's rent-a-cops sure wouldn't get the better of them."

"I'll give you one chance. Surrender now." Ash tossed his empty magazine aside and slotted his extra one in place. "Reinforcements are on their way. You won't escape."

A snort echoed through the room. "We'll see about that." There was a brief pause. "Hold on, I know that voice… Woods!?"

"Figured it out, have you?" Despite the taunt, Ash didn't look amused. "Pat yourself on the back. It only took a couple weeks and me shooting at you to realize it. I can see why Team Rocket kept you around."

Gozu growled. "I'm gonna enjoy putting a bullet in you, brat."

"Bold words for a man hiding behind his Aggron." Unclipping Bewear's Pokeball from his belt, he unleashed her. "My offer still stands. This doesn't have to end in violence. I promise you'll get a fair trial."

"Shove it up your ass, Woods."

Ash closed his eyes. "There's no reasoning with you people, is there?"

He almost sounded… disappointed? Tired? Pikachu couldn't tell what was lurking beneath the surface of his friends' words.

At his side, Bewear materialized from her ball and stood at her full height. For a moment, she looked around in curiosity, turning her body back and forth. Once her eyes landed on Aggron and Gozu, however, that all changed. Muscles bulged beneath her thick fur, her eyes blazed with unspoken fury, and a menacing growl bubbled past her lips.

"Easy, Bewear." Pikachu advised. "We can't rush in."

A bright glow drew his attention back across the room. The telltale glow of Mega Evolution enveloped the room as a cocoon of energy encased Aggron. Cursing under his breath, Pikachu sent a blast of lightning towards them. He felt the rush of wind as Bewear sprinted forward and even heard the thunder cracks of Ash's rifle.

It was no use. The cocoon of energy completely protected Aggron from anything they threw at it. In mere moments, it exploded outward in a violent display of light and pushed Bewear back. When the blinding light subsided, the hulking form of Mega Aggron towered over them.

It all went downhill from there. Aggron bulldozed forward and collided with Bewear. After a brief struggle, he lifted her up and hurled her towards Pikachu. He only managed to get out of the way thanks to a quick burst of speed and quick reflexes.

In the chaos of it all, Gozu and Ash were gone.

As much as he hated it, that may have been for the best. Pikachu couldn't fight Aggron and protect Ash at the same time.

He never took his eyes off Aggron. "You alright, Bewear?"

She forced herself to her feet, dusting herself off in the process. "It'll take more than that to take me down." She growled. "What's the plan?"

"Hit him hard. Try not to die." Pikachu shrugged. "Ash is usually the one who comes up with the plans."

Bewear snorted. "Lovely."

That was all that could be said. This time, when Aggron rushed forward, Bewear dodged to the side. Just as the steel monster started to turn, Bewear slammed a glowing fist into his gut. A gasp tore from his lips. Instead of retreating, Aggron rammed his horns into Bewear's shoulder.

Once the two had forced themselves apart, Pikachu sprinted forward. Electricity sparked around him, eventually encasing him entirely in something akin to a Volt Tackle. Just as quickly as he harnessed the energy, however, his tail turned to steel.

All the energy he had gathered was conducted into his tail. It glowed a vibrant gold and sparked dangerously. A tiny indicator of the destructive power he had funneled into his tail.

Aggron reared back, a ball of golden energy appearing in its mouth. Pikachu seized the opening and leaped through the air, angling himself towards his enemy's head. Just before he could strike, Aggron jerked his head out of the way at the last second.

It was only partially effective.

Pikachu had meant to decapitate Aggron in one blow. The strength and sharpness of his tail combined with the intense energy of his electricity could cut through almost anything. If it hadn't been for Aggron's reflexes, he could have ended this fight here and now.

Instead, all he did was slash out Aggron's eyes. The sound of metal sizzling and shearing grated on the ears. The only thing more unsettling than the feel of cutting through Aggron's flesh beneath the armor was the agonized scream he let out once the pain set in.

Even blinded, Aggron was far from out of the fight. Before Pikachu landed on the ground, a set of gargantuan claws grabbed Pikachu in midair. Faster than he could blink, Aggron slammed Pikachu into the concrete floor hard enough to create a deep crater.

Pikachu felt more than he heard his bones crack under the force of the blow. It only worsened once the claws wrapped around his body started to squeeze, as if trying to pop him like a balloon. He could hardly breathe, let alone think straight under the intense pressure forced upon his body.

Mercifully, he was not alone in this fight.

A pink and black paw collided with the side of Aggron's face, sending him crashing through a distant wall. Before he could fully recover, Bewear descended upon his prone body. Powerful blow after powerful blow rained down on the crippled Aggron, cracking and denting his metal hide.

Pikachu struggled to his feet. It hurt to breathe, and his heart pounded in his throat. He couldn't afford to pass out now, though. They needed to finish off Aggron so they could find Ash.

Aggron's body glowed with golden energy.

"Bewear, look out!" Pikachu shouted.

It was too late. Before Bewear could move out of the way, Aggron slammed his bulky tail into the back of her legs. When she stumbled, he raked his shadowy black and silver claws across her chest.

This was bad. If Pikachu didn't act quickly, Aggron could kill Bewear. Even with her type advantage and Aggron's loss of sight, Mega Evolution more than evened the playing field. That she was still standing at all was a testament to her strength.

His eyes shot to the ceiling and sprinklers that hung above them. It was a longshot, and a risky one at that. It had just as much of a chance to kill Bewear as it did Aggron. Desperate times called for desperate measures, however.

He'd just need to have faith in Bewear.

Lightning sparked off his fur, striking the sprinklers above. His electricity was more than hot enough to break the glass vials in the sprinklers and set them off. The entire area and everyone in it was bombarded with enough water to put out a wildfire.

The effect was instantaneous. With the water conducting the electricity, Bewear and Aggron both cried out in pain. Aggron stumbled away from Bewear's downed form, uselessly thrashing about and trying to kill an invisible enemy.

His struggles amount to nothing. Forcing her body to work through the pain, Bewear lumbered behind him and wrapped her arms around her chest. Faster than he could react, she lifted him high above her head before bringing him crashing back down to earth.

The resulting impact shattered the floor and shook the building. By the time the dust cleared, Pikachu ceased generating electricity. It wasn't needed anymore.

Bewear – bleeding and exhausted – towered above the broken body of Aggron. And he was broken. She had smashed his once imposing armor into tiny fragments and jagged shards, exposing the vulnerable flesh underneath. Even if he could still see, it wouldn't matter. Not with the countless broken bones he had suffered.

"G-Gozu…." Aggron croaked. "Run-"

He never got to finish. Bewear crushed his head beneath her fist with a sickening squelch and a spray of blood. Pikachu might have pitied the creature if he hadn't knowingly helped his trainer slaughter innocents.

"That… was for… my daughter." Bewear panted.

Then she collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. Pikachu followed soon after once his legs gave out. The last thought he had before unconsciousness took him was hope.

Hope that Bewear could find the strength to save Ash where he couldn't.


His rifle clicked empty.

Ash swore under his breath and ducked behind cover just in time to avoid a hail of gunfire from down the hall. Tossing the rifle aside, he dashed towards an office complex in the distance. With no more ammo, the rifle was useless to him.

That just left him with his revolver, his dagger, and whatever he could find lying around. It wasn't looking great, but he didn't have any other choice.

"That's it, Woods! Keep running like the rat you are!" Gozu yelled.

Ash ignored the man. No good would come from shouting back or losing his nerves. All it would do was give Gozu a better idea of where he was, and he, for one, didn't trust simple cubicles to block bullets.

"What's wrong? No more quips? No offers to surrender?" The taunts continued. "Don't tell me the big bad Interpol agent is scared?"

The voice was drawing closer by the second. Ash couldn't stay hidden forever. He needed to go on the offensive and force Gozu onto the back foot. Glancing up at the wall in the corner, he spotted a light switch. Taking an empty Pokeball off his belt, he tossed it towards the opposite side of the room.

It bounced loudly off the side of a filing cabinet. When Gozu spun to open fire on the harmless cabinet, Ash dashed out of cover and flicked the lights off for the entire floor. He dove back into cover the instant his hand left the switch.

It may have been a minor advantage, but Ash would take whatever he could get.

"You think this is the first time I've fought in the dark?" Gozu snorted. "Kid, you are out of your league."

Maybe. He didn't have any choice but to fight, though. He doubted Gozu would just let him walk away, even if Ash had been cowardly enough to try.

He drew his revolver and crept around the sides of the office complex. By now, Gozu had to have been running low on ammo. If he could catch Gozu while his rifle was empty, he just might end this quickly.

That was easier said than done, though. Gozu wasn't going to just keep firing wildly at every random noise until he ran out of ammo. Even if he did somehow pull that off, it wouldn't take more than a couple of seconds at most for Gozu to switch magazines.

The only advantage Ash had was his trench coat. When it came to their agents, Interpol spared no expense. The best equipment, the best training, the best food, the best of everything. It was what gave them an edge over their enemies.

Their clothes were no exception. While they couldn't provide everything an agent could want to wear, Interpol gave every field operative a set of suits and trench coats specially designed for their line of work.

Each of them was made of a ballistic polymer weave. Lightweight, high tensile strength, and five times as flexible as Kevlar, they were the standard for Interpol agents. It could stop bullets, blunt the damage of physical strikes, resist the elements, and even provide a limited degree of protection from energy attacks.

It was a closely guarded secret of their organization. If what Looker and Petrovic said was true, Interpol was more than willing to kill to keep it a secret. Ash hadn't understood at the time. With his life now in its hands, though? He finally got it.

He took a deep breath to brace himself… then vaulted over the top of the desk he'd hidden behind.

The sudden noise drew Gozu's attention. Gozu raised his rifle to fire just as Ash brought the flaps of his trench coat up to protect his face. The instant he did, a hail of gunfire struck him. His chest, stomach, arms, and even his thighs felt like they were being hit with rocks.

Despite the discomfort, however, not a single one got past his coat. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of him and struck the ground. The moment he heard Gozu's rifle click empty, Ash lowered his coat and snapped his revolver up.

Three shots rang out.

The first narrowly missed Gozu's skull, shattering an office window behind him. The second two struck him clean in the chest. He tumbled backwards over the back of a desk.

Not a single drop of blood was on the ground or walls.

Gozu must have been wearing a bulletproof vest.

He grabbed the back of a nearby office chair and fired his remaining three bullets through the desk. None of them struck true, but they did force Gozu to roll out of the way.

The criminal forced himself up out of cover, a pistol of his own in hand. Ash smashed him across the face with the wheels of the office chair. Gozu lost his grip on his pistol and stumbled backwards.

Ash leaped over the desk and hurled his empty revolver at Gozu. The Rocket had only just reoriented himself when Ash's revolver slammed into his face.

Wrapping his fingers around the pommel of his dagger, Ash thrust it towards Gozu's throat. The veteran dodged to the side and into Ash's guard. Large, calloused hands wrapped around his wrist and twisted at the same time as an elbow slammed into his jaw.

He grunted in pain and dropped his knife. Clutching his face, he stumbled backwards into the desk. The two seconds it took him to do that was enough for Gozu to snatch the blade off the ground.

His breath caught in his throat. Gozu rushed forward, slashing at Ash's neck. He dropped low, dodging the blade by a hair's breadth. His fist shot forward and slammed into Gozu's bladder, just above his groin.

Even high on adrenaline, the force of the blow was enough to leave Gozu stunned and stumbling backwards.

Ash stood up and reached behind him to grab the closest weapon on the desk he could find. A stapler. From the best weapon, but it would have to do.

For a moment, the two of them circled each other. Watching every minor movement they made. Waiting to see who would strike first. The instant Gozu's feet shifted on the ground, Ash unfolded his stapler.

Gozu leaped forward, thrusting his dagger towards Ash's neck. He dodged to the right, grabbing Gozu's wrist. When he tried to twist the older man's wrist and force him to drop the blade, he slammed his forehead into Ash's nose.

There was an audible crack, and a sharp pain, but Ash refused to let go. He seized the opening and lashed out with his stapler, slamming it repeatedly into Gozu's face.

The cries of pain were visceral. Gozu recoiled and practically ripped his arm out of Ash's hold. In the process, he slashed Ash clean across the chest and cut through his trench coat.

Ash hissed in pain and stumbled back. Reflexively, he brought his hand up to touch his wound and winced. He was lucky. The cut wasn't deep. If he'd been a second slower, that could have been the end of him.

Not that Gozu looked any better. His face was a complete mess. Bloody and bruised, he had staples jammed into his flesh and out the other side. One lucky blow had even forced a staple just below Gozu's one good eye, nearly taking it out altogether.

"Motherfucking bastard!" Gozu growled. "You're dead! You hear me!? Dead!"

He wasn't wrong. Ash had held his own well so far, but he knew it wouldn't last. Gozu was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. If he wanted to win this, he'd need to do something drastic. All he had to do was play on Gozu's rage…

And hope to any god listening that Looker's reinforcements got here before he bled out.

Ash took a deep breath and dashed forward, the stapler raised high in the air. Its trajectory would be obvious to a man like Gozu. As predicted, Gozu stepped into the attack and caught Ash's wrist, forcing it aside.

Just in time to slam the dagger into Ash's gut.

The air was forced from his lungs, and his eyes bulged. Even with adrenaline pumping through him, the pain was excruciating. He could hardly even think straight.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" Gozu dropped Ash's arm. "Once I'm done with you, I'll find the rest of your team and all your little friends. They'll get exactly what they deserve for helping you."

Ash mumbled something in response, too quiet to hear.

An arrogant laugh escaped Gozu as he leaned close. "What? Something to say?"

"Ah… I-I got you."

Gozu blinked. "What-"

Ash lashed out. His jaws wrapped around Gozu's jugular and bit down as hard as he could. Ash didn't register the foul taste of the blood filling his mouth. He didn't hear the tearing of the flesh. Stopping wasn't even a thought in his mind.

He needed to protect Alola.

He needed to protect his friends.

Nothing would stop him.

A pathetic gasp escaped Gozu. He let go of the blade buried in Ash's stomach and stumbled back, clutching his neck. It was useless, though. Ash had ripped out an artery. There was no stopping the inevitable.

Gozu collapsed to the ground, choking on a river of his own blood.

Ash spat the chunk of flesh in his mouth out. For a moment, he stared down at the body at his feet. Disgust warred with relief before quickly being overshadowed by worry. Were Pikachu and Bewear okay? Had Anabel and the others managed to repel the attack?

His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed next to Gozu. He released a shuddering breath. He couldn't worry about that. Not now.

Not when every fiber of his being told him to rip the dagger out of his stomach. The pain was excruciating, growing worse with every passing second. The only thing that stayed his hands was his training.

If he wanted any chance to survive, the dagger had to stay inside.

Ash grit his teeth and reached over to grab Gozu's hand. As he suspected, Kiawe's stolen Z-Ring had been taken as a trophy by the man. He wouldn't let it stay on the man any longer. One way or another, he was returning this to his old friend.

Once he'd ripped it from the limp hand of the corpses, Ash's vision began to blur and his eyes grew heavy. It was almost a relief that unconsciousness would claim him. At least this way, the pain wouldn't plague him anymore.

"I'm sorry, everyone." He whispered. "I guess I'm still not good enough…."