Chapter 28:
Gamma and Omega
Bealbeach City
When Serena arrived at Bealbeach City, she was expecting many things.
That she would win her third ribbon, and hopefully Ash would win his third badge. Both of which did happen, so no complaints about that there.
She also expected to say goodbye to Clemont. An inevitability, but one she had already been mentally preparing herself for.
She also expected to enjoy one of the beaches the city was famous for. Bask in the sun while having some ice cream, play in the water with Ash, Bonnie and her Pokemon, maybe finally muster the courage to tell Ash how she truly felt about him.
She wasn't expecting to have to fight a horde of frenzied, radioactive Pokemon. Or having to infiltrate a ruined power plant in order to rescue Bonnie from a gang of criminals. Or having to defend the city from a second, even larger horde of more berserker, radioactive Pokemon.
Fortunately for her and her companions, the Nuclear Pokemon proved to be just as fragile as those they fought at the island of the Nuclear Plant Epsilon. Unfortunately, though, they were proving to be without numbers as well. Still, they were making some progress, with Clemont and Lilia opening a path towards the store, and Serena defending their rear.
"Sylveon, Moonblast! Quetzoral, Drill Peck!" Serena ordered.
A few Nuclear Chyinmunk led by a couple Kinetmunk were blasted by a sphere of white and pink light, while Quetzoral sent a nearby Gligar crashing down by jabbing her spinning beak into the Fly Scorpion's Pokemon body.
"Well done!" Serena cheered.
"Coooooor!"
Unfortunately, her victory was short lived as new enemies took the place of previous ones, this time, a trio of Nuclear Corsola led by a Nuclear Corsoreef, who quickly fired Water Guns and Rock Slides at Sylveon and Quetzoral.
"Sylveon, Protect! Quetzoral, Razor Leaf from above!"
Sylveon created a green energy field around herself, blocking the barrage of water streams and falling rocks, while Quetzoral bombarded the Nuclear Pokemon with a barrage of sharp-edged leaves. The enemy Pokemon tried to move in order to dodge it, but one of the Corsolas wasn't fast enough and was knocked out by the super effective attack.
Meanwhile, Clemont and Lilia's Pokemon continued to fight on the front, against a number of enemies superior to those Serena had to deal with.
"Bunnelby, Wild Charge! Eevee, Iron Tail!" Clemont said.
While Eevee used his Steel-empowered tail to smack a few Nuclear Costraw around, Bunnelby's body was charged with electricity, and barreled towards a nearby Nuclear Baaschaf. Unfortunately, the Hard Horn Pokemon had seen the rabbit coming, as it generated claws of green glowing energy around its hands, similar to a Dragon Claw, but with the sickly shade of green of the Nuclear attacks.
"BAA!" Baaschaaf bleated, as it delivered a devastating swipe at Bunnelby, who was launched backwards while the electricity around his body was abruptly dispelled.
"Bunnelby!" Clemont cried upon seeing his Pokemon in pain.
"Ev?"
"Eary!"
Both Eevee and Buneary turned around and went to immediately assist Bunnelby. Eevee surprised the Nuclear Baaschaun with a Quick Attack, which was followed by Buneary's Power-Up Punch. Still, the two attacks weren't enough to take down the hard horn Pokemon, who looked even angrier right now.
"BAAA! BAAAA!" Baaschaf bleated, as it cupped its hands, forming a sphere of pure darkness, before thrusting its hands forward, the sphere exploding into a beam of the same color.
"Everybody, move!" Clemont shouted.
While Eevee dragged Bunnelby out of the Dark Pulse's way, Buneary remained in the path, looking at both the attack and the Pokemon that launched it with her defiant, beady eyes. The fluff of one of her ears began to shine with a light blue glow, as bits of ice and frost began to gather around it, before swinging it forward towards the incoming attack.
"Buneary, what are you doing!?" Lilia almost screamed.
Fortunately, it looked that Buneary's Ice Punch was able to withhold the Dark Pulse, which was split into smaller streams of dark energy. Eventually the Dark Pulse ceased, and Buneary was still there, if breathing heavily.
"Bu, bu..." the Rabbit Pokemon panted.
"Buneary, are you alright?" Lilia asked, looking at her main Pokemon with worried eyes.
There was a crackling noise, followed by Buneary's entire body glowing with a bluish white light, as she began to grow and change.
"Whoa! Buneary is evolving!" Clemont pointed out, as he and his Pokemon looked in awe.
Lilia was in awe as well, though she was snapped out of it when she saw the Nuclear Baaschaun charging at the still evolving Buneary through the corner of her eye. Fortunately, the bespectacled girl still had another Pokemon out that was fast enough to intervene.
"Hagoop, stop it with Sludge!" she ordered.
The Slime Worm Pokemon opened its mouth, releasing a wave of purple mud towards the charging Baaschaun, who was forced to use the attack it was preparing to use on Buneary in order to counter Hagoop's. However, this managed to buy a couple more seconds for Buneary to finish evolving.
"Lopunny!" the newly evolved Pokemon cried, as she took a battle stance.
"BAAA!"
It seemed the Baaschaf was still fixated on taking down Lopunny, as it charged once again, this time both its limbs glowing white, probably for a Fighting-type move.
"PUNNY!"
However, once the Hard Horn Pokemon was in range, she jumped and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to its face. Baaschaun's attack was canceled, and the poor Nuclear Pokemon was sent crashing facefirst against a nearby garage door. It then collapsed on the ground, and made no attempt to get back on its feet.
Lilia sighed in relief.
"Wow, that was a pretty strong Jump Kick!" Clemont praised, looking at the newly evolved Pokemon with no small amount of reverence.
"Lopunny must have learned it upon evolving. Great timing, because we're going to need every advantage we can get in order to beat these Nuclear Pokemon," Lilia added.
"Say, are you guys okay?" Serena asked, as she and Sylveon walked towards the duo.
"Thanks to a very timely evolution, we are," Lilia said, briefly drawing attention to her newly evolved Lopunny. "How long until the department store?"
"We turn that corner, and it should be there. Come on, we're almost there," Serena said.
Clemont and Lilia nodded, as the two of them as well as their Pokemon followed Serena. And just like the honey blonde had said, the towering building that was the Bealbeach City Department Store loomed over them. While only a few hours ago it was a shining building of spotless light metal and glass, it had now many marks of a battle going on both inside and outside, such as cracks, broken windows, busted pipes, and chunks of masonry missing.
And the noises and yells coming from the inside revealed that said battles were still going on, and that many innocents were in danger.
"Here we are. Let's-WHOA!"
Serena was interrupted by a powerful geyser suddenly blowing up a manhole cover less than a couple meters away from her. The group abruptly stopped their march and took a couple steps back, their Pokemon preparing for battle.
"Good grief, what now!?" Clemont whined.
When the geyser finally stopped, they could see a group of several Nuclear Pokemon in front of them, having emerged from the geyser, radiating aggression and killing intent. Too bad it failed to have an effect on the trio and their Pokemon, for one detail.
"KARP! KARP! MAGIKARP!"
These Nuclear Pokemon were Magikarp. Unfortunately for them, despite their mutation and new Nuclear-type, they were just as threatening as regular old Magikarp (that was, not much), and all they could do was flop helplessly towards the trio of trainers.
For their part, they could only stare dumbfoundedly at the Nuclear Magikarp flopping at them, doing nothing more dangerous than trying to splash them with sewer water. Lilia began to chuckle, followed by Serena, followed by Clemont, before they began to laugh.
"Oh boy, and here I was worried," Clemont laughed.
"Honestly, they look kind of comical," Serena added.
"I know, right? Thankfully these won't be much of an obstacle," Lilia said. "Come on, the store is right-"
There was a crackling sound, and one of the Magikarp began to glow with a vibrant emerald light. The three trainers paled as the Fish Pokemon quickly grew into the massive, serpentine shape of its evolved form, which cast a shadow over all of them.
"GYAAAAAA!" the newly evolved Nuclear Gyarados roared.
"Guys... I think that Magikarp didn't take well us not taking it as a threat..." Serena whimpered, as she shrunk under the eerie blank eyes of the Atrocious Pokemon.
In their terror-induced shock, they realized too late that Gyarados' large tail, coated in water, was moving towards them. The Aqua Tail hit both trainers and Pokemon, resulting in an explosion of water that blasted them backwards, scattering them around the street.
"G-Guys... are you..." Serena tried to get back on her feet, as she coughed the water she had inadvertently swallowed. Upon realizing that something was casting a large shadow over her, she looked up.
Much to her horror, she saw the Nuclear Gyarados towering over her, just before it lunged down with its jaws wide open. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"SYL!"
Luckily for Serena, Sylveon jumped in the way, using Protect in order to repel Gyarados' biting attack (likely a Crunch). Gyarados, however, was undeterred, as it continued attacking, punishing Sylveon's shield with constant head slams, until the Intertwining Pokemon couldn't hold it anymore and the barrier shattered, sending her crashing back against Serena.
"Oof!"
"Ve!"
And that moment, the Nuclear Gyarados opened its mouth wide, a glowing green liquid building up inside it, before spraying trainer and Pokemon with a noxious green shower.
"Syl!" reacting quickly, Sylveon wrapped her feelers around Serena's limbs and hurled her away, out of the Gyarados' attack's area of effect.
"SYLVEON, NO!"
However, Sylveon was unable to dodge the move herself, taking the brunt of the attack. Serena cringed in horror upon hearing the sizzling sound the green glowing liquid made, mixed with Sylveon's cries of pain, horror that only grew bigger upon seeing how the corrosive substance Gyarados had doused Sylveon with was eating the pavement away.
"I need to return Sylveon right now!" Serena said, as her trembling hands struggled to hold the empty pokeball. "Sylveon, re-"
Before Serena could return her Fairy-type, Gyarados sent her flying against her trainer once again with a powerful Aqua Tail. Sylveon didn't crash against Serena this time around, but it passed her close enough to graze Serena, knocking her off-balance and making her drop her pokeball, before the Intertwining Pokemon crashed against a wall, and finally dropped on the sidewalk.
"Sylveon!" Serena cried again, as she stumbled towards her battered Pokemon, as Gyarados slithered menacingly towards the two of them.
"Quet!"
Quetzoral dived from above, slamming into Gyarados's head with a powerful Drill Peck, and drawing the Nuclear Pokemon's attention away from her trainer.
"Bun!"
"Evui!"
Fortunately for Quetzoral, Clemont's two Pokemon rejoined the battle. Bunnelby, his body coated in yellow sparks, slammed against Gyarados' face, quickly followed by Eevee's Iron Tail. That was enough for the Atrocious Pokemon to forget about its two preys and switch targets.
"Serena!" Clemont said, as he and Lilia quickly rushed to her, the latter helping her wounded Lopunny walk while her Hagoop dragged behind. The two of them had some bruises and cuts all over their bodies, no doubt caused by the Gyarados' attack, while Lilia also had her glasses slightly cracked. Clemont picked Sylveon's pokeball on the ground and returned it to the honey blonde. "Are you okay?"
"Thank you," she said, as she was finally able to return her beaten Fairy-type. "I've been better, but I can go on."
"Sorry for not coming to your help earlier, that Aqua Tail got a lot out of us," Lilia said, as she helped Serena back on her feet.
"GYAAA!"
The trio turned to Gyarados, who breathed a stream of dark blue flames at Eevee and Bunnelby, an attack they identified as Dragon Rage. The former was able to jump in time, but the latter tripped and took the attack, but Bunnelby was too slow and was engulfed by the attack. Eevee then fired a Shadow Ball in order to force Gyarados to cancel the attack and save his partner. His goal was successful, but once the flames dispelled, the Digging Pokemon laid there, motionless.
"Bunnelby!" Clemont cried.
"Lop!" Lopunny shouted as well.
"I was saving Luxray for later, but there's no way Eevee and Quetzoral alone can defeat that Pokemon on their own," Clemont said, grabbing Luxray's pokeball with a shaky hand. "Luxray-"
Before Clemont could call his strongest Pokemon, there was a crackling sound, and Eevee began to glow. His body first shone with the bluish white light, which quickly turned bright green, the same shade the Nuclear Magikarp took before evolving. Eevee then began to grow and change his form. The three humans tried to discern what Eevee was evolving into, but the shape Eevee was taking wasn't something neither trainer could recall.
And indeed, once the evolution was complete, a Pokemon none of them had seen before laid before their eyes.
"What... what kind of Pokemon is that?" Clemont almost shouted, adjusting his glasses.
The Pokemon in front of them looked similar to other Eevelutions, only its body was bright gray with a white underbelly, green feet, and three blue eyes on his face. Curiously, that wasn't the most striking part of the Pokemon, but the six metal-like triangles that floated next to his body: two of them above his head mimicking ears, another on his rear making it look like a tail, and three of them floating around a small, round green orb on his chest, looking like the radiation symbol.
"NUCLEON!" he yelled, his voice sounding somewhat mechanical and distorted.
"Nu...Nucleon? That's your name?" Clemont asked.
"Clemont... that looks like a Nuclear Pokemon..." Lilia whimpered, as she latched onto the boy's arm.
A knot formed on Serena's stomach as an idea of what this Pokemon was formed in her mind. Wordlessly, she pulled out her pokedex and scanned the new Eevelution.
"Nucleon, the Atomic Pokemon, and one of Eevee's multiple evolutions. Nuclear. Nucleon is one of the few non-feral Nuclear Pokémon. It's theorized that its bond with its trainer when it was an Eevee allows it to stay in control." the Pokedex explained.
"GYAAA!"
The Nuclear Gyarados wasn't fazed by Eevee's evolution, and, interestingly enough, it didn't see Nucleon as one of its allies now, given that it tried to chomp him between its jaws. Thankfully, Nucleon managed to jump in time.
"Nu, nucleon!" he yelled, as the orb on his chest began to shine with a shimmering green light, firing an energy beam of the same color that formed a spiraling pattern as it moved. Despite clearly being a Nuclear attack, the move caused enough damage to Gyarados in order to make it cry in pain and recoil.
"Hagoop, Shockwave!" Lilia called.
"Quetzoral, Energy Ball!" Serena followed.
The Slime Worm Pokemon's body began to crackle with yellow sparks, as it sent a barrage of electrical bolts of the same color towards the Nuclear Pokemon, as Quetzoral formed a green sphere of energy in front of her beak, before launching it at the Atrocious Pokemon.
The two super effective attacks connected, intensifying Gyarados' roars of pain, until it couldn't take it anymore, and collapsed on the ground with a loud boom, unable to remain conscious.
With the Nuclear behemoth defeated, and no more Nuclear Pokemon outside the store other than the Magikarp, the trio allowed themselves to relax. Lilia let out a huge sigh of relief, while Clemont finally returned the defeated Bunnelby.
"Thank goodness..." the bespectacled girl said.
"To think that Ash was called to fight one on his own..." Serena said, a worry for her friend and crush began to creep up her back. "Especially since he can't rely on Pikachu to battle for the time being."
"Ash is a very strong trainer, and he still has Greninja. He will be fine," Clemont said. That moment, his pokegear began to ring. Looking at the screen, the blond raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, he's calling right now. Hey there, Ash."
"Clemont!" Ash said upon appearing on the small screen. "I have a small problem here. The Nuclear Gyarados is accounted for, but I found several Team Omega thugs snatching Nuclear Pokemon!"
"What!?" Clemont shouted.
"Team Omega? The same criminals you fought on the abandoned plant?" Lilia asked.
"We have to stop them from leaving with the Nuclear Pokemon, but I could use some help. Can any of you come here and lend me a hand?" he asked.
Clemont, Lilia and Serena looked at each other, as if silently debating which one of them should go to help Ash, that's it, if they could afford to leave.
"Clemont, you better go and help Ash. Lilia and I will take care of the Department Store," Serena said, taking the decision herself.
"Are you sure?" Clemont asked.
"Yes. Go and help Ash," it was Lilia who answered. "Serena might have lost Sylveon, but she still has most of her Pokemon, as do I. We will be fine."
"I'm not happy with leaving the two of you here on your own, but if Ash needs my help..." Clemont said, before turning at the pokegear again. "Ash, I'm coming for you. Make sure you have your GPS signal active so I can track you!"
"It should be on since I never switch it off," Ash replied. "Anyway, I'm going to face those Team Omega goons right now. See you here!"
The call ended, and the pokegear's screen returned to the main menu. Clemont sighed, this time not out of relief, but of exhaustion for the troubles ahead of him.
"As if the Nuclear Pokemon attacking the city wasn't enough... I better get going. Nucleon, return!" Clemont said, returning his second Nuclear Pokemon to his pokeball. As he began to run away from the department store, he turned back one last time to say: "Be careful!"
"Don't worry, we will!" Lilia assured him.
"Come on, let's see if the people inside the department store need our help," Serena said, as she began to run towards the aforementioned place. Lilia nodded and followed her.
"KARP!"
Two more crackling noises made the two girls stop on their tracks, and much to their mounting horror, they saw not one, but two Nuclear Magikarp evolving again.
"This has to be a freaking joke!" Lilia shouted.
"If just one gave us so much trouble... what are we going to do against two, and without Clemont?" Serena asked, taking a step back, shrinking under the Gyarados' terrifying glare.
The Gyarados loomed over the two girls, ready to attack. But suddenly...
"Gyarados, Bounce!" they heard a familiar voice say.
...a Mega Gyarados descended from the sky, its shadow covering the two Nuclear Pokemon, before it landed on top of them, crushing them under its weight, opening a crater on the spot and causing a small tremor. The hit was so brutal, the two Nuclear Gyarados were knocked out on the spot. Serena and Lilia could see that there was a blue haired woman riding on Gyarados' head.
"You okay, girls?"
"Cali!" Serena squealed in joy upon seeing the city's Gym Leader.
"Yeah, we're okay," Lilia replied. "Thank goodness you showed up. The idea of having to fight those two Nuclear Gyarados..."
"Of course! This is my city, what kind of Gym Leader would I be if I didn't help defend it?" Cali asked. "Say, have you seen more of those nuclear nasties?"
"The Rangers said that there were some of them inside the department store. We were going to help the people inside drive them out," Serena said.
Cali looked at the building in question, and her brow furrowed. "I'm afraid this little fella is too big to enter that place, so I can't help you there," Cali said, patting her Gyarados. "Still, I'm sure I can find plenty of things to do around the city."
"Don't worry, I don't think there will be more Gyarados inside," Lilia said. "If that was the case, we would have seen them already."
"Still, unless I'm needed elsewhere, I'm going to stay around this area to make sure no more of those creeps enter the building," Cali told them.
"Once again, thanks for the save, Cali. Come on Lilia, let's go!" she said, leading the taller girl to the department store.
…
"Drillgan, Drill Run!" a Team Omega grunt yelled.
"Zangoose, Crush Claw!" her partner shouted.
"Tank that Drill Run with Protect, Frosulo!" Ash said. "And Dunsparce, Rollout on Zangoose!"
The Team Omega grunt's Drilgann launched itself forward, its whole body spinning like a living drill, while Frosulo's eyes glowed green creating an energy barrier of the same color around himself. The Drill Run slammed against the shield but failed to cause any harm, knocking Drilgann backwards, while Dunsparce's spinning body slammed against the Cat Ferret pokemon, hurling it backwards.
"Now, Powder Snow!" Ash followed. "And Dunsparce, Poison Jab!"
"Fro!" Frosulo chirped, as he blew a small snowstorm at the Ground and Dark-type Pokemon, who cried in pain as the attack covered it in snow and frost.
"Parce!" Dunsparce cried, stabbing his poison-coated drill tail into Zangoose's side, knocking it out for good.
"Well done, Dunsparce! Now, Frosulo, finish with Signal Beam!" Ash said.
Frosulo fired a rainbow colored energy beam at the half frozen Drill Pokemon. While Davern's Drilgann would still have plenty of fight left, this Pokemon was nowhere near resilient as the ace of a Gym Leader, and was quickly knocked out.
"What the... what's with this kid!?" the female grunt asked, as she returned her defeated Drilgann, while reading the numbers displayed in her visor. "The power of those Pokemon is just ridiculous!"
"I think I know who this guy is! It's Ash Ketchum, the brat that has been disrupting our operations alongside his friends!" her partner replied.
"Exactly," Ash said, walking towards them. "And if you think you're going to take advantage of this catastrophe to bag a few Nuclear Pokemon, you'll have another thing coming!"
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu yelled for added emphasis.
"You might be strong on your own, but there's no way you'll be able to take on all of us!" the female grunt yelled, as she tapped the communicator on her helmet. "Attention everyone, Ash Ketchum is here! And if he's here, the other brats can't be too far! Spread the word! Make sure this message reaches captains Alina and Anika!"
And with that, the pair of grunts turned around and ran away, disappearing from the Kantonian trainer's sight. Ash would have loved nothing more than to apprehend them and have the Rangers lock them behind bars, but neither he nor the Rangers had the time nor the Pokemon to spare in order to bring small-time crooks to justice, not with an horde of Nuclear Pokemon wreaking destruction across the city.
He opened his pokegear and checked the GPS function; Clemont was moving towards him, going much faster than his usual running speed. Maybe a Ranger was giving him a ride? Still, given his current position it would be between five to ten minutes until Clemont would reach him. Perfect. In that time, he could track another group of Team Omega grunts, and with Clemont's help, they would teach those criminals a lesson even faster.
"Time to move. Dunsparce, Frosulo, return!" Ash said, recalling the Land Snake and the Ice Crystal Pokemon, before grabbing a third pokeball and tossing it forward. "Aveden, I choose you!"
"Av, ave!" the Bliss Bird Pokemon cawed upon being released.
"Alright Aveden, see if you can find more of those Team Omega thugs!"
Aveden nodded, and took off into the sky in order to gain enough altitude. He then flew in circles for about a minute and a half before he returned to Ash with his findings.
"Av, den, ave, aveden!" the bluebird cawed.
Ash nodded. "Good! Lead on!"
Ash and Pikachu followed Aveden through the mostly empty streets, with only the occasional Nuclear Pokemon jumping their way, before being quickly dispatched by the Normal and Flying-type Pokemon.
"Ash!" a familiar voice said.
Looking in the direction of the voice, Ash saw Clemont, riding on his Luxray as if it was a steed, explaining how he was able to reach him so fast.
"Clemont!" Ash replied. "I'm glad you could make it. Aveden just found another group of Team Omega thugs in dire need to be taken down, not far away from here."
"Good. Let's go. Thanks for carrying me, Luxray. Take some rest," Clemont said, returning his strongest Pokemon to his pokeball.
The two teens followed Aveden towards the east side of the city, more specifically, towards one of its ports. The port of the east zone was nowhere near as big as the one in the north side, where Lilia had picked them up a couple days ago in her yacht. Still, once they entered the port, they realized what Team Omega might have to do with them.
"Come on, move faster! We still have more than half the cargo to load!" a voice yelled.
Once they got there, Ash and Clemont saw about a dozen or so of Team Omega grunts gathered around a large submarine that was docked on the port. They were slowly loading metal cages containing Nuclear Pokemon inside it, while others kept watch, their Pokemon already out.
Making sure they weren't seen, Ash and Clemont quickly hid behind a large metal container, the two of them peeking behind it, and assessing the situation.
"There are quite a few of them," Clemont observed. "Do you think we'll be able to take them down just between the two of us?"
"We have done that before. Remember how easily we plowed through that base in Kevlar Town?" Ash reminded Clemont. "If there's one of the big shots like that Zebos guy or the twin sisters, then I'd be worried."
"Maybe they are inside the submarine," the Kalosian teen suggested.
"In that case, let's use that to our advantage, and bring down the ones out here first," Ash said, as he grabbed a pokeball. "Are you ready, Clemont?"
The blond teen nodded, steeling himself as he grabbed a pokeball as well.
"Greninja, I choose you!"
"Geigeroach, come out!"
…
When Serena, followed by Lilia, entered the department store lobby, she was surprised to see how little it looked like it did the morning on that very same day. Just like the streets above, there were many signs of fighting, such as burnt marks, cracked walls and floor tiles, broken glasses and pieces of metal and plastic scattered all over the floor, and even some small fires going on.
Their presence didn't go unnoticed, since the moment they entered the lobby, several Nuclear Pokemon –a couple Chyinmunk, a Baaschaf and an Ekans– and made their own presence known by jumping seemingly out of nowhere, and prowled towards the two girls, their intentions being evident.
Not that the girls were going to let them.
"Braixen, go!" As Serena tossed her pokeball forward, it opened, releasing her very first Pokemon. The moment she saw the foes in front of her, she immediately ignited her wand. "Braixen, Hidden Power!"
"Hagoop, Shockwave!" Lilia ordered.
Seemingly sensing their aggression, the Nuclear Pokemon charged forward, each letting out deranged growls and cries. Unfortunately, in their frenzied state they could only think in mindlessly pouncing on their enemies, and quickly fell prey to the barrage of rainbow colored orbs and homing electrical bolts.
"Well, a few less. There are still probably a lot of them," Lilia observed. She began to look around, as if assessing the situation. "This place is pretty big. What should we do next?"
"Maybe we should try to split up in order to cover more ground," Serena suggested. "Each floor is pretty big. Say, how about if I take the east wing, you take the west wing, and we work our way up to the highest floor?"
"Sounds like a plan. Come on Lopunny, Hagoop!" Lilia said, as she headed in the direction Serena had suggested. "Be careful! And don't forget to avoid the elevator! Use the stairs instead!"
"You too! Come on Braixen!" Serena said.
Trainer and Pokemon headed towards the east wing of the lobby. She hadn't spent that much time here, but she remembered some fast food restaurants there. While she found some Nuclear Pokemon wandering the area –which were quickly dispatched by her loyal starter– Serena didn't find anybody there. She deduced that, if there were people on the lowest floor when the Nuclear Pokemon invaded, they would have felt as soon as possible.
"Hello? Is there anybody there?" Serena asked.
"Brai, braixen!" her Pokemon cried as well.
But no human replied back, only Nuclear Pokemon that were drawn to her voice, which, in a way, filled her with hope that most people here had already left.
When Serena entered a fast food restaurant that specialized in spicy food, she saw a pair of Nuclear Owten eating something on the counter.
"Hey! Do you have money to pay for that?" Serena mock-asked.
"Ow! Owteeeen!" the Nuclear Owten screeched, before turning at Serena and Braixen, glaring at them with their eerie blank eyes.
"Braixen, Psybeam!"
As a pair of Owten dived at them, Braixen's eyes glowed with a swirl of multiple colors, before they fired an energy beam of the same colors. The Nuclear Owten went down before they were even able to get close to either trainer or Pokemon.
"Well done," Serena said, before she began to look around. "It seems that there are no more threats in this area. I can still hear yells and sounds of battle coming from above. Come on, let's go!"
Following Lilia's advice, Serena and Braixen took the stairs, and running as fast as they could, they climbed towards the first floor.
"They're breaking through!"
It didn't take them long to find somebody in need of help. Some people had taken shelter in a store and had barricaded the entrance. Some Nuclear Pokemon, a bunch of Tancoon that showed a worrying amount of persistence, were trying to take down the door by slamming against it repeatedly.
"Braixen, Flamethrower!"
The Fox Pokemon aimed her wand at the two unsuspecting Nuclear-types, before firing a stream of flames at them. The Tancoon had been so focused on the humans barricading themselves inside the store that they didn't notice the new enemy until they were engulfed by the flames. High pitched cries and whines filled the air as the flames knocked them out.
"Huh? What's going on there?" the voice of a woman asked.
"Don't worry, it's fine now! My Pokemon knocked out those Nuclear Pokemon. The way to the exit is clear!" Serena assured.
"Are... are you serious?" a male voice asked.
"Completely serious! It's safe now!" Serena insisted. "Though, you better leave now, I don't know if more Nuclear Pokemon may come our way!"
Serena could hear some noises as people undid the barricade that blocked the store's door, before it opened a bit. The honey blonde saw a bald man fearfully peeking from the crack. Upon seeing Serena, he dared to open the door completely, and looked around. His eyes grew wide upon seeing the group of Nuclear Tancoon, unconscious and burnt.
"It's true! This girl has saved us!" the man cheered.
"Oh thank you! May the Twin Gods repay you for this!" a woman said.
"You can thank me later! Now I need you to leave!" Serena urged them.
Thankfully, they listened to her and exited the store, keeping a speedy pace but still looking around to see if there were anymore Nuclear Pokemon to worry about. Once they were finally out of sight, Serena and Braixen continued to search for more Nuclear Pokemon to neutralize, and most importantly, more people to save.
The people of the store were far from the only ones that needed some help. Next to a stand that sold coconut milk milkshakes she found a girl about a year or two older than Bonnie, shielding her little brother with her body, while directing her Pokemon, an Owten, in a losing fight against a couple of Nuclear Chyinmunk.
"Braixen, Hidden Power!"
The multicolored orbs struck the pair of Chipmunk Pokemon squaredly, and like the Tancoon before, they instantly fell before the power of the Kalosian Fire-type. The kids gasped upon the sudden intromission, but looked at Serena and Braixen with joy in their eyes.
"Come on, you need to leave here! Take the stairs down to the lobby! There shouldn't be any more Nuclear Pokemon there!" Serena directed them.
"T-thank you miss! Come on Rory! Owten, let's go!" the girl said, grabbing her little brother's hand and running away, her Pokemon flying behind.
Other people Serena helped were an old man being chased by a Nuclear Ekans, and a woman and her daughter being attacked by a trio of Nuclear Gligar. All of them fell quickly before Braixen's power.
"It doesn't look like there are anymore people in need of help here. Time to go to the next floor!" Serena declared.
Finding a set of stairs, the honey blonde and the Fox Pokemon climbed towards the next floor. Sadly, more yells, screams, cries, slams and crashing sounds could be heard, meaning that they were far from clear.
"HEEEEEEEELP!" a trio of young teenage girls screamed, as they were chased by a flock of Nuclear Owten.
"Braixen, Flamethrower!"
A well-aimed stream of fire managed to knock the Normal and Nuclear-type Pokemon out, saving the trio of teenagers.
"Get out of here, now! Go down the stairs, avoid the elevator!" Serena told them.
The trio of girls, still trembling with terror, merely nodded and ran past her, towards the exit. Once they were out of sight, and presumably safe, Serena looked for her next target.
"Come on Braixen, we must-"
"SHAAAABAK!"
A loud hiss of an Arbok was followed by an equally loud crash of a glass cracking, as a Nuclear Arbok burst from a cloth store's store window, sending bits of glass and pieces of fabric everywhere, and slamming into Braixen, the Fox Pokemon clearly not expecting such a sudden attack, while Serena was knocked backwards.
"BRAAAAAAIX!" Braixen cried, as she was being launched sideways.
"Braixen!" Serena said, as she quickly tried to get up, wincing as some bits of glass dug into her skin. The honey blonde watched in horror how the Nuclear Arbok coiled its body around her oldest companion. She stumbled to grab another pokeball. "Selkid, help her!"
The pokeball opened, and from a burst of light, Serena's first Tandorian Pokemon emerged. Seeing what was going on, and the state her teammate was in, Selkid didn't wait for Serena's orders, and quickly prepared a Water Pulse between her small hands.
"Seeeeel-KID!"
The Sea Nymph Pokemon thrust her hands forward, shooting the orb of water at the Nuclear Pokemon, hitting it squarely without a single drop of water landing on Braixen. Arbok hissed in pain, loosening its hold on Braixen. The Fox Pokemon was able to slip her wand arm out and cast a small stream of flames at Arbok's face, forcing the Cobra Pokemon to release her completely. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the Nuclear Pokemon to cease her attack, it instead caused the Arbok to switch tactics, as its tail was coated in a sickly purple glow before it slammed onto Braixen.
"B-Brai!" Braixen cried, as she reeled from the powerful Poison Tail.
"Ekans!" a new voice hissed from behind.
"Oh, what now?" Serena asked, turned around, and much to her horror, she saw a trio of Nuclear Ekans slithering towards her.
"S-Sel?" Selkid asked, looking back and forth between Serena and Braixen, almost wondering who to help.
Serena took that decision for her. "Help Braixen! Don't worry about me, I still have more Pokemon! Pancham-"
"Graveler, Thunderbolt! Vaporeon, Bubble Beam!" a new, feminine voice called.
"Grav!"
"Vapo!"
The three Ekans that were stalking towards Serena were zapped into unconsciousness by a powerful lightning bolt coming from a Pokemon that Serena identified as a Graveler, but didn't look like any Graveler she had seen before, this one having a more silvery look to its body, with some golden nuggets growing around it, as well as thick eyebrows made of jet black stone.
The Nuclear Arbok was also pelted by a barrage of explosive bubbles fired from the mouth of a nearby Vaporeon, which pushed it away from Braixen and Selkid, but it wasn't enough to knock it out. Of course, Serena could put an easy fix to that.
"Braixen, Fire Blast! Selkid, Hyper-voice!"
Braixen aimed her wand at the reeling Arbok, producing a massive torrent of flames that took the shape of a star as it flew towards the Cobra Pokemon, while Selkid let out a sonic scream from her mouth. Arbok was unable to dodge, and the two attacks found their mark, resulting in a large, noisy explosion. When the resulting smoke vanished the Nuclear Arbok laid there, lying against the ground, fainted.
Seeing that the danger was over for the time being, Serena allowed herself to sigh in relief, her two Pokemon doing the same.
"Hey, are you okay?" the same voice from before said.
Serena then realized that there was another girl, around the same age as the Moki twins, walking towards her, the Vaporeon and the weird looking Graveler walking behind her. A girl with dark skin and long hair styled in dreadlocks that Serena had already seen before, though this was the first time the two of them traded words.
"I could have been much worse if it wasn't for you, so thanks a lot there," Serena told her.
"No problem. You looked like you were in a pickle, so I lent you a hand," the girl said, smiling brightly. "By the way, my name is-"
"Leona," Serena interrupted her. Before the girl could ask how Serena knew her name, she added: "You won that raffle for the luxury cruise tickets."
"Oh, right, I did, didn't I?" she giggled.
"By the way, my name is Serena. Nice to meet you, and once again, thanks a lot for your help," Serena said. She was tempted to ask about that Graveler, but felt it wasn't the most appropriate time to do so.
"You're welcome. Though, what in the Tapus' name is going on here?" Leona said, waving her arms around the destruction no doubt caused by the Nuclear Pokemon. "What are those weird looking Pokemon? Why are they so aggressive?"
"They're Nuclear Pokemon. They used to be normal Pokemon, but radiation exposure changed them into what they're now. And unfortunately, it wasn't only their bodies that got changed, their minds were also warped and twisted so much they can only feel rage and confusion," Serena explained.
"That... sounds pretty off the wall. How do you know that?" Leona asked.
"It's a pretty long story, one I'll be happy to share with you once we make sure everybody still in the mall can safely leave," Serena said.
"Understood," Leona said, willing to put the discussion on hold. She then turned towards her Pokemon. "Come on guys, let's help Serena evacuate the people here!"
Alongside her new unexpected alley, Serena continued her quest to clear her side of the department store of Nuclear Pokemon and help people in danger.
…
"Greninja, Night Slash!" Ash ordered.
"Geigeroach, Sludge Bomb!" Clemont followed.
"Gre!"
"Roach!"
Greninja delivered a wide swipe with a sword made of pure darkness, pushing backwards and knocking out of combat at the same time a Gligar, a Felunge and a Palih, while Geigeroach fired a glob of purple grime against a Nimflora, resulting in a blast of sludge that knocked it out as well.
"Our Pokemon... defeated so easily!" a Team Omega grunt lamented.
"How are these kids so powerful!" a female grunt said.
"Last warning. Surrender peacefully now. I don't want to hurt more Pokemon, even if they work for criminals like you, but Clemont and I will fight as many as necessary!" Ash stated.
"Pika!"
"Ninja!"
As some of the grunts returned their defeated Pokemon, the remaining ones debated over if fighting the two intruders, surrender, run away, or maybe something else.
"That's enough," a new voice said.
Everybody turned towards the direction of the new voice, as Alina and Anika, the Team Omega captains Ash and Clemont had seen at the abandoned plant, appeared from behind a large metal container.
"We can't even leave you alone for a second, can we?" Alina, the teal haired sister, said with a dramatic sigh.
"You shouldn't have your hopes high when it comes to these fuckwits," Anika, the maroon haired sister, replied. "We don't even pay them minimum wage, and I still think we're paying them too much."
"H-Hey...!" a grunt weakly protested.
"Ignore my dear sister's comments, people. You know we value how much you contribute to Team Omega," Alina said with her usual flair. She then looked at the pair of teenagers. "But I'm afraid that this job is a little too big for you. Anika and I will take care of them."
"You load the rest of the cargo onto the submarine, and depart once you're done," Anika said, as she tapped her eyepiece. The gadget beeped to life as numbers flashed on its screen. "HOLY FUCK! No wonder that Greninja was wiping the floor with our men! Check out these numbers!"
Alina mimicked her sister's actions, and scanned Greninja with her eyepiece. "Seven hundred. Way above average."
"You still think you can measure a Pokemon's power and potential with mere numbers?" Ash asked.
"Why yes, of course," Alina replied, as if it was an obvious question. "Not all Pokemon are equal, some are stronger than others, and those who dispute this fact are deluding themselves."
"That other Pokemon is pretty strong too, almost five hundred, and... is that a Nuclear Pokemon!?" Anika asked loudly. "How the fuck did you manage to make it obey you!?"
"We can wonder about that later, dear sister," Alina said, pulling out a pokeball. "Now, it's time for violence. To battle, Praseopunk!"
"Make it hurt, Neopunk!" Anika said, tossing a pokeball forward as well.
The two capture device opened at once, and from each of them emerged Pokemon with truly bizarre appearance: they both looked like ghosts, one of them green and the other pink, with what appeared to be pieces of a robot, mostly a chest and a head with a single visor for eye, inside them as if they were their skeletons.
The two of them also had a pair of metallic collars that didn't look like it was part of their bodies. Especially because said collars had a red Omega symbol on them.
"What kind of Pokemon are those?" Ash asked, quickly pulling out his Pokedex, hoping to get some information that would make the battle easier.
"Praseopunk, the Twin Pokemon. Electric/Psychic. A mysterious life-form that emerged one day out of a computer. When it unites with its twin, its powers multiply in strength.
"Neopunk, the Twin Pokemon. Electric/Psychic. A highly intelligent Pokémon capable of traveling through cyberspace. Found in pairs alongside its twin, Praseopunk."
"So they are stronger when they are together..." Ash said, as he watched yellow sparks jumping back and forth between the Twin Pokemon.
"Ash, I know that ability! It's Plus and Minus!" Clemont said in realization.
"Very clever, four eyes," Anika cackled. "You better give up, brats. My sister and I are the greatest tag team in this sorry region! Broken Greninja or not, you have no chances against us!"
"Especially once we tip the scale in our favor even further by doing THIS!" Alina said, pulling out a remote and pressing a button. "Personal Shield Generator, activate!"
The Omega symbols on the Twin Pokemon's collars began to glow as the gadgets hummed to life. An orange honeycomb barrier flashed for a second around the two Electric and Psychic-type Pokemon before vanishing, much to Ash and Clemont's concern.
"Another of your gadgets to 'improve' a Pokemon?" Ash asked. "Do you trust your Pokemon so little that you need to attach those trinkets to them?"
"We trust in nothing but absolute victory, you snot-nosed brat! Neopunk, Energy Ball!" Anika ordered.
"Praseopunk, Thunder Punch!" Alina followed.
Letting out a cry that sounded like a distorted song mixed with static, the pink Twin Pokemon formed an emerald glowing orb of power between its ghostly hands before launching it at Greninja, while its green counterpart curled one of its hands into a fist and coated it in yellow electricity as it dived towards Geigeroach.
"Greninja, parry that Energy Ball with Aerial Ace, then attack with Night Slash!"
"Geigeroach, Half-Life!" Clemont ordered.
Greninja dashed towards the incoming Grass-type missile, his arms shining white, and with an upwards swipe, the move was destroyed, bursting into thousand green sparkles. As the light from Greninja's arms disappeared, a sword of glowing purple power formed on his right hand, and went to strike the Twin Pokemon.
Meanwhile, Geigeroach's eyes began to shimmer with a bright green glow, as they fired a stream of glowing rings of the same color at the incoming attacker.
The sisters smirked, and soon Ash and Clemont found out why: the moment Geigeroach's attack reached Praseopunk, the same honeycomb orange barrier appeared around the Twin Pokemon, shielding it from the attack. The same thing happened to Neopunk, the energy barrier around it repelling Greninja's Night Slash, much to the frog's surprise.
"Energy Ball again, Neopunk!" Anika ordered.
As fast as it could, Neopunk let out a metallic screech before it formed another Energy Ball and launched it at Greninja, the Ninja Pokemon being wide open from the failed attack. This time, the orb of power connected, just as Praseopunk's electrified punch slammed into Geigeroach's face, sending both Pokemon reeling backwards.
"What the... why did our attacks not land?" Ash asked, as a mix of anger and confusion swirled inside him.
"What do you think, dumbass? That's thanks to the Personal Shield Generator!" Anika shouted. "As long as they're active, our Pokemon are untouchable!"
"It combines the power of Reflect and Light Screen, and multiplies them several times over," Alina continued the explanation. "And unlike the Muscular Enhancer, they have no effect on the wearer itself, so don't think you're going to defeat us the same way you defeated that idiot Zebos."
"One way or another, we will defeat you! There's no way we're going to let you harm anymore people or Pokemon! Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash ordered.
Greninja formed a four pointed star of water on each hand, before tossing them at both the Twin Pokemon. The sisters didn't issue any order, and their Pokemon made no attempt to move. The attacks landed, but the result was the same, the barriers blocking the attack.
"Didn't you hear us? No matter how much you attack, our Pokemon are in no danger of being hurt," Alina said, shaking her head. "Praseopunk, Instant Crush!"
The green Twin Pokemon held out a ghostly hand which began to glow with pink energy, and curled its fingers as if it was holding something between them. The same glow appeared around Geigeroach's neck, which was then lifted off the ground.
"Geigeroach!" Clemont cried.
"Gei! Geige! Gei!" the Radroach Pokemon buzzed, as it trashed wildly, trying to break the psychic hold. "Roach!"
Geigeroach fired a Sludge Bomb, but once again, it uselessly crashed against the protective shield, spreading it with grime that slowly dripped down the energy barrier.
"And Neopunk, Get Lucky!" Anika ordered.
The pink Twin Pokemon formed a glowing orb of energy of the same color between its hands, before thrusting them forward, releasing the energy in the form of a beam surrounded by faint yellow rings.
"Greninja, intercept it!" Ash ordered.
"Gre!"
In a fraction of a second, a blue blur dashed across the makeshift battlefield, and appeared between Geigeroach and Neopunk's attack, shielding the Bug and Nuclear Pokemon with his own body, which thankfully didn't suffer any harm thanks to his type immunity.
"Now, Night Slash on Praseopunk!"
This time, Greninja formed a sword of darkness on each hand, and dashed towards the green Twin Pokemon. Greninja delivered a series of slashes from many directions, vertical, diagonal, upwards, downwards... and none of them managed to bypass the frustratingly resistant barrier.
"Praseopunk, Thunder Punch!" Alina ordered.
The Electric and Psychic-type Pokemon canceled its telekinetic stranglehold on Geigeroach, much to the Radroach's Pokemon's relief, and curling its hand into an electricity coated fist, it delivered a brutal punch to Greninja's face, producing a blast of electricity when it connected, sending the Ninja Pokemon tumbling backwards.
"Greninja!" Ash cried. Growing increasingly frustrated with the course of the battle, he then crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Alright, if that's what you want, then let's go all out! Come on Greninja-"
"Ash, wait!" Clemont said, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, interrupting the Pallet Town native from activating Battle Bond. "Even if Greninja becomes more powerful, I doubt we will be able to pierce those barriers. We already tried attacking them, and so far they don't even show signs of breaking."
"Then what do you suggest?" Ash replied.
"This isn't a battle that can be won with mere power. If direct attacks won't work, then we'll need to attack in a more indirect manner," Clemont asked. "Though, none of my Pokemon know moves like that..."
"Think all you want, it will be useless! Praseopunk, Dazzling Gleam!" Alina ordered.
"Neopunk, Discharge!" Anika shouted.
Praseopunk's green ghostly body began to shimmer with the colors of the rainbow, before releasing a barrage of energy blasts of the same color in a wide arc towards Greninja and Geigeroach. Its pink twin, meanwhile, coated itself in yellow electricity, before firing it in the form of a multitude of lightning bolts.
"Geigeroach, use Sludge Bomb around yourself!" Clemont ordered.
"Greninja, Double Team!" Ash ordered as well.
As multiple Greninja copies suddenly appeared around the pier, Geigeroach spat a torrent of purple grime in the form of a wave, as he spun around himself in order to create a makeshift shield that protected him from both the electric bolts and the rainbow colored energy blasts. The two attacks dispelled most of the illusory dopplegangers, but the real one was able to avoid being hit by them.
"Greninja, use... use..." Ash began, before trailing off.
Now it was time for a counterattack. But, what could they do? As much as he hated to admit it, those detestable women were right; nothing they could throw at them could ever make a dent on those energy barriers. He squeezed his brain for an answer. What else could he do that he hadn't done yet?
"Wait a minute..." Ash said, as he noticed that Prasepunk's shield was still visible, and had been since Geigeroach used that desperate Sludge Bomb. He could see some drops of purple grime on it.
Then, an idea dawned upon him. Greninja still knew another move Ash hadn't ordered him to use, a move Ash still needed to remind himself Greninja knew due how new it was. And while at first it might not look like anything different, the attack's additional effect might be able to give them some edge.
"Greninja, use Ice Beam!" Ash ordered.
"Ninja!" Greninja cried affirmatively, as he leapt on top of a nearby metal container, as an orb of freezing power formed between his webbed hands. Thrusting his hands downwards, the orb exploded into a bluish white beam that barreled towards Neopunk. And just before the attack could hit the pink Twin Pokemon, the Personal Shield Generator stopped the attack with an orange honeycomb barrier.
"No matter what you do, you won't be able to pierce our barriers! Just give up already!" Anika boasted.
"I'm afraid those two words aren't in my vocabulary!" Ash said, a smirk gracing his lips as his frustration slowly faded away into confidence and resolution.
As Greninja kept channeling the attack, frost and ice began to spread around the shield, quickly encasing Neopunk inside a sphere of solid ice.
"What... what the actual fuck!?" the maroon haired sister yelled.
"Good idea, Ash! Maybe we can't harm them directly, but they won't be able to fight if it's encased inside a block of ice!" Clemont said, jubilant.
"Praseopunk, quickly, break that ice with Thunder Punch!" Alina urged.
"Not so fast! Geigeroach, Sludge Bomb on Prasepunk! Rapid fire!" Clemont rodered.
"Geigeeeeeeee-roach roach roach roach!" Geireroach buzzed as he began to fire a barrage of globs of purple sludge at Praseopunk.
As the globes impacted on the shield, they exploded and covered it in purple slime. And just like Neopunk was encased inside a hollow sphere of ice, its twin was covered by a small mountain of purple grime.
"Turns out your precious shield generator isn't as flawless as you thought!" Clemont said, smirking as he adjusted his glasses. "We might not be able to harm your Pokemon, but we can stop them from doing anything at all!"
"Oh, I'm SO going to wipe those damned smiles off of your faces!" Anika roared, as she grabbed another pokeball.
However, before she could call for another Pokemon, the sound of water roaring drew the attention of the battlers, and saw how Team Omega's submarine began to submerge into the sea. This caused the two sisters to smirk at the two teens.
"Well, look at that. We might not have beaten you, but we accomplished our goal. A cargo of Nuclear Pokemon is heading towards our secret base," Alina said, smirking smugly.
"Yeah, and they forgot to pick you up! I hope you enjoy spending some time inside a cell under the Ranger HQ, because that's where you two are going," Clemont said.
"Oh, I don't think so," Alina said, pulling out another pokeball. "Gardevoir, use Teleport! Bring us to the submarine!"
"No!" Ash cried.
As soon as the Embrace Pokemon came out of the pokeball, its body began to glow with a pink shimmer. An outline of the same color appeared around the two sisters and their Pokemon, before disappearing in a flash.
"No!" Ash repeated, as he ran towards the edge of the pier in a futile attempt to catch them. He could see some ripples in the water, no doubt a product of the submarine moving away. "Dammit!"
"Piika..." Pikachu said, as he rubbed Ash's hair with a paw.
"It's okay, Pikachu. I was hoping we'd be able to get them this time..." Ash said, bitterly remembering how Zebos had gotten away.
"From what you've told me, you still managed to stop them from catching quite a few Nuclear Pokemon," Clemont said, as he placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Come on, there's nothing more to do here. I'm sure there are still some other Nuclear Pokemon attacking innocent people."
Ash nodded. "Alright. Let's go."
…
Eventually, thanks to Ash and his friends' efforts, alongside the Rangers and other trainers in the city, all Nuclear Pokemon were either knocked out and captured, or driven away from the city. Many Team Omega grunts were also arrested by the Rangers.
While the damage done to the city was considerable, it was still nowhere near enough the destruction caused to Lumiose City by Team Flare's mad plan a few months back, and water and electricity were still functional. Even if it was estimated that repairs would take between one or two months, at least the citizens' lives wouldn't be affected much in the meantime.
Once the city-wide battle was over and the Rangers declared that no more Nuclear Pokemon had been seen causing trouble, the very first thing Ash and his friends did was head towards a Pokemon Center, given that even if not all their Pokemon were hurt, they were all beyond exhausted due the constant battling. Needless to say, it was pretty crowded with people whose Pokemon had been harmed during the attack. Ash heard somebody saying how other Nurse Joys from nearby cities were already on their way to Bealbeach in order to alleviate the bigger than normal workload.
While they waited for their Pokemon to be restored to full health, Ash and his friends, Lilia included, were having something to eat at the Center's cafeteria, which as expected, was much more crowded than usual.
"So, Team Omega was catching those Nuclear Pokemon?" Serena asked, before frowning. "I knew they were behind all this mess."
"Though... if they were truly behind this, why did they release those Pokemon into the city, only to catch them back?" Lilia asked, as she took a bite from the omelet she was eating. "It doesn't make much sense."
"It doesn't. When Ash and I faced them, they were quite in a hurry to leave with their loot," Clemont pointed out.
"I have the feeling that we're missing something..." Ash sighed. Pikachu patted him on the shoulder.
"More than mere 'something'," Lilia punctualized. "This attack was nothing like the one at the power plant at the island."
"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.
"On the island, the Nuclear Pokemon attacked like a coordinated, organized force. They worked with each other, and it looked like they had a strategy and a goal."
"That doesn't sound like the Nuclear Pokemon we fought on the island either," Ash intervened. "They just attacked us directly all at once, in complete disarray."
"And the Pokemon we fought here weren't that much different from those either. It seemed that their goal was to cause mindless destruction," Serena added.
"I know. That's why the attack on the nuclear plant felt so weird in retrospect," Clemont said, as he adjusted his glasses. "It almost felt like those Pokemon were being directed by an unseen force that compelled them to act as a unit."
Before anybody could say anything else, Lilia's pokegear began to beep. Looking at the caller ID, the bespectacled girl frowned a little.
"It's my dad. Excuse me," Lilia said, as she got up and went to find a place with less background noise to answer the call.
Upon seeing Lilia go, Ash said: "You know, seeing that, I feel like we should call our parents too to let them know we're okay. Stuff like this is bound to be in the news."
"Cha," Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"Let's do it once we have eaten and gotten our Pokemon back," Serena suggested, to everybody's approval.
Silence followed that statement, as the group focused on their food. Then, Bonnie spoke up.
"Sooooo... what are we going to do now?" the young girl asked.
"What do you mean, Bonnie?" Clemont asked.
"Isn't it obvious? Ash still has his Gym battles and Serena has to do more contests. We aren't going to stay here, are we?" Bonnie asked.
"Bonnie's right. Aside from what she said, we'd only get in the way of the reconstruction efforts," Serena agreed. "Though, now that you mention it, I don't have much of an idea of where we could go next. Bealbeach City is a bit far away from other towns and cities in Tandor."
"By the way, what about you, Clemont?" Ash asked. "What are you going to do now, now that the... well, now that you can no longer go to the power plant," Ash asked, trying to sound as least insensitive as possible.
"Clemont can go back to travel with you, if that's what he wishes to do," it was Lilia who replied, as she walked towards the group's table. She looked upset, her lips were pressed into a thin line.
"You're back? That was fast," Clemont noted.
The bespectacled girl nodded. "Yes. Dad said he wants me to meet him at home when possible. To see if I'm alright, but also so I can tell him what happened at the plant. So I guess I'll have to leave Tandor. Needless to say, the project has been canceled for the time being. All the workers have been laid out, Clemont included. Of course, they will all get a compensation for the troubles."
"I'm really sorry to hear that," Serena said.
"It can't be helped," Lilia sighed. "Though, I'm not going to let this go, at least not without getting to the bottom of the matter, and I imagine that my dad will think likewise, after all the money he invested in this project."
That moment, Nurse Joy's voice announced through the intercom that Ash and his friends' Pokemon had been restored to full health. After they finished their meals, they headed to the lobby.
…
"Here are your Pokemon," the blue haired Nurse Joy said, as she, her Aromatisse and her Miasmedic carried trays with pokeballs on them.
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Ash said, as he picked up his pokeballs, his friends were doing the same.
"Sylveon, come out!" Serena said, which caused the others to stare at her. She was quick to explain. "Sylveon got beat up pretty badly while fighting a Nuclear Pokemon, so I want to make sure she's alright."
"Syl!" Sylveon cried happily.
And indeed, the Intertwining Pokemon looked fine, as if the beatdown at the proverbial hands of that Nuclear Gyarados never happened. Serena crouched down, and scratched her Pokemon under her chin, a gesture the Fairy-type welcomed.
"Well, you look pretty good, don't you?" Serena smiled.
"Syl, sylveon!"
That moment, one of Clemont's pokeballs opened on its own, and from a burst of light, Nucleon emerged.
"Nu, cleon!" Nucleon cried happily upon seeing his crush.
"Uh, what Pokemon is that?" Ash asked.
Before anybody could answer, Nucleon walked towards Sylveon, and tried to touch her with his paw.
"SYLLLLLLLL!"
However, Sylveon's demeanor changed radically, going from happy to absolutely terrified, and quickly hid from Nucleon behind Serena's legs.
"Nu?" Nucleon asked, sounding confused and a little hurt.
"Sylveon? What's wrong?" Serena asked. "That's Clemont's Eevee, who evolved into Nucleon. Can't you tell it's him?"
"Nu...?" Nucleon tried to get closer to Sylveon, but Sylveon screamed again and tried to slap Nucleon with her feelers, making the Atomic Pokemon flinch. "Nu, nucleon?"
"Why is Sylveon so terrified of Nucleon?" Ash asked.
"I think I have a hypothesis," the inventor said, placing a hand under his chin. "Remember how Ash's Goodra, back when he was a Goomy, was terrified of Dedenne and other Fairy-types because of that Florges?"
"Are you saying that that beating caused Sylveon to develop a fear of Nuclear-types, Nucleon included?" Serena asked.
Whenever Nucleon tried to get close to Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokemon would either step back, or try to swat him away with her feelers.
"I'm afraid so, given the evidence," Clemont said.
"Nuuuu..." Nucleon whined, lowering his head as he walked away from Sylveon, who relaxed a little now that the Atomic Pokemon wasn't near her.
"Poor Nucleon... he liked Sylveon so much..." Bonnie lamented.
"Nene," Dedenne agreed, remembering his own experience with Goomy.
"Hey, don't worry, Goodra was also afraid of Fairy-types, and in the end he managed to overcome that fear and befriended Dedenne!" Ash reminded everybody. "It might take some time, but I'm sure Sylveon won't be afraid of Nuclear-types forever."
That moment, the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center swished open, and Kellyn entered the building, followed by Cameron. The normally stoic Ranger smiled a little upon seeing Ash and his friends.
"I figured I'd find you here," Kellyn said, as he walked towards the group.
"Oh hey, Kellyn!" Ash greeted the Head Ranger. "So, how's everything? No more Nuclear Pokemon, right?"
"It doesn't seem to be the case. The Nuclear Pokemon we didn't manage to catch seem to have run away," it was Cameron who answered. "The Ranger's Science Division are now studying them in order to see what we can learn about them, and hopefully, see how we can turn them back to normal."
"Let's hope they succeed," Clemont said.
"I have utmost faith that our scientists will do their best," Kellyn nodded. "Though, that's not why I am here," he looked at Serena and Lilia. "I was told how these two young ladies helped protect the people at the department store and fought many of the Pokemon there," then he motioned towards Ash and Clemont, "while these two young men were able to disrupt an operation carried by Team Omega, taking advantage of all the chaos going on."
"Not as good as we hoped, given that many of them managed to get away," Ash lamented.
"Pika..."
"Hey, nobody expects you to dismantle the whole organization single handedly, so don't beat yourself up so badly, kid," Cameron reassured Ash. "The Rangers were able to arrest many members that were previously defeated by you, so you did the city a great service."
"Thank you, sir," the boy from Pallet replied.
"Anyway, I came here to give you your just reward for helping this city so much during its direst time," Kellyn said, as he pulled something out of his pocket. "I'm pretty sure you saw the huge luxury cruise docked at the port, right?"
Serena nodded. "I entered a raffle to win a pair of tickets, but no luck."
"In that case, you're going to enjoy this," Kellyn said, as he handed something to Ash.
The teen boy opened his eyes wide upon seeing the object, but it was nothing compared to Serena's reaction.
"Oh my goodness! Tickets for the cruise!" she screamed a bit too loudly, causing some people to look in their direction.
"...three, four, five?" Bonnie counted. "There's one for me too? But I didn't do anything during the attack!"
"Well, of course, it's not that I'd expect your friends and brother to leave you on land while they go on a cruise, right?" Kellyn said, smiling at her. "Plus, I know that, were you a few years older, you and your Pokemon would have fought just as hard as your friends."
"You got that right!" Bonnie replied, puffing her chest.
"Thanks a lot for this!" Ash earnestly said.
"Like I said, a reward for a job well done," Kellyn said. "Plus, between this and what happened at the power plant, I felt that you needed some time to relax and have some fun."
"The cruise will also hold a contest. I think one of you is a coordinator, right?" Cameron asked.
"Yeah, that would be me," Serena replied.
"Heh, we get to enjoy a cruise and Serena gets to win her fourth ribbon! Awesome!" Ash cheered, pumping a fist.
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu cheered as well.
"I better call my dad to tell him this. Hopefully he'll agree I also need some time to unwind and relax before we can meet," Lilia said, as he went to find a quieter place to call her father.
"The cruise will set sail tomorrow morning, and will last three days," Cameron told them. "Hope you enjoy it."
"You can bet we will!" Bonnie said.
…
Once the tickets were delivered, Kellyn and Cameron left Ash and their friends to their joy, and left the Pokemon Center. The two men started to walk through the empty streets of the normally bustling city, as the sun set in the horizon, the orange gleam of twilight reflecting on the glass of the tall skyscrapers.
"It's lucky those kids were here, right?" Cameron asked. "Based on what I heard, the damage to the city would have been much greater if it wasn't for them. Not to mention those Team Omega goons we managed to catch."
"Lucky indeed," Kellyn said. "You know my kids could have been here had they delayed their journey a day. On one hand, we could have used their help, given that they're growing into skilled trainers. But on the other hand..."
"You're glad that they weren't here, where they would be in danger," Cameron finished what the Head Ranger was about to say. "Don't feel too bad about it, man. I'm a father too, and I'm happy as hell that Theo also left this city before all this shit happened. Plus, your kids already got a good dose of horror with what happened on the abandoned plant."
"You were right. I shouldn't have sent them there," Kellyn admitted.
Cameron sighed, and placed his hands on his pockets. "No point in mulling it over. What's done is done."
Kellyn had nothing to say to that. The two of them continued to walk in silence. That's it, until Cameron spoke again.
"Do you know this isn't the end, right?" Cameron asked.
"What do you mean?" the Head Ranger asked. "Do you think there will be more attacks?"
"I'm sure of it. This one felt kind of random and disorganized, but you have seen the way the Nuclear Pokemon attacked the power plant. No wild Pokemon ever behaved the way they did. Kellyn, someone or something was controlling them. And whatever it was, it wanted the power plant."
"If that's the case, the other plants might be in danger," Kellyn reasoned. "I'll tell all our Rangers across the region to keep their eyes peeled."
"Indeed. We need to uncover what caused this. If it's Team Omega, or something else," Cameron stated. "I'm going to investigate the cause behind all of this madness. You might not hear from me in a while, Kellyn."
"Understood. Make sure to be careful, Cameron. Remember that you have a son," Kellyn told him.
Cameron smiled softly. "Don't worry. I don't plan to turn Theo into an orphan."
No more words were exchanged after that, the two men going their separate ways. Kellyn went back to the Rangers HQ, Cameron to wherever fate would lead him.
Author's Note: Whew, that was quite the lengthy and action-packed chapter, but it's finally done!
Following Ash's Orchynx evolving into Metalynx, we have two more evolutions here: Lilia's Buneary evolving into Lopunny and Clemont's Eevee evolving into Nucleon. The last one should have been obvious if you played the game, doubly so after Clemont got Geigeroach (the requirement for Eevee to evolve into Nucleon is to level up past level 20 with a Nuclear Pokemon in your party. With all that fighting, it wasn't rare that Eevee "leveled up", so to speak). Too bad for Nucleon Sylveon now is afraid of him, thanks to the beating she took from that Nuclear Gyarados :(
We saw a little of her in the previous chapter, but now we could see Leona, the fourth and last of Serena's contest rivals, in action, as well as two of her Pokemon. And you'll see even more of her once the next contest arrives.
Last time they got interrupted before they could get their hands dirty, but at last we can see now Alina and Anika in action. Not only are they more careful and less boastful than Zebos, but use a gadget to enhance their Pokemon that doesn't hurt them in the long run as it was the case with the Muscular Enhancer. Still, the Personal Shield Generator isn't perfect, as Ash showed them. Also, someone pointed out that given that they're twins, Praseopunk and Neopunk would fit Alina and Anika pretty well, and as you can see, I already thought that as well ;)
And if the previous chapter didn't make it obvious, Clemont is officially back on the group. Though if you played the game, you already guessed that his new job wasn't going to last long.
Many of you were quite surprised that Serena lost the ticket raffle, and believed that she wouldn't go on the cruise. As you can see, turns out she and her friends are going to the cruise after all! You were right in that I wouldn't have made a big deal out of a contest with a special judge taking place on the cruise if I didn't plan for Serena to take part in it. I came up with the raffle idea as a way to misdirect you while introducing Leona. The plan was always for Kellyn to give Ash and co. the tickets for the cruise, just like in the game (though, in the game the city is overrun and you're given the tickets as a way to escape from the Nuclear Horde; going on a cruise ship after a big city was invaded by an army of Nuclear Pokemon felt extremely jarrying, so I changed it to make the mood change smoother).
And thus, next time we begin the Tandor Luxury Cruise three parter! I've been dying to get to this part, so I'm very excited to finally be here. And so will you, given that something you guys have been waiting for will finally happen ;)
Thanks to Fox McCloude, Guest #1, cricketlaxwolvesbandy, 61394, MegaSalamence64, hirowriter, berb12335435 and for reviewing last chapter, and special thanks to Viroro-kun for his amazing job as a betareader, whose edits and suggestions made this chapter so much better.
I better end this note here before it gets any longer. See you next time on the luxury cruise, and don't forget to drop a review!