Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning

by The Great Butler

A girl and her friends set out on a search for truth in a land torn apart by political and religious strife. However, they are unaware of what they are stepping into: the grasp of a terrifying, inescapable enemy that aims to bring down mankind's greatest achievement, the Pokemon League. Soon, the truth becomes clouded, and a desperate struggle for survival begins.

11. Hard Reset

There's a lot to get to here. The main warning this time is for panic attacks, self-harm and suicide threats.

-:-

CHAPTER 11: Hard Reset

-:-

The morning after the chaos in Union Cave, the sun bathed Azalea Town in its rays, with none of the previous cloud cover impeding it.

The Pokémon Center standing at the center of the small town provided a stark contrast to its surroundings. It was a modern building among a village of wooden structures, a place far from the hand of progress that had worked so harshly on Cherrygrove City. Only the Poké Mart down the road kept it from being completely out of place.

Inside, Olivia was sitting at a table in the common area with Looker and Silver. She was sipping tea and eating a biscuit, while Looker had a cup of coffee and Silver simply sat scowling, a glass of orange juice in front of him.

"Mr. Looker," Olivia questioned, keeping her eyes on the teacup in front of herself to avoid having to meet Looker and Silver's gazes. "Why were you in Union Cave yesterday?"

"Being there was a strange energy pulse in that area. Identical to it was the energy pulse that struck Route 29, so suspicious something there is, I suspect."

Olivia looked up slightly, though not far enough to meet either pair of eyes opposite her. "So Matt was right…"

"Hm? What are you precisely speaking words about?"

"He came to the same conclusion," the sullen young woman explained. "I believe it, too. The Geodude, Sandshrew, Drilbur and Onix we saw all were acting strangely, just like the Pawniard and Bisharp on Route 29."

"Did you say Geodude, Sandshrew, Drilbur and Onix?" Silver interrupted. When Olivia nodded, he pushed for further confirmation by asking, "And no other Pokémon, you're sure?"

"Just those four species, I'm sure."

Silver quickly turned to Looker. "Geodude, Sandshrew, Drilbur and Onix are all at least part Ground-types. If no other Pokémon were affected, those energy pulses might only affect a single type of Pokémon at a time."

"You are suggesting the notion which I am thinking?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of Team Rocket's experiments. She's here, so there must be other Team Rocket members in Azalea Town, and I intend to take them all out."

"Duly noted," Looker said, crossing his arms. "Olivia, what I am wondering to be asking you questions about is what I saw with my eyes when I first was encountering your friends yesterday. What are you possessing the ability to be telling me about that?"

"I don't want to talk about it…" Olivia answered, looking back down.

"Please, I must be insisting on it. My investigation into these blasts of strange energy and what the kind of effect they are acting to have on the Pokémon of the local area would gain great aid from learning more true facts about what happened. Why and how can there be happening to be a person who acts sometimes with the natural savagery of a Pokémon that is wild?"

"You should just arrest that woman," Silver mumbled under his breath.

"Be letting Olivia answer the question that is mine."

"I don't know anything, even if I wanted to know!" Olivia finally cracked under the pressure of Looker's questions, slamming her fists on her lap. "Actually I'm not sure I want to know. I want to forget yesterday ever happened."

Looker clasped his hands together and leaned forward, resting his head on them. "Would speaking of the things that make you feel good be a help?"

"I think so." Olivia took a deep breath, calming both her muscles and her speech. "Some good things happened yesterday. I got to train a lot with the Oshawott I got from Professor Juniper. Nekou was there for me, too. She wouldn't stop encouraging me to do better. And Matt… well, he was there, I guess. I'm going to prove to him that I can be treated like an adult, like how he acts toward my dad."

"At least your father was a good man, unlike mine," Silver spitefully interjected.

"Be silent with your tongue, Silver, or I will be sending you away from here until interrogation has reached the point called its conclusion." Softening, Looker continued by asking, "Olivia, please be trying to tell me about what took place in events at a point in time most immediately before Nekou's descent into a state of being feral."

"Remember those Drilbur I mentioned? We had just finished fighting them. Nekou helped me fight off four of them, while Matt was battling the fifth. We finished battling them when suddenly this Onix that was affected by the Meteonite broke in and smashed Nekou against the wall. She started acting strange after that."

"So it is acceptable to be concluding that the energy pulse itself was not acting as the cause for her violent actions. That is good, because it would happen to be bad if humans were also in a position to be affected by those blasts." Skipping a beat, Looker suddenly realized what Olivia had said and gasped. "Did you… did you speak from your lips the word Meteonite?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I will have to be making sure to tell myself to note that for future investigations." What Looker didn't tell her was just how major it was to know that the Meteonite was involved for him.

He wouldn't get a chance to, either, as Matt and Nekou came up to the table. Almost immediately, Olivia shrank back into her seat, her body shaking.

Mindful to take great care in choosing his words, Matt gently asked, "Olivia, what's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong," she mumbled in response, keeping her eyes locked in the opposite direction of the two people who distressed her.

Nekou turned to Matt, the two of them having anticipated Olivia's mood.

~:~

The previous night, after telling Nekou what had happened in Union Cave and doing his best to soothe her fears about it, Matt had gone back to his own room. In the light of a floor lamp next to the room's desk, he was sitting at a painting easel, putting colors randomly on the canvas to create an incoherent display.

He was so startled by his door opening that he nearly dropped the palette in his left hand. Spinning around, he saw Nekou staggering in with a pillow in one hand and a beer can in the other.

"What are you doing in here?" he sharply questioned, though he quickly realized this was inappropriate and softened his tone. "Do you want to talk some more?"

Nekou did not answer until after she threw herself down on the bed. "I don't want to be alone. I get nightmares." When Matt put the palette down and stood from the easel, Nekou shouted at him, "I'm not lying!"

"No, I believe you…" Sitting down on the bed but facing away from her, Matt continued, "You must have some pretty bad nightmares, judging from how much you drink at night to escape them."

"How did you know that?"

"I've had to do it sometimes myself. My nightmares are memories of the things I've seen, but I think there are some things I dream of that are memories of events I otherwise can't remember anymore… if I might ask, what about yours?"

Nekou put her beer can on the nightstand next to the bed, then rolled over onto her back. "They never make sense. I see and hear images and sounds that… they just don't make any sense. It's like a fucking acid trip. Other times I dream of science, history, you know, textbook shit. That just goes on and on until my head explodes from it all. The one thing that's always consistent is that I hear this woman screaming… and it just never ends."

"Do you think that they're memories of something?"

"I don't know, and that's what makes them terrifying." Nekou pushed her bangs from her forehead, then closed her eyes. "Olivia's going to be left with the same thing now. How the fuck can she understand what happened if I don't even understand it?"

"I'm going to be blunt here," Matt said, staring at the wall. "Preventing her from being haunted by what happened in Union Cave is up to you. She won't want to hear it from me, and hearing it from you would give it some weight."

"You know, you're right."

~:~

Matt nodded to her, and Nekou turned to Olivia, fixing a determined, eye-level gaze on the young woman.

"Olivia, you don't have to be afraid of me because of what happened yesterday, I promise. I'm never going to do anything to hurt you."

"That wasn't you," Olivia whimpered, still pulled back into her seat.

"Maybe you're right. But this definitely is."

Nekou sat down next to Olivia and embraced her, catching her off guard. She flinched violently at first, but as it sank in that Nekou was sincere about not hurting her, she calmed.

"I promise I'll learn to control that side of me. I don't want to scare you or make you feel threatened."

"Please do," Olivia responded, finally putting her arms around her friend.

Matt had stood by silently during the entire exchange, not wanting to interrupt the sincere reconciliation between the two. Once he sensed it was finished, though, he changed the subject with a question.

"Looker, why are you even here? Last I had heard of you, you were off in Kanto investigating the Kiss of Death case."

Looker sighed and crossed his arms. "Taken off the case, I happened to be. It has not seen wide reporting, but there occurred to be two more murders."

"Why would they take you off the case just because the killer struck again?" Matt wondered, not noticing Nekou briefly shoot a glare at him.

"You see, the two victims, they were having something in common that they shared. They were both employees working in the employ of the Angel Corporation. Suspicious I became when I noted this about both men, because Melvin Clemens, the murder before them, he was involved as an employee of the Angel Corporation as well. But that wasn't all. I made my decision to go back and look once more at the Clemens case once I came upon having this realization and I struck a discovery – he was employed at one of the highest salaried positions within the corporation's umbrella, but in complete spite of the paycheck he received, Melvin Clemens was living his life in the state of bare bones poverty. Suddenly, and lacking in any sort of warning to me, I was removed from the investigation, halting my efforts to put my eyes on his financial records."

"Financial records? I thought this was a murder case alone."

"Three of the men whose lives met their end are connected through sharing the same place of employment, and one of them lived in a lifestyle that completely has contradictions against the kind of money he should have owned in his possession. I have a suspicion that the victims have a deeper link than just how their deaths came to pass in history."

Matt held his chin and pondered Looker's information, which he had to admit sounded fairly suspicious. He intended to question the detective further about the case, but he never got to put words to any of his thoughts before Olivia interrupted.

"What's going on over there?"

She pointed across the Pokémon Center lobby to the fairly large group of people clustered around the television mounted on the wall. A newscast was playing on it, but from the distance they were away from it, none of the group could hear what was being said.

"Let's go check that out," Nekou immediately said.

After Nekou slid out from the table, Olivia followed, and both Looker and Silver got up after them. Matt brought up the rear, but maintained a close distance to them. Once they were all around the television, they barely had a moment to hear what was going on before the newscaster disappeared and was replaced by Ghetsis.

"Another Polaris broadcast…" A violent scowl appeared on Nekou's face, one that she only faintly tried to pull back. "They're stepping up their game. We're running out of time…"

"Greetings, people of the Tohjo Continent," Ghetsis spoke, his voice ringing throughout the lobby. He held a clear confidence for the speech, with a sincere smile and an intense gaze. "I come before you today with a simple message. A plea, if you will. Every day, more people, many of them your own sons and daughters, fall by the wayside in the manipulative, elitist system known as the Pokémon League. Because of the heavy hand of oppression looming over this nation, generations of ordinary citizens have been fooled into believing in a lie crafted by the rich and powerful , the notion of anyone from any background being able to attain the goal called 'Pokémon Master.' How can the poor and those of modest means raise themselves up when the very mechanics supposedly meant to help them actually only advance the already wealthy and elite with handouts and breaks that put them on a higher level practically from birth?!" Ghetsis's eye was narrowing, becoming more and more intense with every sentence of his speech, and just off camera, he tightly clenched his fist. "So I ask you, citizens of Johto and Kanto… no, it is not only I, all of Polaris asks you… step up, add your names to the ranks of those brave individuals who will fight in the name of justice. Soon, your chance will come to join our crusade. You must ask yourselves, in a world where seventy percent of new trainers never reach the Pokémon League, and ninety percent of those don't collect more than seven Badges, is that fair? No, it is not! You must rise and speak to the powers that would keep you down with this lie, telling them that you will stand for the injustice no longer! We, Polaris, are your voice, and with every one of you who joins the battle for equal opportunity, that voice grows stronger. Goldenrod City will be the place. My minister of public relations will meet with you, the people, in a few days there to plot the course forward. Please keep your eyes on our public schedules for more details. Polaris will bring freedom and justice to the people when we usher in a new era of mankind, and it will be soon! Do not let yourselves be on the wrong side of history! Thank you for your time today, and we will be seeing you again very, very soon."

When Ghetsis disappeared from the screen, the crowd surrounding it instantly descended into a flurry of discussion.

"What do you think they mean? A new era of mankind?"

"You know, he's right, though. I just saw a report on TV the other night that backs him up…"

"I just heard that… what was it, like seventy percent of new trainers never even make it to the Pokémon League, and ninety percent of them don't collect more than seven Badges? Is that what he said?"

"There have been more and more trainers washing up at Pokémon Centers in cities all over the place unable to continue going. Between the cost of healing their Pokémon, rooms and supplies, it's no wonder so many don't make it…"

Matt didn't realize right away that Nekou had pulled Olivia away from the storm of speculation, with everyone else but himself following in kind.

"Is it really true, though?" he could hear Olivia asking Nekou as he rejoined them.

"There are a lot of trainers who don't make the big time," Nekou explained, "but you don't need to worry about that because you're not going to be a statistic."

Turning from their exchange, Matt noticed Looker standing with Silver, grimacing while crossing his arms.

"What's going on?" he questioned, walking up to the pair.

"Goldenrod City is apparently going to take on the intensity of a field of battle in the forthcoming future… and the mission I am currently in possession of is taking place there. Escorting them out will be made harder and more difficult if Polaris causes a disturbance event in the population of the locality."

"Escort them? Who?"

"Two prisoners jailed by the International Police whose cycles reached their opportunity for parole and return to life being ordinary. They both received negative judgments of their readiness and must be escorted back to the adjacent nation of Kanto for return to prison. One is the former tycoon of business Grings Kodai, and the other… the other's your friend from the past, Jacob Alexison."

Matt nearly blacked out the moment Looker said the name Jacob Alexison, as a flood of memories came rushing back to him – none of them positive. He held his chest as if in pain.

"Where he shot me still hurts every time I think about him…" he growled, "…but I'm going to need to ask you a favor. Let me talk to him before you ship him off."

"Yeah, I want to talk to Jacob Alexison too," Nekou butted in, having wandered over with Olivia.

A silence met them as Looker stared back, considering their requests. "Fine, I shall consent to giving my consent for such a plan," he finally responded, "but you will be needing to make haste to Goldenrod City. I will not find myself waiting for you."

"That works out," Olivia said. "All we need to do here is visit Azalea Gym…"

"Is that how you will continue to grow closer together?"

Surprised by the voice behind them, Matt, Olivia and Nekou all turned around sharply, only to discover Nikolai standing behind them with his hands in the pockets of his coat. He looked as listless as ever, and his sudden appearance provoked both Nekou and Looker to grimace.

"Who is this guy?"

Ignoring Silver's rudely-put question, Nikolai walked right up to Olivia and lowered himself to see eye-to-eye with her. "I can feel it, even through the Poké Ball… your Oshawott is bursting with an incredible amount of energy," he quietly but firmly said. "It's got far more energy than before. You did the right thing and trusted it to indulge in its natural instincts."

"Th-thank you, I guess?" Olivia shifted her weight from one leg to the other and looked away from Nikolai's intense gaze.

"Wait, what even happened to you?" Matt questioned in confusion. "You were sick from the poison that ninja hit you with, and we took you to Violet City's Pokémon Center for help, but then you disappeared."

"I recovered and departed…" As he spoke, Nikolai rose back to his full height and faced Matt. "Your Eelektrik… it is happier than it was before, too. You took my advice and used it…"

"You're right, I did. Your advice when we met before was sound."

"Is he talking to Pokémon that are still in their Poké Balls?!"

"He is accomplishing just that," Looker replied to Silver, though with his eyes closed. "That is a power that he is in possession of." Turning away, the detective thought to himself, "This boy is here… and so is Ghetsis. There is a connection between Team Plasma and Polaris, but I lack enough evidence to prove any wrongdoing…"

"Olivia, are you ready to go to the Gym?" Nekou put in, redirecting the conversation back to its initial topic.

"Yeah, I think I am. And from there… Goldenrod City, where we all want to go."

-:-

Colress's gloved fingers flew busily over the electronic keyboard of his computer console, manipulating the data he was working with. On the main display screen, a double helix with some segments missing and relevant information regarding the strain of Pokérus he was engineering was shown.

"Now, time for another stability hypothesis experiment." A window containing an image of the Meteonite and its associated data appeared alongside the main window, prompting Colress to smile and say, "Very well. Apply the calculated dose of radiation."

Once Colress gave this order to the system and pressed the key to confirm it, three red arrows appeared between the two windows, indicating the flow of data from the Meteonite to the DNA structuring program. Within seconds, the helix began to glow, and the missing segments filled themselves in.

Colress's eyes went wide. Barely able to contain his excitement, he gestured widely with his arms and shouted, "This is it! I knew I could do what nobody else could! The mystery behind the true strength of Pokémon… and I, Doctor Colress Antimony, am the one to bring it to light! My genius made it possible!"

All the windows shrank away, and Colress pulled a rectangular data drive from the console before turning and running out of his lab.

-:-

The three members of the Shadow Triad stood before Ghetsis, each of them holding one of his prisoners.

"We have to go out to Ecruteak City to prepare for our mission," explained the tyrant, firmly gripping the handle of his cane. "Bring Concordia, Anthea and Professor Elm to the transport and guard them with your lives. If anything happens to any of them, your lives literally will be the price. Do not fail me."

"Yes, Lord Ghetsis!" all three of the Shadow Triad replied.

Ghetsis watched as the trio of ninjas dragged their captives off. Concordia and Anthea didn't resist at all, instead merely hanging like ragdolls in the grip of Darkness and Pestilence. Professor Elm, however, tried in vain to fight his way loose, only for Chaos to sharply knee him in the back. Once Elm was doubled over in pain from the blow, Chaos followed his brothers.

Satisfied that his followers had the situation under control, Ghetsis lifted his cane near his mouth and twisted the knob atop it to activate its communicator. "Zinzolin."

"Lord Ghetsis!" the old man responded from the other end, his voice giving away the surprise he felt. "I was not expecting to be contacted so soon."

"You've been. My plans are moving ahead to the next stage, and I am about to leave Polaris's temple for Ecruteak City to begin putting the final touches in place. How prepared are you for the Goldenrod phase?"

"You'll be quite pleased to hear that we are fully prepared. All of our resources are in place. All that we need is for Getriebe and Jeunes to get the go-ahead from Finansielle to set the Meteonite extraction plan into motion. Once that starts, it cannot be stopped. As for my role, I am more than ready to take our message to the people in the most powerful way yet."

"You're right, I am pleased. I'm taking the Shadow Triad along with me to Ecruteak City, so don't let anyone foul up your work like you did in Violet City. Getriebe and Jeunes are relying on you…" Ghetsis stopped speaking briefly and smirked. "…and I'm relying on you even more. It's absolutely vital that the people are hungry for what I will give them in Ecruteak City."

-:-

To the west of Azalea Town lay Ilex Forest, an wooded expanse grown so thick with tall trees that within its boundaries, little sunlight reached the ground. Many local residents considered the forest's environment that of a permanent night, and as Séduire lurked in the darkness, sitting in the branches of one of the trees, she found herself in full agreement.

The amount of sunlight in the forest wasn't of much concern overall to her, though. On her lap she had a small hand cannon. It was generating a holographic computer display for her, which she was casually flicking through with her fingers while talking to herself in an almost sing-song manner.

"Oh, it's just going to be so much fun when you get here, Matt. I'm going to have so much fun… breaking you by making you see that bitch and the girl go down… then I'll take you back home with me and you'll never leave me alone ever again…"

The windows were displaying the different species of Pokémon currently in the area along with numerical readouts and energy charts associated with each one. One of the species Séduire scrolled past caught her by surprise, prompting her to go back.

"Well then, look at you! I didn't expect to see you around here… looks like I'm not the only one Matt will be having a reunion with, and for you to meet him, I don't even have to work for it! You ought to cut him down to give me what I want without any prompting…"

-:-

Azalea Gym, located on the western side of the town, was a battling facility within a large greenhouse dome. As Matt, Olivia and Nekou entered, with Nikolai, Looker and Silver in tow, they found the interior to be a lush indoor forest, with many of the trees linked by threads of silk.

"This place didn't earn its reputation as a Bug-type Gym for nothing," Nekou remarked.

At the center of the structure, nestled snugly in the embrace of the surrounding foliage, was the battlefield. It was simply a field drawn in white paint on the grass, but it was still more than enough.

Sitting in the stands just to the side of the battlefield was a teenage boy dressed in khaki-colored safari gear. He was reading a thick book and didn't notice the Gym's visitors as they arrived.

Matt started to raise his arm to wave to the boy, but Nekou grabbed it and pulled it back down; he quickly understood why she did this, and said to Olivia, "Go ahead, it's your turn."

Without responding to him, Olivia took Matt's suggestion. She shakily stepped forward and called out, "I'm here for a Gym battle!"

The boy almost fell off the stands because of how surprised he was, but he quickly composed himself, put down his book and jumped down onto the grass.

"Hello!" he cheerfully greeted the guests. "Please forgive that, I got so wrapped up in my reading…"

"Books are great, aren't they?" Nekou blurted out.

"Yes, they are! I'm glad you recognize that!" Putting his hands on his hips, the boy became more serious and shifted his attention to Olivia. "But I doubt you came here just to talk about books with me. You said you wanted a Gym battle, Miss…"

"Olivia."

"Olivia, is that right? Pleased to meet you." Extending his hand, the boy said, "My name is Bugsy. I'm called the Walking Bug Pokémon Encyclopedia, and I'm the Gym Leader here."

Olivia hesitated for a moment, but then shook Bugsy's hand. Matt, Nekou, Nikolai, Looker and Silver all made their way to the stands, while Olivia and Bugsy went to their opposing sides on the battlefield.

"Olivia, how many Badges and Pokémon do you have?"

"No Badges…" Olivia answered, her voice suddenly becoming weak. "…but I do have four Pokémon."

"So then, as by the Pokémon League regulations, this will be a three-on-three Single Battle. I won't be able to make substitutions, and if you beat all three of my Pokémon, you win. Of course, if I beat all three of yours, I win."

"Wait, no referee?" Olivia asked, having become confused immediately upon noticing the absence of one.

"We're really easygoing here in Azalea Town… if you noticed, we haven't been touched much by the flow of time, while all the other cities have been to some extent. I'm the only one at this Gym, so it's really my passion project. I want to create a shrine to Bug Pokémon with my own hands… and that's why, in this Gym, everything that happens will depend upon your knowledge of Bug Pokémon."

"What does that mean?"

"Every Pokémon I choose will be determined by your answers to questions about Bug-type Pokémon and moves," Bugsy explained as he took out and opened a green Pokédex. "As the Walking Bug Pokémon Encyclopedia, it's my job to ensure you leave this Gym knowing more about them than when you entered."

"Well, that's unusual," Nikolai muttered.

"Every Gym is different," Silver said. "I had to do this when I won the Hive Badge, too."

"Now please," Bugsy invited, "send out your first Pokémon, and we shall begin."

"O-okay. Lillipup, let's play!"

While Olivia's Lillipup took shape on the battlefield, Matt watched Olivia's movements and listened to her voice. "She's nervous, I can tell. I hope she can handle this…"

"A Lillipup? I'm pleased to be getting the chance to battle a Pokémon from Unova. Now then, my first Pokémon will either be Kakuna or Pineco, depending on whether or not you answer this question correctly: of all Bug-type moves that directly inflict damage on an opponent, which of them delivers the weakest blow? Pin Missile, Leech Life or Twineedle?"

"Pin Missile," Nekou mouthed, playing along for herself.

"I'll guess Leech Life."

"Sorry, it was Pin Missile."

Olivia's face sank as soon as Bugsy revealed that she'd answered incorrectly. "Damn it…" she whispered, her arm trembling slightly.

"Now that the question is out of the way, because you answered wrong, this is who you face!"

Bugsy threw one of his Poké Balls, and his Pineco materialized from it. The Pineco peeked out at Lillipup from the inside of his shell, wobbling warily in anticipation of what attack would come.

"Let's get this battle started!" Bugsy announced.

Almost immediately, Olivia thrust her arm forward and shouted. "Lillipup, let's put all that training we did to good use! Crunch!"

Lillipup bared his fangs and started running toward Pineco, leaving only a short bark as warning.

Seemingly not worried about Lillipup's attack, Bugsy said simply, "Pineco, hold fast."

Following his trainer's direction, Pineco stopped wobbling and stiffened up his body. As a result, when Lillipup bit down on him, he flinched only slightly. Crunch was largely ineffective on him.

"What?" Olivia gasped. "Why didn't that work?"

"I guessed that your Lillipup likely only just learned Crunch from when you said you had done training, and then calculated that Pineco would be able to weather it. Seems I was right… now, Pineco, Rapid Spin!"

Olivia and all of the spectators could only watch as Bugsy's Pineco threw Lillipup across the battlefield by spinning around violently. Lillipup stumbled to his feet fairly quickly, but Olivia was visibly shaken.

"Hang in there, Lillipup…" she said, her voice shaking. "You know, let's try the other new move you learned. Work Up!"

Regaining his footing, Lillipup barked twice while surrounded by a faint red glow. After the light faded, he glared at Pineco and growled.

"Smart move," Nekou observed. "One hit wouldn't get through Pineco's defenses, so what do you do? Get stronger."

Matt nodded his head in agreement, but remained silent, owing to his concern over Olivia's actions.

The meaning of Olivia's use of Work Up wasn't lost on the young Gym Leader, either. "Pineco, be cautious. Don't let Lillipup get too close to you, otherwise you'll get hit hard!"

"So you know what that does…" Olivia said, clenching her fist. "Might as well show you what it looks like. Lillipup, Tackle!"

"Keep Lillipup back with Venoshock!"

Showing very little of the fear that often cropped up when he faced a challenging enemy, Lillipup rushed straight at Pineco. The Bug-type Pokémon was ready, however, and used his power to pools of sludge around himself. Narrow, jagged bolts rose from each pool, then descended to strike Lillipup back.

"Difficult this will be if Pineco ensures Lillipup stays at the length of an arm," Looker commented.

"She'll work it out," Nekou countered, "you can bet on that."

Olivia was finding it a struggle to even figure out a way to try to overcome Pineco's defenses. Work Up would have solved the problem of the Bug-type's durable body, but if Lillipup could never reach him, that would be useless. Focusing on this problem left Olivia trembling and silent.

After shaking the slime from Venoshock out of his fur, Lillipup realized he hadn't heard any further commands and turned back to Olivia. Seeing the state she was in prompted him to bark at her.

"Lillipup… what?" she asked, snapping partially back into reality.

Lillipup barked again, then darted at Pineco once more, this time trying to run faster than he had earlier. Olivia picked up on what he was trying to indicate, going wide-eyed as soon as she realized it, but it was too late to avoid falling into Bugsy's trap a second time.

"Venoshock, again!" he called out.

Lillipup was repelled from Pineco's space by the toxic waves once more, but as soon as he regained his footing, he looked hopefully to his trainer.

"You almost outran it that time… if this is what it takes, let's do it. Take Down!"

Lillipup smiled; his goal had been to convince Olivia that he could outrun the interference of Venoshock, and she picked up on it. This time, he didn't just start running at Pineco, he first tensed his leg muscles, crouched and built as much strength as he could, allowing him to shoot forward like a bullet.

"Venoshock, once more!" Bugsy ordered.

The young Gym Leader was in for a rude surprise, however. Pineco called upon the poisonous attack a third time, but the bolts converged too slowly, and Lillipup ran right past them. Pineco was caught completely off guard and defenseless, and when Lillipup collided with him, he was sent flying straight into one of the trees surrounding the battlefield.

Lillipup didn't escape harm, though, as the sheer force of his impact on Pineco sapped a good deal of his remaining strength, leaving him panting.

"Well played!" Bugsy said. "You got through my outer wall of defenses… so this is now a close-quarters battle! Pineco, Bug Bite!"

"Lillipup… try throwing it with Crunch!"

Recovering, Pineco rolled down and sprang off the tree, aiming to trap Lillipup with the mouth hidden under its shell. Lillipup was ready, however, and dodged the attack by rolling on his stomach along the ground. Once Pineco crashed onto the floor, Lillipup turned and lunged, grabbing the Bug-type in his mouth. He then spun around and flung Pineco back into the tree, but this time, Pineco fell off into the dirt and didn't get up.

Bugsy was briefly silent, having been left dumbfounded by the sudden reversal of his fortunes. It sank in quickly for him, though, and he recalled his fallen Pineco before smiling at Olivia. "That was something. I wasn't ready for you to turn things around on me like that. Having seen what you're capable of, I think you can stand up to my next Pokémon, which will be tougher."

"Tougher…?" Olivia whispered, the color draining from her face.

"But first, we have to have the next question. Answer it correctly and you'll face my Shelmet, answer incorrectly and you'll face Illumise. Here's the question: which of these is not one of Pinsir's possible Abilities? Is it Hyper Cutter, Anger Point or Mold Breaker?"

"Anger Point," Nekou whispered without hesitation.

"Let's see…" Thinking back to her classes, Olivia recalled the effects of all three choices. "Hyper Cutter blocks any lowering of attack power… Anger Point maximizes its attack power when it's hit critically… Mold Breaker ignores the target's Ability… all three of them are good choices, but the one that doesn't fit is Mold Breaker, so I'll have to go with that."

"Sorry, it was Anger Point!" Bugsy revealed before taking up and throwing Illumise's Poké Ball.

"How did I mess that up?" Olivia thought to herself in panic. "How did I mess that one up?"

Bugsy's Illumise took shape on the battlefield, and the firefly Pokémon immediately locked eyes with Lillipup. Sensing the strain Lillipup had begun feeling, Illumise waved her arm, as if she was daring Lillipup to challenge her.

"Lillipup, be careful…" Olivia warned. "I… I think there's something up his sleeve…"

Lillipup nodded, agreeing with Olivia's assumption. Though he was worn by his clash with Pineco, Lillipup was still sharp enough to realize the obvious trap in Illumise's dare.

"A smart prediction, Olivia. Walking into my first attack would have been a mistake. But you can't just stand there and not move, right?"

"That's… that's right." Olivia answered while fidgeting around.

"That's because if you stand still, you'll be caught in my other moves. Illumise, Thunderbolt!"

Quickly recalling how she defeated Pineco, Olivia reasoned that the same strategy would work against Illumise. "Use Take Down and get out of the way!"

Lillipup rushed forward just quickly enough to escape the electricity that burst from Illumise's body. After ceasing her attack, the Bug-type Pokémon simply stood still, seemingly dumbfounded, and Lillipup forcefully crashed into her.

It wasn't until she saw Illumise bracing against the ground and barely moving that Olivia realized she'd been led into a trap.

"Brick Break!" Bugsy called out.

"Get away!" Olivia desperately ordered.

There was no chance Lillipup could escape, however, and Olivia knew it. He was too close to Illumise to escape, having ended up falling for the trick of getting in close anyway. When Illumise punched Lillipup with a surprising amount of force for her small arms, he was thrown back and then crumpled to the ground. When combined with the injuries he'd suffered from the battle with Pineco, both from his opponent and self-inflicted through Take Down, the Brick Break was far too much for Lillipup to take.

"Looks like we're even now, Olivia!" Bugsy said from across the battlefield. "So who will it be next?"

Olivia didn't respond, instead falling into a hunched, limp stance as she stared at the ground, her hair obscuring her anguished eyes. Voices were tormenting her from inside her head.

" Someone who should not exist has no right to consider themselves entitled to anything more than the air they are lucky enough to breathe!"

"Wow, you didn't even take the good one, but then again, someone who's childish in both body and spirit taking a childish Pokémon makes sense!"

"How can the poor and those of modest means raise themselves up when the very mechanics supposedly meant to help them actually only advance the already wealthy and elite with handouts and breaks that put them on a higher level practically from birth?!"

"No," she mumbled, trying to fight back the memories that were forcing doubt onto her. "No, no, no, no, no…"

Up in the stands, Matt and the others could see Olivia practically convulsing, and they were growing more concerned.

"Nekou," Matt quietly said, "are you really sure this is okay? I think she might be pushing herself too hard…"

"I… I have confidence in her," Nekou answered, although the nervous tone of her voice betrayed her words.

"Her Pokémon want to fight for her," Nikolai flatly muttered, "but I can feel that her internal conflict is leaving them unable to use their full potential…"

Suddenly, a wide, broken grin intruded onto Olivia's face. "I just have to overcome your Pokémon, one by one, right?" she said as she recalled Lillipup. "It won't be hard to do that if I go with my strongest!"

Olivia didn't even bother to throw the Poké Ball when she decided on her next Pokémon, instead, she simply opened it in her hand. Her Minccino was that choice, and the Normal-type fretted about the dirt floor, completely failing to notice her trainer's temperament.

"All I have to do to show them I'm not weak is beat you and get that Badge!" Olivia punctuated her strange rant with a giggle, then added, "I get that Badge and then the others and then they all stop tormenting me and then they care about me and then…" Limply raising her arm to point at Illumise, she said, "Minccino, use Tail Slap!"

"Thunderbolt!" Bugsy countered, as Minccino rapidly closed in on his Illumise.

Illumise was one step ahead of her trainer, having already begun focusing her energy before he even finished issuing the command for Thunderbolt. She discharged an intense blast into Minccino's body, causing the Normal-type Pokémon to wail in pain.

"Minccino, don't give in to it!" Olivia's statement was equally an order and a desperate plea. "Get through and hit it, now!"

Regaining her footing within the electrical torrent, Minccino pushed gradually forward.

Bugsy could only step back in surprise and say to Illumise, "Keep it up! Push Minccino away!"

Despite her best efforts, Illumise was already at her limit, and she could not force any more energy into her Thunderbolt. As a result, Minccino managed to force her way all the way up into the firefly's face and then swung her tail around. The moment that Minccino's tail connected with Illumise's body, the overflow of electricity caused an explosion that violently separated them, tossing Minccino toward Olivia while sending Illumise flying into a tree.

The two Pokémon stumbled up to face each other again, each nursing their own injuries – Minccino's fur was burned all over by the electricity, while Illumise had a pair of bruises, one on her front from Tail Slap and one on her back from crashing into the tree.

Unwilling to let Bugsy even get an opening, Olivia didn't hesitate to continue her attack. "Use Swift right now!"

Minccino snapped to her feet and swung her tail in Illumise's direction, showering the Bug-type Pokémon with glowing stars. Illumise had no way to put up much of a defense, and was left to have her body cut repeatedly by the sharp-edged projectiles.

"I get it now, I finally get it now…" Olivia said to herself in a hissing voice. She looked to the floor as her body convulsed, then continued, "…all I need to do is rely on my strongest Pokémon and I'll overcome anything you throw at me!"

Almost immediately, Nikolai stood up from his place in the stands, pulled his hat over his eyes and began walking off, muttering, "I can't be here for this."

Looker and Silver watched Nikolai leave, but Matt and Nekou paid him no mind. They were much more concerned by the mental breakdown they both saw Olivia having in the middle of her Gym battle.

"She's going to destroy herself at this rate…" Matt whispered. "We've got to stop this."

"Minccino, Tail Slap!"

"Illumise, counter that with Brick Break!"

Nekou shook her head in disagreement, though she didn't turn away from the battle as Minccino and Illumise physically attacked each other once more. "If we interfere now, what will that teach her, besides that every time she gets challenged, we try to shield her from having to face it?"

"But… you see her down there. Do you not see how much this pressure is tearing her up?"

"If it's too much for her, she's going to have to tell us that herself. She won't ever trust you if you don't first let her trust herself."

Matt shifted his view rapidly and repeatedly between Nekou and the events unfolding on the battlefield. He was struggling to decide what alarmed him more – Olivia thoughtlessly and mercilessly ordering Minccino to attack Illumise while she simply stood by grinning, or how much that sight horrified Nekou. She had been reduced to leaning forward where she sat, her face completely drained of color and her eyes reflecting a barely suppressed worry.

"It's about time we put an end to this," Olivia said as Minccino and Illumise separated from striking each other. What she didn't mention, however, was why she was suddenly eager to end her frenzy of attacks – her manic rush of energy was beginning to abate, and she could feel the crushing fear coming back worse than ever. As she fought the slowly-increasing urge to flee the battle and escape its pressure, she found her sight becoming cloudy. "I'll end this… right now… Minccino, Wake-Up Slap!"

Apparently unafraid of Olivia's latest attack choice, Bugsy and Illumise simply stood by. Minccino lunged at her foe and delivered a fierce slap across Illumise's face, but the Bug-type Pokémon barely flinched, much to the horror of both Olivia and Minccino.

"You'll have to think your moves through a little more thoroughly, Olivia. Bug-types resist Fighting-type attacks! Illumise, show her an effective way to use a Fighting-type move with Brick Break!"

Stunned by how little of a reaction her move had gotten from Illumise, Minccino didn't react fast enough to avoid the firefly's Brick Break and ended up taking a punch right to the chin. She stumbled back several steps as a bruise took shape where she'd just been struck.

Olivia realized that she had little time left to take Illumise down, as she was failing to keep the rising panic at bay. Reaching up toward her face with both hands, and with her eyes wide in a state of near madness, she screamed out, "Get rid of that Illumise NOW! Aqua Tail!"

Bugsy didn't give any command for a counter until Minccino was already in the air and descending toward his Pokémon, at which point he said, "Thunderbolt, Illumise!"

Just as Minccino struck Illumise, the Bug-type cloaked herself in electricity. The water surrounding Minccino's tail conducted the electricity up into her body, but when Illumise's body got wet from it, the energy shorted, resulting in a violent explosion.

"Did Olivia manage to beat it?" Matt wondered out loud. Like everyone else assembled in the Gym, he was fixed on the cloud of smoke left where Minccino and Illumise had met, and the stakes of the outcome were not lost on him. He was keenly aware that if Illumise emerged standing even after the exchange, Olivia would likely not be able to take any more. Glancing over to Nekou reinforced his belief, as her quiet, worried look reflected a similar pattern of thought.

Perhaps with the exception of Olivia herself, whose focus was stunted from her increasing stress, it was unanimous among those in the Gym that one of the two Pokémon would surely not emerge standing from the blast. The opinion on which one it would be was divided, so as a result, it was a surprise to the onlookers to see both Minccino and Illumise lying on the ground, still and groaning.

"Well then, a tie?" Bugsy said with a slight sense of bemusement as he recalled his fallen Pokémon. "You fought well there, Olivia. Your Minccino deserves praise."

Bugsy's words were barely getting through to Olivia at that point, though. She was too dizzy, too weak and too panicked to even register the compliments she'd been given. When she recalled Minccino, however, Bugsy took it as a signal that she was ready to continue, and he readied his Pokédex once again.

"This is the final question, Olivia. Answer it correctly and your opponent will be Kricketune, answer incorrectly and you'll face my star, Scyther."

"He can't be serious…" Matt uttered, hoping someone around him would notice. "Does he not see how stressed she is? They should at least take a break…"

"Here is the question, listen closely: I am the tallest Bug-type Pokémon, as well as the heaviest. I'm also the heaviest Pokémon of my second type. Am I Yanmega, Scolipede or Crustle?"

Olivia barely even heard the questions and choices, and she had even less capacity to consider an answer. Swaying around and just managing to stand on her feet, she replied, "Y… Yanmega…"

Little of what came out of Bugsy's mouth next even reached Olivia's ears. She heard him say that her answer was incorrect, but she failed to register anything significant after that until his Scyther appeared before her eyes, which snapped her back to attention somewhat.

"…so send out your Pokémon, Olivia. This is the last match in our battle – you've got one left, I've got one left, and the outcome of this will determine if you get the Hive Badge!"

That was when it all went horribly wrong.

The one thing Olivia hadn't fully realized until that moment was that she was up against Bugsy's strongest Pokémon with only one of her own Pokémon still left. Further, with the way the types of the remaining Pokémon in play matched up, there was only one choice she could make. Scyther, being a Bug-and-Flying-type, would make short work of a Grass-type like Roselia, and her moves would do little against the beast. That left Olivia with one option: Oshawott, who still hadn't regrown his shell and as a result was left with only Water Gun and Tackle for an offense.

"I can't do it…" she quietly said in a broken voice while staring at the ground. In her mind, she was very aware of the exit door right behind her, but her shuddering, numb body wouldn't move toward it. Her heart felt to her as if it would tear from her chest. "I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't do it…"

"You little wimp. To think I even thought about respecting you."

Jerking her head up, Olivia saw Avril and Renzo standing before her. They weren't actually present, but her downward spiral left Olivia unable to realize her hallucinations, which replaced everything that truly surrounded her.

"When I watched you battle Falkner, I saw you stick it out right to the end," the hallucinatory Avril continued, her hands on her hips. "But no… you're so weak that you can't even beat a bunch of Bug-types? And to think I'm the one who's a student."

"I just… I couldn't win, why is that such a big deal to you?!" At this point, Olivia's mind was just about completely broken. A sick feeling was rising in her stomach. "I just couldn't do it!"

"If it's not a big deal, why are you whining about it?"

"I…"

"Silence!" boomed the vision of Renzo. "You disappoint me, Olivia Lynn Mistbloom. I had hoped that you would prove to have earned at least some of your birthright… but you are a disgrace to your name. Your father never would have accepted this."

"Shut up! Don't talk about him! What right do you have…"

"He is right, Olivia."

Olivia stiffened and blinked through the tears filling her eyes. In an instant, Avril and Renzo were gone, replaced by a hallucination of Olivia's father Rich.

"Dad, what are you…"

"I raised you to be my heir, Olivia. Even after I died I made sure your education would continue by leaving you in the care of Matt Chiaki… but when your time finally came to shine, you couldn't even get one Badge. With my job, how could I accept such a thing?" Turning away from Olivia, the false Rich reached into his coat and put a large hat on. "This is goodbye, Olivia. We will not meet again."

As her vision of her father walked off, Olivia broke down and became hysterical. Tears poured from her eyes as she desperately pleaded, "No! Dad, don't leave me alone! It's not my fault! I didn't… Matt didn't teach me well enough, is that possible? It's not my fault! I did everything I had to! I don't want to be left alone…" Suddenly digging her fingernails into the skin on her face, she continued, "I'll go with you! I'll go where you are! It's not my fault, so don't abandon me!"

And then, everything went black.

-:-

In a different part of the Adenosine Base fairly far from Colress's main lab was another research facility. Papers and equipment were neatly arranged around the laboratory's perimeter, while several tall, hexagonal tanks filled with blue liquid stood in the center. It was a professional but cold place, the general mood only broken by a Polaris banner hung on the wall and the photographs littering the work stations.

In the back of the lab, Colress and three other scientists stood facing Finansielle, who was addressing them using a large video screen.

"Casual day today, Lady Finansielle?" Colress jokingly said, noting that his superior was wearing her helmet, but not the rest of her armor.

"I haven't got time for lighthearted games, Colress," Finansielle scornfully replied. "Business is very busy here. What have you called me for?"

"Ah yes, I should get to that. With my genius, I have already solved the puzzle you gave me." Turning to the other scientists, Colress took the data drive from his pocket and presented it to one of them. "On that drive is the entire genetic sequence of the Pokérus strain I was tasked with creating, as well as instructions on how to synthesize it. From here, creating it is an easy task."

"Well then, Colress, color me impressed!" Finansielle smiled warmly. "I see my investment in you was well worth it. Now tell me… what is the next step?"

"I have begun drawing up plans to build a device that can use the modified Pokérus to unlock the true potential in all Pokémon, as the research you gave me instructed. The data's instructions were correct – the system will need as much Pokémon battle data as possible, plus the Meteonite." As he spoke, Colress made his way to a large computer console near the video monitor. "In order to procure those things, I will need to leave this base for a while. The researchers here will be able to create the Pokérus strain from my genetic map, while the Guanosine Base can build the machinery. All I will need to do is write the programming for the system's software."

With that, Colress pressed a button on the console, causing a container on its top to open. From within he withdrew a computerized visor, which he then replaced his glasses with on his face. He then put his glasses in his coat and took out his tablet, which with a few touches illuminated the visor.

"Where do you plan to head now, Colress?" Finansielle asked.

"I will fly to the Purine Base first to help Getriebe and Jeunes secure their battle data and the Meteonite. After that, I have a plan to join Ghetsis in Ecruteak City, where I can gather more data for the system firsthand."

"I wish you luck, then." Slightly lowering her head, Finansielle smiled again. "A new age is about to begin, Colress, and you will be alongside us spearheading it. Polaris's promised land is not far off."

-:-

Gasping deeply for air, Olivia awoke just as abruptly as she'd collapsed.

Her vision took its time to refocus, but when she finally could see clearly again, the greenhouse roof of the Azalea Gym was what she saw. She suddenly became aware of the prickling of grass on her legs and realized she was still on the Gym's battlefield. That shock sent a cold shudder coursing through her body, but her shuddering was restrained.

The last thing she came to realize was that while she was lying on the ground, Nekou had her in a tight embrace.

"Breathe."

Olivia had no capability to reply, so she just did as she was instructed and drew deep breaths in, one after the other. She turned her sunken eyes upward and saw the simultaneous worry and relief on Nekou's face, as well as the small teardrops glistening on her glasses.

"Is she alright?" Matt said, standing off to the side with Looker and Silver to give Olivia space.

"She's awake, hasn't said anything yet though… give me the water."

Without another word, Matt tossed one of the water bottles from his bag to Nekou, and she opened it and raised it to Olivia's mouth.

"Get something to drink, it'll help."

Olivia still couldn't say anything, but the water wetting her throat was enough of a relief to restore her voice.

"W-what…" she rasped.

"Take it easy. You collapsed during the battle."

"I'm… still here?"

"Yes. We agreed to not try to move you out of fear that it would make things worse." Seeing Olivia beginning to recover brought a slight but warm smile to Nekou, though it faded somewhat as she recalled what she had seen Olivia doing during her breakdown. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Olivia hesitated with the realization that there were witnesses to her hallucinations. "No… not… not yet."

"That's fine. Tell me when you're ready." Nekou put her hand behind Olivia's back and helped her sit up.

As Olivia sat up on the grass, Bugsy approached with his Scyther. "I'm sorry I didn't realize you weren't well. If I did, I would have put the battle on hold."

"Olivia, you don't have to continue this," Matt gently said, lowering himself to eye level with her after joining them. "There's no shame in knowing when to stop."

"But at the same time," Nekou added, "if you think you can keep going, we'll support you. It's entirely up to what you think you can handle."

"I started this. I have…" A clear image of her father appeared once again in Olivia's mind. "I have to finish it."

"Then we're behind you."

In nearly perfect unison, Matt and Nekou both stood and extended a hand to the girl, and after a moment, Olivia smiled and accepted their help to stand.

"You want to continue our battle?" Bugsy questioned, intending to clearly confirm Olivia's wishes.

"Yes."

"I must say, I admire your courage. You must have something worth fighting for, if you're able to keep standing. Very well, let's take our places and resume."

While Bugsy and his Scyther walked back to their side of the battlefield, Matt and Nekou made sure that Olivia was alright before returning to the stands with Looker and Silver.

"Very brave, she is," Looker remarked.

"She's tougher than she lets on sometimes…" Matt replied. "I just hope this holds. She was talking to her father and at least one other person who wasn't there…"

Bugsy's Scyther stood confidently in front of him, looking eagerly at Olivia in the hopes that the Pokémon he'd face would soon appear. His blades glistened in the sunlight shining through the Gym's roof.

"I can't take it easy on you if you really want the Hive Badge, Olivia," Bugsy said. "Scyther is my prized Pokémon, after all, and he's the most fitting representative of what this Gym is about."

"I… I don't want you to take it easy on me. I have to do this if I'm going to get stronger, because the Gym Leaders after you will just keep getting tougher…" Olivia trailed off as she briefly remembered Renzo and Avril, then added, "…and they aren't the only ones, either. I have to do this."

"Then let's both give it all we've got."

Olivia took out a Poké Ball and stared at it for several long seconds, thinking intensely about what she was about to do. "I know we haven't necessarily connected all that well before... but I'm standing behind you this time, so please, do what you can to pull this off…"

Olivia's judgment about the situation she was in hadn't changed, even though she had had the chance to reevaluate it from a slightly calmer viewpoint. She still knew that Roselia would be helpless against the likes of a Scyther, so it was Oshawott that emerged from the Poké Ball. The moment he realized that the Scyther before him was to be his opponent, he looked back and forth to his trainer in a panic.

"Oshawott, calm down." Olivia did the best she could to soothe Oshawott's nerves, but hers were so taut that it proved to be a difficult task. "I believe in you, okay? So don't be afraid."

"Another Pokémon from Unova, huh? I've got a Shelmet, but I haven't seen too many others yet. This ought to be a fun challenge for us both."

"Where is that Oshawott's shell?" Silver quietly asked, having taken notice of the implement's absence from Oshawott's stomach.

"It broke a while ago and hasn't yet regrown," Nekou replied. "Just hope she doesn't need it."

"Well then, let's get started! Scyther, Fury Cutter!"

"Try to get out of the way and then use Tackle!"

Using his strong legs, Scyther sprang at Oshawott with his blades at the ready. Olivia's Water-type was able to roll out of the way, however, leaving Scyther to strike at the ground instead. He then jumped up and collided with Scyther's back, but the Gym Leader's Pokémon only stumbled as a result.

"Oh no!" Olivia gasped when she saw how close to Scyther Oshawott landed.

"Yes, I've got you this time! Fury Cutter, again!"

"Use Water Gun!" This was an act of desperation on Olivia's part. She was aware of how limited her options were with only Tackle and Water Gun to use, and she was putting all the thought she could into ways to apply them.

Luckily for her, Water Gun had an unintended effect she never would have thought of. Before Scyther could turn around to lash out again, Oshawott sprayed a jet of water in his face. Not only did this stun Scyther, but the force of the water also propelled Oshawott backward, putting distance between the two.

"Oh, that was clever, Olivia," Bugsy complimented, believing Olivia had deliberately intended to cause what had happened. "Scyther, Vacuum Wave! Catch it!"

Before Olivia or Oshawott could react, Scyther crossed his glowing blades and then sharply separated them, sending a bright blue pulse of energy to engulf his Water-type foe. Oshawott was left to fall face-first to the ground.

"You have it now, Scyther! Fury Cutter!"

"Oshawott, be careful!" Olivia cried, seeing that Oshawott was seemingly trapped underneath the sickle that was bearing down on him. Her focus on the seemingly hopeless situation suddenly produced an answer, however, when she realized exactly how Oshawott was lying on the ground. Smiling, she quickly called out, "Oshawott, use Water Gun to power your Tackle!"

Scyther was completely caught off guard by Oshawott abruptly rocketing off the ground by using Water Gun to propel himself, and ended up taking a blow right to the chin. The Bug-and-Flying-type Pokémon stumbled back and nearly fell, while his Water-type opponent managed to flip through the air and land neatly. A slash from Scyther's Vacuum Wave was visible on Oshawott's torso, but the rush he was getting from fighting back gave him enough resolve to try and ignore the pain.

"So this is how an Oshawott with no shell actually stands up against a Scyther," Silver uttered, unable to stop himself from getting drawn into the battle.

"I must compliment you, Olivia," Bugsy said, a wide, satisfied grin coming onto his face. "I don't see too many challengers with the kind of fire you have… funny, considering you're using a Water-type starter Pokémon, isn't it? But let me show you something… Bug-types are weak to fire, I'm sure you know that. But did you know that Bug-types can fight with the same fire you're showing me now? Scyther, Razor Wind!"

Scyther straightened out his body and stood at his full height, looking down on Oshawott as he began to flap his four wings. A whirlwind took shape in front of him, rapidly growing in intensity.

Both Olivia and Oshawott realized that using Tackle would mean willingly jumping right into the vortex, so without any order being necessary, Oshawott aimed a Water Gun at Scyther. It was, however, ineffective, as the whirlwind acted as a shield that blew away all the water. Compounding Olivia's problems, Scyther then pulled back, allowing the twister to consume Oshawott. He was pulled upward through the funnel, with the violent winds cutting at him repeatedly, until he was thrown out through the whirlwind's top and crashed to the ground, covered in cuts. The twister then continued on until it crashed into one of the trees, dissipating as it shredded the silk connected to it, bits of which fell near Olivia's feet.

"Vacuum Wave!"

Scyther quickly followed up his successful Razor Wind by lashing Oshawott with another energy blast.

With Oshawott left lying on the ground and panting, Olivia realized that one more severe blow would likely bring her second Gym challenge to another failure of an ending. She grasped her left arm as her body trembled; once again, the walls felt like they were closing in on her, and she felt trapped in more ways than one.

One thing she didn't count on was the situation completely changing.

All of a sudden, a bright blue glow surrounded Oshawott's body, and he stood back up, growling at Scyther as if he was more energized than ever.

"That's Oshawott's Ability, Torrent!" Nekou exclaimed. "Bugsy weakened Oshawott so much that it activated!"

"This battle just stopped being so one-sided," Silver observed. "I've seen the use Torrent can provide with my Feraligatr."

Bugsy stood just as surprised as Olivia was herself. "I… thought I had this. I guess it goes to show that I still have plenty to learn… but first, I have to put an end to this battle! Scyther, Razor Wind once more!"

While Scyther started forming the whirlwind again, Olivia understood what Bugsy's logic was – neither Tackle nor Water Gun would get past it, so he was betting on her not having another move he hadn't yet seen. She was, however, herself willing to gamble that Oshawott's newfound energy would change the tide by itself.

"Water Gun!" she commanded, discreetly crossing her fingers.

The whirlwind was nearly up to full strength when Oshawott fired a blast of water at it, but in spite of that, it was easily sliced through by Oshawott's attack, which was many times more intense than it had been before. With his vision blocked by his own preparation, Scyther could never have seen the Water Gun coming, and he took a direct, powerful blow to the head. Olivia's eyes glowed as she excitedly watched her fortunes change.

"She can win this with power like that!" Matt said, getting uncharacteristically excited.

"I should have expected Torrent," Bugsy remarked, "with the number of Totodile, Squirtle and their evolutions I see here. I guess I got thrown off by it being a Unova Pokémon… no matter. You put in a great effort, but I'm ending this! Scyther, use Vacuum Wave!"

"Try Water Gun again!" Olivia reflexively countered, reacting nearly instantly upon Bugsy giving his order. She recognized that if she was to have any chance of overcoming Scyther, she would have to get around this latest attack first.

In front of many pairs of anticipating eyes, Oshawott's water blast and Scyther's energy wave met. Torrent gave Oshawott the power he needed to equal Scyther's offense but not to overwhelm it, so the two attacks explosively negated each other, sending a cloud washing over both Pokémon.

Moments later, a bright light burst out from where Oshawott was standing within the smoke.

"That's…" Looker gasped. He was the only one of the spectators able to think quickly enough to speak, as the others were all enraptured by what was happening in front of them.

Olivia knew what was going on, but she was so surprised that all she could do was watch. She thought back to the events earlier in the day and remembered Nikolai telling her that Oshawott was bursting with energy, a memory that left her smiling to herself.

"All that training in Union Cave had a point to it, I guess," she thought as she took out her own Pokédex.

The light and smoke disappeared roughly simultaneously, revealing that Oshawott was no longer anywhere to be seen. Instead, standing in his place was a taller otter Pokémon, colored mostly in shades of blue and bearing a shell on each of his thighs.

"Oshawott evolved," Nekou smugly said. "Told you something good would happen for her."

"Dewott, the discipline Pokémon. Type is Water. Evolved form of Oshawott. As a result of strict training, each Dewott learns different forms for using the scalchops."

Olivia continued thumbing through the Pokédex to learn if Dewott had acquired any new moves. "Razor Shell and Aqua Jet… yes, I think I can do with those. Now that you've finally got your shell back, Oshaw… Dewott, let's put it to use. Razor Shell!"

"Fury Cutter!" Bugsy ordered, snapping out of his surprise at Dewott's evolution.

Dewott snapped one of the shells off his thigh and held it up, causing it to turn into an elongated blade, then lunged at Scyther. Scyther took a similar action, and soon, the two were locked in a vicious swordfight using their respective weapons. While Bugsy's Pokémon was the more aggressive of the two, he was crippled by an unexpected disadvantage – Dewott's smaller size enabled the Water-type to quickly dodge in and out of Scyther's slashes, rendering the Bug-and-Flying-type Pokémon unable to land any of his strikes.

Even though Dewott wasn't getting hit, though, Olivia could tell that he also wasn't going to get in any blows of his own. Looking around at her surroundings, she suddenly noticed the bits of silk at her feet and came up with an alternative idea. "Dewott, use Aqua Jet and go into the bushes, then keep moving!"

Water surrounded Dewott as he rocketed away into the foliage surrounding the battlefield and disappeared. Scyther loudly snarled about the inconvenience, and Bugsy indulged his Pokémon's desires with his next direction. "Go in after that Dewott, Scyther!"

Scyther cried out and then lunged into the bushes as well, vanishing just as Dewott had done.

For the next few minutes, an uncomfortable silence broken only by the sound of rustling leaves settled over the Gym as Dewott and Scyther chased each other in a circle around the edge of the battlefield. Olivia focused carefully on the sounds and where she perceived them to be coming from. Bugsy was certain she had something up her sleeve, but could only grimace in frustration as he was unable to figure out what it was.

Suddenly, Olivia screamed, "Now! Come out!"

Dewott darted out of the brush as soon as Olivia gave the command to do so, and Scyther followed moments later – only to be violently lashed to a halt in midair as his wings got caught in the sticky silk linking the trees he'd emerged between. Dewott was small enough to fit between the threads but Scyther wasn't.

"You led me into a trap!" Bugsy uttered in disbelief.

"That's right, I did," Olivia answered, smirking deviously. "Now take this! Dewott, Razor Shell!"

After snickering mischievously, Dewott armed himself, once again taking one of his shells in his right hand, and jumped at the trapped Scyther, first bashing him over the head with it. Dewott then spun around and delivered a devastating hit to Scyther's chin, one so powerful that it tore Scyther from the silk and threw him up into the air.

"Scyther!"

Bugsy's plea was in vain. As soon as Scyther crashed to the ground, he collapsed and did not get up. The battle was over.

As the weight of the situation began to sink in, Olivia's body became weak. "I… I did it…" she whispered as she fell to her knees. "I actually… didn't fail…"

Before Olivia even knew what was going on, Nekou was on the field embracing her. "I'm fucking proud of you, Olivia! I told you you could kick the ass of a Gym Leader, and you did!"

"Dewott!" her victorious Pokémon chimed in, having joined the pair.

"Oh, Dewott, I'm proud of you!" Olivia slipped from Nekou's arms and hugged Dewott as tears began flowing down her face. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you before! I really should… I should have believed in you from the start!"

"Dew, dewott." Seemingly disregarding the behavior Olivia felt she had to apologize for, Dewott instead reveled in the attention he was receiving.

"Olivia."

Hearing Matt's voice snapped Olivia to attention, and she stood and turned to face him. However, she said nothing and merely stared at him, conflicted about how to react.

And then, he smiled. It was small, but for him it reflected significant warmth. "Good work. That proved to me how misguided I was with the way I treated you. You're someone who is grown up enough to handle the truth, so no more lies. I'm going to respect you from now on. Not only that, I promise to do whatever I can to make your life easier, so just ask me if you ever need anything. My promise is to you now, not to a foolish idea of what I think will help you."

"Thank you," Olivia graciously replied.

"There's not really much I can add to all of this, is there?" Olivia, Nekou, Matt and Dewott all turned to Bugsy, who had approached to join them. Scratching the back of his head, the Gym Leader said, "I just have to compliment you, Olivia. I've seen challengers lose their will and leave, but you didn't do that… you stuck it out and overcame everything thrown at you. You deserve this."

Bugsy extended his hand to Olivia. In it was a round pin bearing a red-and-black ladybug pattern – the Hive Badge.

-:-

Hours later, after night had fallen, a clear sky full of stars hung over Goldenrod City. The metropolis stretched on for what seemed like forever, sprawled over most of Johto's central peninsula with a densely populated, heavily developed area at its core.

The bright neon lights shining from buildings, billboards and countless other structures gave the city the golden glow it was named for, and one could be fooled by it into thinking that the city was a man-made paradise. However, the stark reality was more like the typical negative stereotype of a big city, at least in the less-developed areas. Discarded trash was scattered about many of the streets, and numerous Pokémon considered pests, including Rattata, Grimer and the occasional Trubbish and Garbodor, were lurking about. The unsettling truth hidden by the fancy cover of the city's central area wasn't lost on Jessie, James and Ariana as they escorted Giovanni through the streets of the southern district, all four of them concealing their identities behind black trench coats and hats.

"Look at this place," Jessie whispered to James as they walked. She was observing the run-down conditions of many of the buildings, and her stomach turned to think of the people who had to live in them. "I lived this, and for everything I've done, this is what I wouldn't want to wish on anyone. Not even that bratty twerp."

Subtly nodding in agreement, James added, "If we did take over, we'd definitely treat the people better than this. Just because we want to be in charge, that doesn't mean we want to cause too much harm to who we rule. We'd take over but make sure people could live better than this."

"The city is like this because of the Angel Corporation's developments," Ariana bitterly remarked. The state of Viridian City was right at the front of her mind. "Ever since they started capitalizing on the Frontier Society, it's been nothing but non-stop development everywhere."

"Hey, wait. Shouldn't we do something about him?"

At James's notice, Jessie, Ariana and Giovanni stopped walking and glanced in the direction he was pointing. It turned out that he had noticed someone sitting on the sidewalk as they passed, and the young man's physical state was a perfect example of the problems Goldenrod's slums had. Dressed in a dirty brown coat and holding a cardboard sign, he was slouched against one of the buildings in a way that made it difficult to tell if he was awake, asleep or even alive.

James leaned down to read the sign. "Lost four times at Goldenrod Gym. No more money for healing, food or lodging."

"James!" Jessie's sudden call startled her partner, and he turned abruptly to look at her. "Give him this."

Jessie reached into her pocket for a roll of money that she then tossed to James. After catching it, he reached down to the failed trainer.

"Hey, are you awake?"

"Wh…what…?" the young man weakly asked, pushing his hat up so he could see.

"Take this. Try to take better care of yourself."

The young man hesitated out of surprise before taking the money from James. "Thank you, really! This will get me into the Pokémon Center so I can heal my Pokémon and have a place to rest tonight!"

"Think nothing of it," Jessie said. "Just don't spend it all in one place. Rest up and try training more before you challenge another Gym."

"I will. Just... thank you so much!"

Jessie and James turned away as the young man stood up, but Ariana caught Giovanni furtively stopping him and slipping him some more money out of the corner of her eye. She smiled to herself before he could notice. Soon, the four were walking again.

"That was kind of weird," James commented to Jessie. "We used to be the ones with no money. Now we're the ones giving it out."

"Well, that changed because we got the Boss to have faith in us, of course. After we got promoted, money wasn't a problem anymore."

A sudden beeping interrupted Jessie and James's conversation, and all four of them stopped walking in front of an alley. Ariana took a small GPS device bearing Team Rocket's insignia from her pocket and looked at it.

"This is the place," she announced to the others.

"Yes, yes it is." Pierce had emerged from the alley without notice to join the quartet. "It is good to see that you've all made it here in one piece."

"Pierce, where is the base you were going to have prepared?" Jessie sharply questioned.

"Right this way. Professor Rosalie, Trevor, Ada and I have been awaiting your arrival."

Pierce turned, crossed his hands behind his back, and began walking down the alley. Giovanni, Ariana, Jessie and James followed.

-:-

At around the same time, Matt, Nekou and Olivia were sitting at a table in a small, candlelit restaurant in Azalea Town.

"Thanks for doing this for me…"

"Olivia, please, don't sound so down," Matt said in an attempt to encourage her. "You did really well today, so we're having a little celebration."

"Is there anything you want to do while we wait for the food?" Nekou asked Olivia.

Olivia thought for a moment while petting Dewott, who was sitting contently next to her, then said, "I want to talk to my mom. Can you guys make that happen?"

"I don't see why not." After taking his tablet computer out of his bag, which was sitting on the seat next to him, Matt tapped the phone icon on its menu screen and selected 'Anabel' from his contact list. He then handed the computer to Olivia while the phone function dialed.

An animation of a telephone shaking over its cradle looped on the screen for some time, but when the line was finally picked up, it was replaced by a video stream of a pale woman with a somewhat sunken face and long, unkempt lavender hair.

"…Olivia?" the woman said in surprise.

"It's good to see you, mom! Ask me how I've been!"

"Where are you?"

"Olivia, let me talk to her for a second." Olivia tilted the computer toward Matt so the woman on the screen could see him. "Anabel, she's with us, like always. Right now, we're sitting down for dinner in Azalea Town."

"And do you want to know why?" Olivia asked as she turned the computer back to herself. "I got my first Badge today!"

"Oh, is that so…? Well done, Olivia. I'm proud of you."

"And I know Dad would have been, too." Anabel visibly recoiled at Olivia mentioning her father, but Olivia wasn't fazed. "I know about what really happened."

"I'm sorry, Olivia. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you…"

"I don't blame you for it. I… I think I'm over not knowing the truth now."

"Our food's coming," Nekou interjected, having spotted their waiter approaching the table.

"Olivia, keep going and be strong. Make your father proud. He's always going to be with you."

"I will! Bye, Mom!"

Olivia ended the call and handed the tablet back to Matt as the waiter arrived.

"Two premium steaks, one medium with grilled onions and the other rare with garlic and chili powder?"

"Rare's mine," Nekou said. "Nice, hot and raw, the way I like it."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Matt sighed as he set up his own plate.

"And one deluxe macaroni and cheese for the lady," the waiter politely said as he handed the last plate over the Olivia. "Let me know if you need anything," he added before leaving.

"That looks good, Olivia," Nekou commented.

"My dad used to make something like this for me," she answered, a strong hint of melancholy in her voice.. "He said it was something from where he grew up, Sootopolis City."

Matt and Nekou began eating, but Olivia didn't touch her food at all right away. Instead, she spent the next few minutes sitting silently and staring at it.

"I've decided," she suddenly blurted out.

"Decided? What do you mean?" Matt questioned.

"I… I think I know what I want to do now. I mean, I don't know why I want to do it yet… but I feel like I need to focus on Gyms and forget about Contests for now…"

"I was wondering what had happened to those, actually," Nekou said while spinning her fork in her fingers.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do that? When I first met you, you loved Contests."

Olivia returned an intense gaze into Matt's eye. "I still do. But if I'm going to find what I'm meant to do, I have to focus on one effort at a time. Otherwise my attention will be spread too thin. Before I can worry about Contests, I have to really learn more about straight battling."

"That's a very mature thing you've done, then, making such a decision by yourself. I think Nekou would agree with me on that." Matt sighed again when he saw that Nekou was already eating and could only respond by nodding wildly. "My point is, you're taking charge of your own future, and I couldn't be more proud of you for that."

"Thanks… now, I think Nekou's right, we should eat."

-:-

Even later on in the middle of the night, a man in a Team Rocket uniform was hiding out in a cave somewhere and speaking to Dr. Zager using a computer contained inside a heavy briefcase. He wore a black beret over his green hair, which was styled into the shape of an axe blade on its side.

"Proton, your mission is to defeat the Polaris member who has gone to Ilex Forest. We've received intelligence that one of their high-ranking members is there from our man on the inside of their Goldenrod operation. That might not be what you really have to worry about, though…

Proton raised an eyebrow at Zager's advice. "Explain to me just what's going on."

"There was a burst of energy matching the Meteonite in the general area of Union Cave recently," Zager elaborated. "I suspect Polaris is to blame for it, and if I'm correct, there may be more inciden…" The sudden sound of an alarm interrupted him, and he looked to his computers, only to quickly become visibly panicked. "Speak of the devil… they're doing something right now!"

"What now?" Proton demanded, his voice containing a slight growl.

"Look at this." Zager swiftly entered a command into his system, which caused a window containing a digital reading of the area between Azalea Town and Goldenrod City to appear on Proton's screen. Part of the space depicted on the reading was marked with a bright red circle. "That's another Meteonite burst. One just hit in Ilex Forest..."

Before Proton could respond, the alarm sounded again, and a yellow dot appeared on the readout. Zager simply regarded this one with surprise, and he entered several commands into his computer to make sure he wasn't seeing it incorrectly.

"A temporal distortion... the Meteonite burst must have disrupted temporal energy flowing through Ilex Forest. This could be a precursor to the opening of a Time Gate…"

-:-

In the Pokémon Center, Olivia awoke with a start, clutching her stomach. Unable to move her legs much, she simply rolled out of her bed and crashed to the floor, waking Matt up. She barely missed falling on Dewott, who was sleeping next to her bed and also awoke with a start.

"Olivia?!" he gasped, desperately trying to put on his glasses without catching them in his eyepatch. "What's wrong?"

"It… it hurts…"

The noise stirred Nekou, and she dropped the beer bottle she had been clutching while sprawled on her bed. "What's going on…?"

"I'm… I'm…"

Unable to speak further, Olivia suddenly vomited onto the floor and rolled over on her side. Nekou was up and at Olivia's side in an instant, throwing two more beer cans aside from under the sheets as she sprang up. Dewott, meanwhile, cried out, unable to do anything to help.

"Go get the nurse," Nekou directed Matt while holding Olivia in her arms. "This is a Pokémon Center, but they should be able to help her."

END of CHAPTER 11