Divine Misery Chamber

by Jefferfef

In the futurized mega-city of Lumiose City, The Pokémon Rangers, now a militarized taskforce, engage in maintaining stability within the largest city in the world. This story follows a squadron in their prime as they uncover the dark secrets of the city, and gain further understanding as to what it means in being true protectors of both people and Pokémon.

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Death Hidden in the Waterfalls

January, 3029

"So, anyways. That was my night last night." Kade said, sitting atop Avalugg's back. They were all gathered at Triple C's basecamp, as they were preparing for their ascension to the top. Kade lowered his mask to feel the surprisingly warm winter breeze against his face as the rising sun spread around the peaks of neighboring mountains.

After Kade's story, Avalugg would go onto tell his tale of a bender him and Beartic took part in a few nights prior at their temporary encampment, not far from the construction site. They told Kade of the wild events that took place at the party, including an avalanche that both Avalugg and Beartic swear the other caused. "Nah, nah. Ya'll can keep your fermented snoberries to yourselves. That would knock my human ass out."

Kade then heard a set of distance stomps approach them in a hurry. It was Gigalith walking as fast as his four rocky legs could carry him. He approached the group near the base of their zipline and promptly apologized for being late. "No big deal. We didn't wait too long."

Soon after, Terrace appeared before them in his winter construction gear. "Morning Kade. Did you get your agenda file loaded up?" He asked. "Yep. We're ready to go." Kade said. "Perfect. If you need anything, just call."

Today was the day they set up the foldable, metal bases for the houses along the mountain side that they had cleared a day prior. While Kade ascended the slope on the zipline, the Pokémon hauled carts carrying the compact bases to the first major outcropping. Today, the group would work upwards.

Kade again 'supervised' the work the construction Pokémon performed while Gallade did his usual patrol route around an empty side of the mountain. Unlike yesterday, Kade became bored almost immediately. He lowered himself to the ground and approached the three hardworking Pokémon. "Hey. I wanna help with something." Kade said, eyeing the complex series of steel beams stacked in each of the carts. The Pokémon looked at each other with smiles. They wanted to see him lift one. "They can't be that heavy. When Shauna showed us the blueprints of these things they looked pretty hollow, in that the houses can be flexible or some shit."

He bent down and grabbed a thinner beam, only to jerk his arm and find the pieces immovable. He tried again, and again. Each time with more strength added. Eventually he was able to get a beam to shift a little in its place. "Man… How about…. How about you guys set 'em up and I'll like position them in the way they gotta be." Kade huffed. The Pokémon laughed and agreed to his idea.

This task Kade put before himself was much easier. As the beams were raised for him, he lined up the corners of each of the small shelters and extended the foldable outer walls for them, creating somewhat of a dome shaped structure.

Beyond the groups that Owen and Tyrene led, there were other groups contracted with Triple C doing other tasks involving the house preparations. A few of the workers raised eyebrows at Kade working alongside the other Pokémon but kept to their business, since the pace at which Kade and his group worked was more than efficient. "Oh yeah." Kade panted. "This is too easy!"

During the afternoon, Gino walked around his basecamp with a bag full of camera equipment on his back. Magnezone hovered down to him, as they prepared to ride towards new sections of the mountains that had yet to be put under surveillance. "Not too cold today." Gino said as he patted Magnezone's steel hide.

"Gino." Tyrene's voice called to him from behind. He turned to see her and Blastoise. "What are you up to?" she asked. "Just setting up cameras." He replied, strapping some smaller bags to Magnezone. "Can I help?"

"No." Gino said. "Please? I'm so bored. I finished all the work they assigned me. I really need something to do for the rest of the day." She insisted. "This isn't a two-person job." He sighed. "Then my help will make it all the easier."

Gino glared at her for a moment, silently cursing her persistence. However, his ambition to keep her away from him was weak compared to her need for work. "Alright. You'll help me. But we aren't carrying you." Gino leapt upon Magnezone before they flew away at immense speed. "Hah! Magnezone will need to fly faster to lose us!" Tyrene signaled Blastoise to pick her up and begin their pursuit. Despite being grounded, they never lost sight of Gino and Magnezone as Blastoise leapt around cliff faces and along large boulders with his strong legs. Tyrene held tightly to Blastoise's shell as she kept her eyes glued to Gino and Magnezone, not once looking away.

At the first surveillance site, Gino and Magnezone settled to the ground. As Gino began unpacking his bag, he heard the occasional smash of Blastoise jumping from the ground draw closer, until Blastoise and Tyrene again appeared before him. "Made it." Tyrene hopped down from Blastoise's shell.

"What's the plan?" she asked. Gino pointed down the ledge of the mountain side that they stood on. "See that ravine? It starts around the construction site. From there it leads miles down the slope until opening up into a valley." He retrieved a tripod from his bag. "Here we'll set up two cams on each side of the ravine. Then there's motion sensors that go in and above the ravine." He explained. "Simple."

They began sorting out the equipment for what needed to go where. Gino was right in that this was a single person job. Tyrene just found herself holding objects for Gino while he positioned his cameras just right, facing the ravine. "So… why do we need surveillance over this big ravine anyways. This is pretty far away from the work site." Tyrene wondered.

"It's the next best route to get to the site. The road is already under tight security." Gino looked away from the lens and out across the colossal crevasse. "I'm taking every precaution to keep Triple C's worksite safe."

"But why would anyone want to mess with it?" Tyrene asked. "There are forces in the city that are against Triple C's objective. Forces willing to quash any project that undermines their control. Clay mentioned them before. Molcanloc. There's a benefit in having homeless Pokémon in the streets as opposed to people. Homeless Pokémon are easier to exploit. They work to maintain it by any means. Triple C's projects in building Pokémon shelters has already been tampered with three times. The last time resulted in a few workers losing their lives. But now Triple C has the PRA backing them. We won't let there be a fourth time." Gino explained.

He turned to find Tyrene fidgeting with a camera lens. "I knew it. It's as dumb as I thought. Hey, Gino… Do you remember the Lumiose City's reconstruction after the flood? The region was able to rehome over 90% of misplaced survivors in six months. Six months. I don't think that level of efficiency has ever been seen in history. And then there was a mini collapse three years later. Why? No one knows! Tons of people and Pokémon were just dumped out on the streets again. This Triple C situation reminded me of that."

"I became a Ranger so one day I could run for office." Tyrene stated. "…Really? You want to be a politician?" Gino asked. "I do. I want to put all this dumb shit to rest. I believe that by working as a Pokémon Ranger I can gain the best sense as to how the city functions and how people treat and react to systems in place. And that includes the PRA itself."

"How do you think the public feels about Rangers?" Gino asked. "I know they hate us. They blamed us for Lugia's flood and the fallout after. But I think Rangers are protectors. My teacher told me stories of the lengths Rangers reached to keep Lumiose City from crumbling completely. That's how I know who Kade's dad is. And how Kade's nothing like him."

"I've met Major Hollinder as well. Nice guy. If every Ranger was like him, your perception of the Rangers would have better backing. Unfortunately…" Gino trailed off. "I'm aware not every Ranger has a stellar background. But honestly, I don't know too much about PRA activity during the flood or anything immediately after. Back then I was only eight. When my Dad caught wind of Lugia bringing a great wave towards Kalos, he stuck Owen and I in one of his secure laboratories deep in the mountains. We stayed there for days before we even saw the outside. Water didn't even reach the mountains."

A silence followed after Tyrene's story. Gino latched up his bags as he got ready to move to the next site while Tyrene just sat on a rock, giving Gino a curious gaze. "Hey Gino. What's your flood story?" she asked. "That's private." He said as he hooked some bags up against Magnezone. "Is it why you're in this job?" Tyrene questioned further. Gino stopped and stood still. "…You're prying where you shouldn't." He warned. "I really want to know. Everyone from Lumiose has one. Besides, you're my teammate. I'd rather get to know you sooner than later."

Gino contemplated for a moment. He still wanted to say no, but he knew Tyrene would ask again, if not now, then she would ask another day. "Tyrene, I don't think you'd make a good politician. You care too much about other people's stories."

July, 3014

Gino gripped the headrest of the car seat in front of him. "BOY you keep that seatbelt on!" His father ordered. Gino's seatbelt was still latched, but he just couldn't pull his watery gaze away from the scenery beyond the windshield of the minivan. Not even the raging storms overhead, whose winds swatted the vehicle from side to side, could rattle Gino free from the terror paralyzing him.

As the family of four sped along the highway, the world as they knew it was being swallowed right before their eyes. The western sea crept across land with no sign of stopping. Every time Gino blinked, he would notice another building of Shalour City disappear under the waves. The rain pelted the road like a meteor storm. Gino's father gave all focus and function to the road in front and the wheel in his hands. The force keeping them from sliding off the rocky ledge beside them was Magnezone.

The electric Pokémon channeled all energy he could into momentum and magnetism. With his magnet hanging from his underbelly, Magnezone kept the vehicle attached to him as he flew as fast as he could, all while guiding the two-ton chamber of terror along the curves of the road.

Gino's little brother was curled in a fetal position across from him, just as petrified as his older brother. Their mother reached behind her and grabbed Gino's hand. "It'll be alright. It'll be alright. Magnezone is a strong Pokémon. He will get us to safety. Believe in him."

"Lily, refresh the map." The father instructed. The mother, Lillian, began tapping on the electric dashboard, pinpointing the map to a tunnel farther down the highway. "That's where we're going! It acts as a disaster shelter for times like this. I need to let Magnezone know." The father said as he rolled his window down. "Be careful, Gerald!" Lily gasped as rainwater began splashing into the car.

Gerald shouted the directions to Magnezone before leaning back in and closing the window. "We aren't far. We can cut the travel time in half. I pray they haven't shut those doors already." Gerald wiped his drenched face with a shaking hand.

The highway sloped downwards, leading towards an opening carved into the hillside. It was the entrance to the tunnel. "Almost there, boys!" Gerald announced to his sons in the back. Gino turned his head slightly, seeing beside them the rush of ocean water quickly fill up the valleys beside the highway. The tips of the waves started to splash onto the road itself. Magnezone kept his magnetic grip firm, pulling the car through bursts of waves splashing over.

Quickly, the scene darkened as they entered the tunnel. Water was already flowing along drainage trails partially onto the road. The space was tight for Magnezone to fly through, but he tried his best to maintain the speed he had before bringing the family into the tunnel.

Gino turned in his seat, seeing the waves spill right into the mouth of the tunnel behind them. The threshold of the drainage channels maintaining this sudden flood broke. Not long after they entered the tunnel, the ocean itself began its chase, deeper and deeper into the tunnel.

"Looks like we got here in the nick of time!" Gerald hollered. He watched the turn of the tunnel carefully, until the large disaster doors came into view. To their horror, the doors were already partially shut. Seeing that the gap slowly shrank between the heavy doors, Gerald floored it, throwing away the fear of losing control on the slick road.

Magnezone felt the car accelerate and tried to match its aggression. It led to him slamming into some of the exposed pipes hanging down from the tunnel's ceiling. But he pressed on. "Come on…" Gerald growled under his breath. Their speed now had Gino feeling he was on a spaceship shooting across galaxies at hyper speed.

Magnezone and the van reached the set of disaster doors. The next thing he knew, Gino found himself sitting on the bare concrete floor of the tunnel. He had a spinning sensation in his head. Sound felt muffled and murky against his eardrums. He felt as though he had just reached the bottom of an intense water slide.

Before him he saw a crowd. He saw many people rushing towards him. He calmly touched his ear, feeling a warm fluid cling to his fingers. He looked down at his hand to see it drenched in blood. "We made it. That's good." Gino promptly stood up and turned around.

The van lay meters from the closed doors, bisected down the middle. The present half of the vehicle displayed its innards to Gino and all the survivors in the tunnel's bunker to see. Gino's mom was still latched to her seat. She dangled upside down from the passenger side. She was caked in her own blood which trickled down from her, along the fold of the van running across the roof where it was crumpled into the letter c, and finally pooled together in the car seat that Gino was just sitting in.

She wasn't moving. The crowd finally burst upon Gino and the van like the ocean waves had over their city. Paramedics handled Gino amidst the crowd rigorously investigating the crash site. He was asked questions but he remained silent. Instead he glared at the wreckage of his family's car, directly at where his mom lay suspended in the air. A paramedic Quagsire picked Gino up and carried him away from the chaos gathered at the wreckage. As he lay in Quagsire's arms, he looked up to see Magnezone hovering overhead.

Magnezone was a Pokémon with very few facial features. He only had a single eye to designate a face for others to focus on. But Gino could still see utter devastation etched into that singular eye. He didn't know what Magnezone had just seen. He didn't know how the family Pokémon witnessed the butchering of the family.

January, 3029.

"My Mom lived. She lost both left limbs. I had a concussion and a twisted ankle. My brother and father died on impact. Only half the van made it through the opening" Gino paused after his story. "That's how the flood was for me."

Tyrene was completely taken aback. "Gino…" Gino held a hand up, blocking any sympathy she was about to give him. "I'm a Ranger because of it. I work to make sure it never happens again." He said. Magnezone stayed solemnly still as he rested on the ground. "Well… It's already been 15 years since then. You must be doing a good job."

Kade sat on top of a finished shelter home next to Gallade. From the middle of the mountain face, they sat alongside the three worker Pokémon as they all observed their finished work, glistening in the afternoon sun. "It's just too easy." Kade said to his new friends. He pounded his fist against the shelter's steel exterior, admiring the sturdiness of its hollow shell.

From a distance, the mountain side seemed to glitter from all of the shelters that had been built. At the basecamp, Clay and Mavis stood together, inspecting the work along the mountain above them. "Looks like they're a few days early." He said. "Maybe there's more to the new guys than you thought." Mavis nudged him with her elbow. "Don't go giving them credit for the construction pokemons' work."

Kade and his team descended the mountain. Having finished their assignment, they went to join up with the group gathered in the gravel lot of the base camp. Tyrene and Gino had returned from setting up their surveillance around the area. Owen had come back from the main cabin where he had dismissed his work team for the day. "Looks like everyone's here. Good job, people." Clay said.

Terrace then approached the Rangers, electronic clipboard in hand. "Afternoon, everybody. Thanks for all your hard work these past few days. Our next step is to get the installment people up here to take care of shelter interiors. We'll contact them about the services the Rangers provide, but for now, Triple C will stand aside for this process." He said. "Sounds good. Tell Shauna she can contact us anytime in the future. We're always ready to help." Clay and Terrace shook hands.

"Does that mean we're done?" Kade whispered to Tyrene. "I think so. I've been told collaborative jobs with the Pokémon Rangers don't normally last long." Tyrene said. "Oh man…" Kade turned and looked at Avalugg, Beartic, and Gigalith all standing aside, conversing with each other.

"Alright, let's head out." Clay announced to his team. Everyone started walking towards the van. Terrace signaled for the three construction Pokémon to follow him. Avalugg and Beartic began their way, softly roaring their goodbyes to Kade. Gigalith stopped short, turning to Kade briefly. Kade approached him. "Hey, maybe I can see you guys sometime outside of work. Looks like we're done with this place, so…." Kade peered into Gigalith's jagged eyes.

Never had he seen a more intense look of distress. Gigalith subtly shook, either out of sadness or nervousness, Kade couldn't tell. "…You okay?" he asked. Gigalith turned between Kade and his coworkers. With a shaking and hesitant voice, he gave Kade a statement.

"Could you come back tonight?"

"Huh?" Kade raised an eyebrow. But Gigalith already scuttled away towards Terrace and the other Pokémon. "Uh…" Kade then heard Clay's voice call to him. "Kade! Hurry up!" Kade turned to catch up to his squad, keeping Gigalith's words present in his mind.

The First Regiment returned to their home for the evening. They unpacked the van and brought their equipment inside to be stored. Clay was gleaming. "That may have been the simplest job we've done before." He said, smiling while the team sat around waiting for dinner to be made. "Quick and easy." Mavis added.

Kade sat solemnly on the couch, arms propped up on his knees. He replayed Gigalith's words in his mind over and over, trying to decipher any ulterior meaning. Gallade stood beside him, knowing his trainer was troubled by this. He looked at Clay, wondering if Kade should say anything. But he understood Kade bound his Pokémon understanding to secrecy. Gallade wondered to what extent Kade could keep this secret. Perhaps this was why Kade was so troubled. Gallade looked at Empoleon, wondering what would happen if he told the commanding Pokémon of the squad himself about Gigalith. But so far throughout their time within the First Regiment, Gallade always felt uneasy around Empoleon.

Owen noticed Kade sitting on the couch by himself, staring at the rug beneath his feet. "Kade. You good, my man? Look like you're boutta throw up." He said. "…Huh? Oh, I'm good." Kade replied, straightening himself up.

"I just… feel like I could've done a better job." He said, justifying his demeanor. "My man. First job will always make you feel like that. Nothing wrong with being a beginner at something." Owen said. "Thanks, Owen. Hope I can shake this bad feeling."

After dinner, everyone retired to their own areas in the house. Gino sat in his computer room, playing a computer game to relax. It felt like it had been forever since the last time he had time to himself. As he looked around his dark and dusty computer room, he realized he hadn't spent much time held up in here either. He thought about the newcomers to the squadron and their contributions so far. "They aren't that bad." He said to himself.

He thought about Tyrene, and how she seemed to be forcing her way into all his business. No one, not even Clay had ever been that pushy towards him, besides his own mother. He thought about the conversation they had on the mountain. He thought about how he told his story to her. "She needs a specialty. Something to get her off my back."

Magnezone emanated a low hum of static as he lay upright in his personal indentation in the floor. It was something he typically did while in a deep sleep. "Long day, huh?" Gino mumbled. He remembered the exhausted bodies of the team lounging in the living room earlier in the evening, as he was preparing for dinner. It was then he thought about what Kade said. "What was he thinking about?"

It was typical for the Rangers to be wary of something. A bad feeling or gut feeling had developed into a primary survival instinct for the veterans of the First Regiment. Gino crossed his arms. "…I'll check the cams." He decided.

He planned to check them in the morning, as he normally does for any surveillance system he sets up. He booted up his security program, displaying its multiple tabs of camera folders. He navigated to the camera that he and Tyrene set up together by the ravine below the construction site, where Gino told his story. While the live camera feed loaded, he leaned back in his chair.

A view of the dark ravine filled the monitor. The full moon illuminated the dark mountain sides, giving shape and depth to the picture on the screen. The moon barely dipped into view from the very top of the monitor. Small clouds hovered low along the peaks of the mountains, their bellies skimming the top of the monitor, passing over the moon every now and then. Gino just sat and watched the passive scene while more thoughts of the day's happenings enveloped his mind once more.

October, 3015

Over one year after the flood of Lugia, A monument was constructed in the heart of Lumiose City's Central District to pay tribute to the lives lost in the flood. The monument was a glass tower with a spiral stream of running water flowing down a smooth cement path along the exterior of the tower. Inside the tower's glass walls were 40 floors with several moving magnetic platforms that traveled between each floor, designed by the Great Professor Rutigen.

Within the center of the tower was a single bronze pillar that traveled through every floor. For each floor, there were a thousand names and photos of victims who lost their lives during Lugia's flood. One could use the network of magnetic platforms to scale up and down the pillar on every floor and position themselves right next to each and every name and portrait. With it's glass shell encompassing the entirety of the tower, the pillar of names was always glowing in the daylight. The monument was named The Central Waterfall.

On the 35th floor, twelve year-old Gino sat on his motionless platform hovering a few feet in the air. He stared with tired eyes at the two names next to each other and their portraits. Gerald Lynn, 41. George Lynn, 9. Gino's father and brother shared a portrait together, both sitting on a motorcycle and wearing sunglasses; looking cool. The sun painted Gino's back in light, casting his shadow over these names and faces.

Gino heard the near silent hum of another platform scaling up the pillar of names towards him. He heard it stop short just a few feet below him. Out the corner of his eye he could see someone's head come into view just over the edge of his platform. Gino could feel them look at him for several seconds before facing the pillar.

"I'm sorry to bother you, young man, but may I ask you to help identify someone for me? My vision is not as precise as it used to be." An older voice requested. Gino turned, expecting an old man to be standing next to him. But instead he saw the head of a fit looking gentleman no older than 50, glaring at the pillar like he was lost in its contents.

Gino glanced back and forth between the man and the pillar. He scooted on his platform closer to the man. The stranger's decorated Pokémon Ranger uniform came into view as Gino leaned over. "Heri Laodoon." Gino said softly. "Yes… This is the right one then." The man said, placing a hand on the pillar. "Thank you."

The portrait above the name was of a woman wearing a blue sundress as she leaned against the railing of a boat in the open ocean. In the picture, the sun was setting against the ocean's horizon, left of the woman's arm. The man's eyes didn't move as he stood.

Gino felt annoyed that this guy interrupted his time alone in the tower. But as he observed the stranger's motionlessness, he felt that maybe his eyesight was worse than he thought. "…Have you found who you're looking for, young man?" the stranger asked.

"Yea." Gino turned back to the names of his family. "I'm sorry for your loss." The man said. Gino didn't respond. Another moment of silence passed as the two both mourned the lives of the names carved before them.

"Curse the Pokémon Rangers." Gino glanced back after hearing the man's sudden outburst. His face was beet red. "May those who declare themselves heroes be thrown into the deepest depths of hell, for no act of heroism was done by our hands. Our weak, pathetic hands. Why, Arceus, must our heroes die with Lugia? Why leave the cowards and traitors to protect our home?"

Gino sat silently while the man ranted. "Somewhere out there, there must be a human mind clever enough to deter any threat. To outsmart any danger. If Dr. Kelser is that mind, then Heri, guide me to him. Pokémon power just can't save us anymore."

When the man said this, Gino thought of Magnezone carrying his family in the car. The alternate scenarios that haunted Gino ever since the incident came flooding back. Thoughts of what could have gone differently, what Magnezone could have done differently swirled in his mind once again. Existential weakness. Gino tapped his fingers against his shin faster and faster as he sat trying to ward this dread away.

Suddenly a noise erupted from the floor below. Gino turned to see a crowd of people with cameras all shouting and pointing towards the man next to him. "GENERAL WALLACE!" "GENERAL WALLACE, OVER HERE!" Gino scooted away from the ledge of his platform, pressing his back against the pillar of names. The man didn't turn until he noticed the intimidated boy cowering beside him. He faced the crowd. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

His commanding voice bellowed within the tall room, wrapping around the pillar. The rapid sounds of camera clicking remained but the voices of the reporters and paparazzi fell silent. "This is a place of mourning that you've interrupted! You all disgust me! Have I not answered all your questions! What more could you beasts possibly want?!"

The crowd of people looked around awkwardly at each other before a lone reporter stepped forward. "General Wallace, it is believed the Pokémon Rangers are in possession of weapons of mass destruction capable of taking down a Pokémon such as Lugia. Is this what the PRA had in mind when discussing their contingency against a threat like Lugia shortly after the flood?" they asked.

General Wallace stared at the crowd with his eyes ablaze in anger. Gino thought he was about to leap from his platform and fight everyone on the floor. "Talk to Dr. Kelser! Any sort of pipedream like that is his to oversee now! If anyone else asks me a question at this time, I will personally see to it that your name is added to this pillar. Now leave!" Wallace maintained his battle ready stance above the crowd until each individual had left the floor of the tower.

Once they were alone again, Wallace turned back to the picture of his lost love. He didn't say anything. The room returned to its quiet ambience of water trickling down its intricate paths. Gino now glanced at him occasionally, curious about the popularity of this man. He saw Wallace reach into the breast pocket of his coat and pull something out. "Excuse me again, young man." Gino turned, seeing the General hold a small, metallic orb in the palm of his hand. "I want you to have this."

"I don't know you." Gino said hesitantly. "I'm guessing you heard what that reporter asked, right? This is what she was talking about. Heri, my wife, has locked something away inside this mechanism. She eluded that it contained the key to defeating Lugia, but she was killed during the flood before she could explain any further."

"Why are you giving it to me?" Gino asked. "It's useless to me. Heri was the only one who knew how to open it, and no matter what or who I asked, I haven't been able to see what's inside. There is no person I know left alive that I trust. That's why I want to give it to you. Despite that we've never met, You have more of my trust than any 'circle' I'm affiliated with." Wallace set the orb on the platform Gino sat on. "Who knows, maybe you will figure it out. That'd be better than the rest."

January, 3029

Gino held the orb in his hands. He looked at it uninterestingly as he sat reclined in his office chair. He set it back on his desk, returning his attention to his monitors. The moonlit mountainside remained undisturbed from every POV. From the ravine camera's angle, a cloud drifted slowly in front of the full moon resting over the mountain side. Gino sighed, admiring the view.

The glowing rocks. The breeze swirling in glittering snow. The stars in the sky. On the monitor it all seemed so…. Familiar. Gino slowly sat up. He adjusted his glasses as his eyes widened. "…This just played." Gino paused the surveillance footage and rewound it. Five minutes. Six minutes. Seven minutes. Here, his lingering suspicion was realized to his horror. A 45-second clip of the ambient environment was playing on loop on every single one of his monitors.

Immediately, Gino pulled one of several levers beside his keyboard, initiating a blaring alarm all throughout the house. Everyone woke up instantly. Gino and Clay entered the hallway at the same time, hastily throwing on their jackets. "Talk to me." Clay said. "Someone got into my cameras at the construction site. Whoever did it is at the site. Or they accessed my system through my network system at the main base. Latter is unlikely." Gino explained. Kade and Tyrene burst into the hallway behind them, still fumbling with their utility vests. Their Pokémon followed. "Once everyone is out I'll have a plan ready." Clay said.

Every team member and Pokémon stood in a circle in the basement's storage. Everyone had equipped themselves with their designated ordinance as instructed by Clay. In less than two minutes everyone was ready to go. Upon recognizing everyone's firm attention, Clay began with his briefing.

"For our first operation, we're splitting into two teams. Gino and Kade, you're coming with me to the construction site. Mavis, take the van with Tyrene and Owen and go to Shauna Creetley's residence. If Triple C's project is being tampered with, then her life is in danger. Bring her to the city headquarters and we'll work from there." Clay looked around, ensuring that his team understood their objective. "This kind of thing has happened before. If my hypothesis is right about the plot at hand, we can prevent anything bad from happening if we're quick. Let's move out."

"Yessir!"