Here we go with my old, needing to be replaced computer. Today's date is March 29th, and I type that to say that I will finish this chapter in two weeks or less, when I go to get a new one. Also, remember that I don't always write scenes for the many Pokémon Chris captures.

A Closer Look

The original plan may have been for the helicopter to drop Chris off in Veilstone City, but that plan was changed when he and the pilot got a glimpse of Lake Valor. "Ah, hell." The pilot says. "I'm gonna find you an open area in Route 214 instead. You've gotta get to Lake Valor as soon as possible."

"Agreed." Chris responds, as the pilot scans the ground. She finds a spot after a few minutes of searching.

"Here. This should also keep us from alerting anyone who may be responsible for this if they're lingering around." The pilot takes her time to lower the helicopter to the ground with enough space to place Chris's Harley on the ground safely. "This should be enough to avoid damages to your Harley." She says. Chris goes to remove his headset and open up his door to exit the helicopter, when the pilot grabs his arm before he can take the headset off. "Tread lightly, kid." She says. Chris nods at her, then steps out of the helicopter. He hops down to the ground, and keeps his bike from falling to the ground as the pilot releases it. He feels the wind generated by the helicopter slowly fade away from his now near-shoulder length hair as the pilot flies away.

Now alone, Chris walks his bike onto the beaten path before mounting and kick-starting it. He looks towards Lake Valor, and takes off as fast as he can. Somehow, they managed to beat any law enforcement, or emergency responders. That fact in and of itself is enough to erase all doubt in Chris's mind that this has to be Team Galactic, as he highly suspected that they could somehow buy themselves time for something like this. Then he knew he was right not to doubt himself as parked up right outside Lake Valor.

Those ridiculous getup's and hair styles that Team Galactic sport would've made it easy for anyone to spot them from a mile out, 20/20 vision or not. Chris opened up his phone to send a short voice recording to Looker, hoping that his phone would get it properly. "Looker, Lake Valor. ASAP." He shut his Harley off, put down the kick stand, and quietly made his way through the burning craters Lake Valor was now sporting.

Once he saw the cavern in the center of it all, with a massive whole blown through the roof of it, he knew that was where he needed to investigate first. Along the way he made sure to avoid the fires and floundering Magikarp, having heard the tales of them evolving just to survive dire situations. He also made a point of putting all the Galactic grunts in his path to sleep as brutally as possible. There were a couple of grunts that he didn't touch, just around the corner from the cavern. Before Chris took a gander inside the cave, he overheard their conversation. "The authorities are on their way, but we'll be gone by the time they get here." The first grunt says.

"It'll be too late for them, or anyone else to make a difference." The other one starts. "Things are going to get really interesting now, with all the legendary lake Pokémon being brought to our HQ in Veilstone." Somehow these grunts always seem to find new ways to tip Chris off, whether they realize it or not.

Now at the entrance to the cavern, he could make out a silhouette from the outside looking in. He could assume that it belonged to a higher up in Team Galactic, but it was not recognizable to the two he had met in the past. Chris's aim was to take him down without a fight or Pokémon battle, in the hopes that he could turn him into Looker. So he moved slowly and silently.

This man was certainly dressed somewhat differently from the grunts, so Chris's assumption that he was a higher ranking member seemed to be correct. As Chris approached, the man spoke his thoughts out loud. "The mission is proceeding without a hitch." He starts. "The boss should be pleased. Everything is for everyone, and for the good of Team Galactic!" Just as Chris was about to be right up behind him, he accidentally kicked a small rock.

"Fuck." He said.

The man quickly turns around, and takes a good look at Chris. "I recognize your face. You're the child who raided the Team Galactic building in Eterna." The man scoffs. "Jupiter should be ashamed of herself, being beaten by a child." He stops to activate a Poké Ball. "But anything and anyone that opposes Team Galactic must be crushed! Even the very thought of opposition will not be tolerated! I will give you the chance to surrender, as I will have you alive!" Chris activates a Poké Ball, and slowly steps back without a word. "So be it." Without saying another word, the blue-haired man sends out a Golbat.

Chris smirks, thinking to himself how cruel this man must be if he still has a Golbat. "You're outmatched, already. Go Cross!" Chris sends out the evolved form of his opponent's Pokémon, a Crobat, with much bigger wings than its previous form. Despite this, the man's Golbat seems unfazed. "Cross, use Air Slash!" Chris's Crobat thrusts her four wings forward with ferocious velocity, creating a blade of air that strikes her opponent's Golbat for a solid hit.

"There is much more to battling than just brute force, boy. "Golbat, Confuse Ray." Golbat's massive mouth opens up to emit a sinister ray that floats to spin around Cross's head. The flying/poison-type began to panic as her eyes darted back and forth, suddenly not realizing where she was. "Strategy is just as crucial."

Chris remained unfazed. "And confusion is not the best status condition. Cross, use Bite!" The confusion does in fact take hold of Cross. Upon hearing the command from Chris, Cross raises one of her lower wings to her mouth, and bites on it. "Damn." Chris says under his breath.

"And it will not be the only time it gets a Bite!" Saturn sneaks his next command into that sentence, and his Golbat swiftly flies forth to bite on Cross.

Now in serious pain Chris raises his voice to push through to his Pokémon. "Cross, WING ATTACK!" Whatever it was about Chris's voice, it was enough for his Pokémon to acquire coherency through confusion, as Cross charged forth towards her target, striking at full force with her wings. The shot landed a beautiful critical hit, which knocked the man's Golbat out cold. It slammed down to the ground hard, and the man had no choice but to recall it.

Despite the suddenness of how his Golbat was taken down, the man remained completely stoic. "If this is how you battled Jupiter, then it is no wonder she couldn't stand against you. But I assure you..." The man pauses to activate his next Poké Ball. "I am not Jupiter." He throws his next Poké Ball, and it is a Bronzor.

Chris can't keep from shaking his head. "If you still only have a Bronzor at this point, then you may be worse than Jupiter."

In one sentence, Chris had broken through that stoicism. "You insolent!" The man yells out angrily. "Bronzor, Extrasensory!" The man's Bronzor emits an unseeable energy wave that can nevertheless be felt, and the wave strikes Cross for a powerful strike. Cross can barely stay airborne, and Chris knows it.

But he also knows how to play around it. "Cross, U-turn!" A lime green energy surrounds Cross's entire body, as she blazes forth to hit the man's Bronzor with a good shot. Then, Cross returns to her dormant Poké Ball, which somehow doesn't even need to be active in this circumstance. "I understand strategy perfectly fine." Chris stops, and activates his next Poké Ball before continuing. "I just don't use yours. Go Caesar!" Chris sends out his Infernape to the battle. "Use Flame Wheel!" The fire that burns from the top of Caesar's head engulfs his entire body as he curls up into a ball to roll forth at the enemy Bronzor.

"Bronzor, Iron Defense!" The man's Bronzor's body shines brightly as it increases its defenses to take the super-effective hit. While Bronzor cannot avoid the damage, it does manage to send Caesar spiraling back. This man has another attack waiting as well. "Extrasensory!" That unseeable energy is there again, and Caesar feels it the worst with its type disadvantage.

But Chris knows that this is the end for Bronzor. Its physical defenses will not stand up to his next move. "Caesar, Flamethrower!" Caesar clenches his fists, and the fire within blasts out of his mouth to melt Bronzor down. Charred to a crisp now, Bronzor falls like a ton of bricks down to the ground, unable to continue."

"My, my..." The man says, as he recalls his Bronzor. "You and your team are as fierce as reported. But if all I can do is buy time, then that is what I will do." The man activates his last Poké Ball. "Go, Toxicroak!" The man sends out a large, dart frog-like Pokémon. This one is quite well trained, something which the scream it bellows out makes blatantly obvious.

"You might buy time," Chris says, as he reactivates Caesar's Poké Ball, and recalls him within. "But it won't be enough time." He says as he activates one more Poké Ball. "Go, Sandra!" Chris sends out his mighty Hippowdon, and she lands on the ground with a thud. She opens up her mouth and roars at the opposing Toxicroak.

"We shall see. Toxicroak, use Brick Break!" Toxicroak lunges at Sandra, the side of its fist coming down hard on the top of its head once in range. Sandra eats the attack with ease as Toxicroak backs away from it.

But it cannot back away far enough to avoid Chris's attack. "Sandra, Earthquake!" Chris's Hippowdon raises its front legs up off the ground, and slams them at full speed back down. It's ground-type power creates a controlled Earthquake that completely devastates the ground around Toxicroaks feet. The Toxic Mouth Pokémon has no chance of withstanding such power, and it collapses in a heap. "You are indeed tough." The man has no choice but to admit. "I can see why you defy us so successfully." He recalls his final Pokémon.

"Stand down." Chris warns him. "You'll be taking a ride with an associate of mine."

"That's where your wrong. I have bought us all the time we need." Chris can hear a helicopter approaching, and if what's about to happen was anything like the movies, then Chris truly would not be able to stop this man from leaving. "A child like you will never be able to stem the flow of time! Team Galactic will get the three legendary Pokémon of the lakes! With their power, we will create an entirely new universe!" That helicopter was only sounding closer and closer now. "By now, Mars should have capture the Pokémon of Lake Verity." Now a ladder had dropped down through the hole in the roof of the cavern, and Saturn had rushed to grab onto it as it lifted away from the cavern.

Chris shook his head, then his thoughts wandered to Lake Verity. "Lucas. Rowan." He said softly to himself. He stepped outside the cavern, trying to think. He was about to make the walk back to his Harley, when a thought occurred to him. He pulled out his Pokédex to look a little bit more into information on his Togekiss. The Pokédex indicated that it was capable of using a mystical power to keep its trainer secure on its back while flying through the skies. With that information in mind, Chris knew what he was going to do.

"Young Chris!" He heard Looker's voice call out to him, and looked up to see the agent approach him. Behind him, police officers had placed the agents Chris incapacitated into hand cuffs, and were taking them to the squad cars.

"One of their admins was here, but he got away."

"Yes. Saturn is his name. You have done good work today."

"I'm not done yet. Saturn mentioned something about more of his friends at Lake Verity." Chris pauses to send out his Togekiss. "I've got to get there quickly."

"I'll get you a helicopter."

"No time." He looks to his Togekiss. "I need you to fly me somewhere, Jetfire."

"Is that safe, Chris?"

"It is. Meet me at Lake Verity as quickly as you can, Looker. And if you could do me a favor, I'd greatly appreciate it if you looked after my Harley."

"I saw it. It'll be in good hands."

Chris nods, then climbs up on his Togekiss's back. He takes in a deep breath, then launches himself and his trainer into the sky. After focusing intensely, Togekiss takes flight and allows Chris to control the path. Chris points his Pokémon in the direction of Twinleaf Town, wanting to land on the outskirts of the town to avoid the people. As short as the flight was, just being up in the sky like that for just a brief time was the most exhilarating feeling of Chris's young life.

That exhilaration was something he had to push to the side once he landed in Twinleaf. Chris knew that Lucas and Rowan could be in real danger, so he mad a mad dash towards Lake Verity to check up on them. Before he stepped into the lake front, he spotted Rowan holding a grunt from Team Galactic down on the ground. This sight alone impressed Chris, seeing the old man capable of holding his own in a fight. "Ah, Chris. What timing." He pauses for a second to push the grunt back down when he tires to get up.

"Professor. I feel like saying 'well done' is appropiate at this moment."

"Perhaps. These Team Galactic scoundrels are after the legendary Pokémon! You've got to help Lucas! I'll hold this one."

Chris nods, then walks into the lake front. Two grunts immediately step into his path. "Turn around, and walk out." They try to command him. Chris doesn't bother with words, or a Poké Ball. He gives one grunt a swift kick to the groin, then gives the other a sharp jab to the gut. Then to finish him off, he lifts him up off the ground, and throws him back down hard.

All of this commotion draws the attention of two more grunts, as well as a red-haired woman who Chris quickly recognizes as Mars. The three Team Galactic members had Lucas's back against a wall of trees, but they were now turning their attention to Chris. "Hey!" Mars calls out, as she also starts to recognize Chris. "That face. I remember you from Valley Windworks." She says, as she signals for her grunts to stand behind her.

"I remember you, too." Chris starts. "You were the reason why I thought your group was nothing more than a bunch of crazies at first. Now, I just want to know what it is your up to."

"You may find out one day. But that day isn't today." She then pauses to take a look back at Lucas. "Coming to save your pathetic little friend? How cute." She then looks back at Chris, whilst activating her Poké Ball. "Not a chance! Not even a teeny one! You're all going down!" Chris can see the look in her eyes, and he reacts by predicting Mars's first Pokémon. "Go, Golbat!" Predicting it correctly as well.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!" Chris says, as he throws out his first Pokémon with a command. Electabuzz takes to the air as he is released from his ball, lunging at Mars's Golbat. His fist becomes electrically charged, and he punches her Golbat right on the jaw. Golbat goes down as quickly as it enters the battlefield. Mars gasps in pure shock from what she's just seen. "You're outmatched Mars. Give in."

"Fuck you!" She says, as she activates a Poké Ball. "Go Purugly!" That same hideous, fat cat that Mars used at Valley Windworks was back, looking stronger than before. In the distance, police sirens begin to become more audible.

Chris shakes his head. "Brick Br-" He goes to say.

"FAKE OUT!" Mars cuts him off. Her Purugly moves in swiftly, swatting at Electabuzz once he's in its range. Electabuzz flinches from the attack, and for a short moment leaves an opening for Purugly. Purugly has to step back, but is prepared to leap at Electabuzz again. "SLASH!" Mars yells. An approaching helicopter is now audibly getting closer.

"Electabuzz, Low Kick!" Electabuzz slides underneath Purugly, avoiding the Slash attack, and kicking the Tiger Cat Pokémon in the knee. Purugly goes down and is prone, with Chris's Electabuzz standing right over it. "Brick Break!" Electabuzz raises the side of its fist in to the air, and brings it hammering down onto Purugly. The Normal-type has no chance of surviving two consecutive Fighting-type attacks, and gets knocked out cold. And all Mars can do is scream out in rage. "First the windworks, and now Lake Verity that I owe you for!"

"You won't be collecting those receipts any time soon." Chris responds.

Mars closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath in and out. "Calm down, Mars. I've done my part in all of this. Team, mission is concluded." Now the chopper was right above them all, as a ladder dropped down. Another Team Galactic helicopter. The grunts behind Mars suddenly throw smoke grenades on the ground, as they erupt with a thick cloud of smoke that allows the non-incapacitated grunts to escape along with Mars. The smoke cleared right as law enforcement arrived on the scene.

"So then..." Professor Rowan starts, as he steps up behind Chris. "This also occurred at Lake Valor."

"On a much grander scale. They used another of the bombs they used in the Great Marsh."

"And now they have Mespirit and Azelf." Rowan pauses as a still shaken up Lucas moves up to stand next to Chris. "Both of you went up against full-fledged criminals. The fact that you're unharmed is reason enough to celebrate."

"No it isn't." Lucas says in protest. "What about Dawn?"

"You are correct Lucas. What is happening at Lake Acuity?"

"I'm about to find out." Chris responds. He turns to greet the cops, and almost recalls his Electabuzz.

"Wait Chris." Rowan stops him, as he pulls something out of the bag he had over his shoulder. "You should give this to your Electabuzz." Rowan holds out a strange-looking yellow cube. "It is called an electirizer."

Chris takes the cube, noticing that Electabuzz is practically drooling at it. He holds it out in front of his Pokémon, who quickly puts his hands on it. Suddenly, his Pokémon glows with a familiar bright white light. Electabuzz starts to get even bigger, the tips of the antennas on his head double in size, his single tail becomes two, and fur sprouts from his cheeks. Now with larger fists, the light fades to reveal that Electabuzz has evolved into Electivire. Electivire lets out a roar that makes the ground shake. One look at his newly evolved team member, and Chris knows that he is now definitively one of his very best.

Chris walks up to his newly evolved Pokémon, who lets him hold his arms as he gets a good look at him. Electivire smiles widley at his trainer, reminiscing over how far they've come since he first came along for the ride at that cafe. "Zapsquatch." Chris says while looking in Electivire's eyes, having finally though of a nickname now that he's seen the final form. Zapsquatch nods at Chris.

An officer comes up to the young man after the shared moment is up. "You're Chris Harper, correct?"

"Yes sir."

The officer nods. "Looker has arranged for you to receive some warm weather clothing, and a Polaris Snowmobile at a certain drop-off point. He asks in return that you report to him on what you find at Lake Acuity."

Chris nods at him, then hears another approaching helicopter. "Did he arrange for that, too?"

"He did. We're gonna drop you off on Route 216, just outside the northern entrance to Mt. Coronet."

"Thank you." Chris says.

"Chris!" Professor Rowan calls out. Chris turns around to look at one of the most important people in his life. "Be careful."

Chris nods. He takes a second to recall Zapsquatch to his Poké Ball, then walks over to the helicopter.