Chapter 8 - Aftermath

The gym leader jolted upright with a gasp. Raichu and Muk both jumped as their trainer woke up, before quickly recovering and showing their joy with a static-charged hug and a sticky hand shake. Lucian took a few shaky breaths before he was calm. He was in the Pokémon Center. A small bed, usually reserved for traveling trainers. But besides his Pokémon, the room was empty. Lucian slowly rolled out of bed and stood. He wasn't badly injured. He could still walk, still move his arms. Full range of motion, but he was sore and exhausted. The rest of the building was dead quiet, with only faint voices coming from the lobby. The sliding door opened.

There was a small gathering waiting for him in the Lobby. Aisha and Krane were studying the body of Feraligatr while the mayor was pacing nervously. A few others had gathered and we're chatting quietly. When Lucian appeared, there was a collective sigh of relief. "Leader Lucian…" the mayor said with a soft, pained smile. "I'm glad you aren't hurt." Lucian nodded and slowly made his way over to the group. He sat down and looked around.

"Is everyone alright?" The Mayor nodded and sighed.

"Only minor injuries, thankfully. A few broken bones. Those will heal." Lucian nodded and slumped in his seat. "Thanks to you, everyone was able to make it to the shelter before things got bad. Even some of those foolish Crossbones…" the mayor spat the words out with a tinge of anger.

"That's good to hear…thank you." He felt a knot growing in the pit of his stomach. His throat tightened and he took a slow breath. "P-Pangoro?" There was an uncomfortable silence. The Mayor took off his hat, and the others put their heads down. The gym leader took a sharp breath and stood, walking over to the wall. His back turned to the rest of the room, he softly punched the wall and let out a choked sob. His shoulders quaked as he let out the rush of emotion. Nearly thirty minutes passed before his eyes and throat were sore from mourning. There would be time again for tears later. Once he was able to breathe and speak normally again, he wiped his eyes and turned. "Okay…okay…what happened with the Crossbones? How did they get their hands on…whatever that was?"

Krane stood up from the computer and cleared his throat. "The Crossbone gang doesn't have the technology or the grit to make a Shadow Pokémon. Our true enemy is Cipher." The doctor said while adjusting his glasses.

"Cipher? That old tale…weren't they all wiped out during your time in Orre, old man?" The doctor shook his head and looked at the speaker.

"A few were able to escape justice, including some of their top scientists. And to make it worse, they escaped with a sample of the XD process and their other research. It isn't a reach to think that they managed to hide somewhere like Pyrite Town only to emerge after the Acria League took the heat off of them." Krane looked confident, but rambled like a conspiracy theorist.

"But Professor, these Shadow Pokémon aren't the same. You said it yourself - this isn't the XD series. Surely other organizations could have managed to create a Shadow Pokémon." Krane snapped and turned.

"It's not the same, but similar. It reeks of Cipher. They were waiting for me at the docks - it's only thanks to the trainers escorting me here that I'm in one piece." Krane dusted off his coat and adjusted his glasses. "Regardless, we aren't here to discuss ghosts and history…" he looked down and grumbled. "I'm upset that we weren't able to study the living Shadow Pokémon. This strain of the Corruption is clearly much more advanced than the XD process. Cipher might have really done it this time - a Shadow Pokémon unable to be Purified…"

"Slow down for a moment, Doctor." Lucian said, finally wrapping his head around a fraction of what Krane had just said. "Start from the beginning. Please, for my sake." The rest of the room seemed to agree with him. The Doctor adjusted his glasses and sat down.

"Very well…I'm sure you're familiar with the Orre Crisis, yes?" A rhetorical question. It was global news. Pokémon attacking people, unchecked gang violence, rampant theft and more stained a bleak picture of Orre. It was so rough and inhospitable that wild Pokémon vanished from the region for years. "As you probably know, I lived through it. At the heart of the Crisis was Cipher - an organization that wanted to use Pokémon to rule the Orre region…maybe the world." The professor closed his eyes as he recalled the information. Meanwhile, Aisha turned back to the body of Feraligatr. She seems disinterested.

"They used a very technical process to remove a Pokémon's ability to feel, twisting them into unfeeling killing machines. Additionally, the process grants the Pokémon an aura that cannot be seen with the naked eye and powerful attacks that harm the target and user. Cipher was originally shut down after a lengthy campaign at the top of their Colosseum-and-Casino tower. But some of us knew better. They would be back…so we built the first Purification Chamber in my lab. In time, they did return and my assistant helped us resolve the Crisis once and for all by defeating Cipher a second time." Krane shook his head and chuckled darkly. "How foolish…to think they would lie down and die so easily…"

"So…what makes Feraligatr different from the other Shadow Pokémon?" Lucian asked, adjusting in his seat. He looked down at the floor and tried to wrap his head around the information. It sounded too wild, but at the same time it fit. Almost too well. "So far, they sound the same."

"From what I can gather, these are not the XD series of Shadow Pokémon. It's almost as if their entire physiology was changed, not just their emotional state. Additionally…from what we saw in the battle, they are incapable of holding back and incapable of being controlled. Shadow Pokémon have escaped from their trainers before, but never in such a violent fashion." The professor stroked his chin. "Although, that does make collecting them easier. You no longer need to steal them. Damnation, if only I had my scanner and a snag machine." Illegal contraband would not help their cause, that much was certain to Lucian. "Regardless, it seems that further improvements have been made to their corruption process. They may have truly created a Pokémon that cannot be Purified." The doctor punched the table and grunted. "If only one of them had survived the battle. I could have taken it to Orre and examined it."

"Wait…there might be one." Lucian said, a thought rattling in his mind. A memory from not too long ago, jostled loose in the conversation. "A Lilligant attacked Havila and I in the Sootwood. It matches everything I've seen of Shadow Pokémon and everything that you've said so far." Lucian stood, his body aching from being seated for so long. Aisha shook her head.

"There haven't been any sightings of it and the Sootwood is massive. You won't hope to find it or track it." She was right.

"I have a few that could be used -"

"No you don't, Lucian…" the Mayor said softly. "Your house was destroyed in the attack. We haven't been able to find any of your Pokémon…I'm sorry." Another emotional blow knocked Lucian back into his chair. He sat and stared at the ceiling for a few moments, still empty from the news about Pangoro. He closed his eyes and took several slow breaths before someone else spoke.

"Ekans can help." The confident voice called out from the door. Havila stood in her traveling gear, her Pokémon snugly in their Pokéball. "It fought Lilligant and it knows the Sootwood better than the rest of us." She glared at Lucian. "But if you're too busy sulking instead of helping then -" She opened her mouth to say something, but the words didn't come out. Instead, she turned away. "...I can't do this alone, Leader." She whispered. He didn't really know how to react. But she was right - now was not the time for mourning. There was a dangerous Pokémon on the loose.

"...right. Let's go."

"I'll stay here with miss Aisha to prepare the scanner. You two be careful. And whatever you do - do not let Lilligant escape!" Lucian and Havila nodded before they headed off towards the woods as fast as Lucian could move.

It didn't take long for Ekans to pick up the trail. The poison snake slithered through the underbrush and through narrow passages only fit for a Pokémon. Lucian had to rest frequently. But just as the sun reached its peak, Ekans jolted upright and flicked its tongue nervously. The action started Havila, who clearly wasn't used to the Pokémon yet. Lucian stood as still as he could, looking around slowly and carefully. A faint crackle of energy gave him just enough time to sidestep an attack. From the other side of a small tangle of underbrush, Lilligant appeared. Its entire body was wilting - moreso than usual. "Poor thing…" Havila gasped softly. It looked close to collapsing. "She's still poisoned."

"Of course: Peacha and Lum berries don't grow in this area. And Lilligant are not equipped to dig for roots or herbs." There were a half-dozen moves that might have been helpful, but clearly this Pokémon didn't know or care to use them. "It looks like she's at her limit. We need to get her to the Poké Center as soon as -"

"Ah, I see you've found my Lilligant. My thanks, trainer." A man appeared from the other side of the forest. He wore what looked like combat armor. Thick boots, kevlar vest, helmet that obscured most of his face. All of it a brilliant, spotless white or grey. The only hint of color was a tar-black scarf. Lucian stood and put himself between the trainer and Lilligant. His face was hard, which caused the newcomer to snicker and drop the act. "I didn't think that would work…. surrender the Pokémon, Gym Leader." The man retrieved a Pokéball from his belt. It shaped like a great ball with additional supports on the bottom as well. But the color scheme was a flat grey, with the supports being a pulsating dark purple. Havila shuddered.

"Leader…something is wrong…" she clutched at her head and whimpered in pain. The man hesitated, his hand slightly lowering.

"What's wrong?" A voice in his ear whispered. The mystery man turned and hissed.

"She's noticed. I can't…"

"They must not be allowed to leave. Do it. I'm releasing the first lock." The Pokéball in his hand hissed, and one of the supports turned a flat black. The man cursed softly and took a battle stance.

"Get ready, leader Lucian. Your life ends in five minutes. Scyther: end him!" The man pulled back to throw his Pokéball.

"Ekans - Thief!" Havila ordered as Lucian tossed the ball that contained Raichu. The fight was on.