Surmount

by HDK315

Although they travel down a long, merciless road that has overwhelmed all but the very strongest to eventually throw in the towel, they do so with unrivaled resolve and convictions. This is the story of Ash Ketchum and his beloved family of Pokemon, and how they became the greatest of all time. Cover by Atenburgh.

33. Scars of the Afterlife

"Well, what do you think?" Agatha turned to Samuel expectantly. "This cherry field is our favorite place in the town's area. Anya's family plays a big part in its great condition." she nodded to the twelve year old, emerald haired girl standing next to her.

Samuel hummed an agreement as he placed a hand on the tree he had found his way under. To his understanding, it wasn't quite ready for harvest yet.

He had been in town for a week now, with plans to depart tomorrow. It had been an incredibly useful week for his studies, with a plethora of exploration and analysis as he soaked in as much as he could regarding Lavender's culture. He wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon, and another thing he wouldn't soon forget was Agatha herself. The two had met up every afternoon without fail, sometimes in the company of the blonde girl's emerald-haired best friend, Anya. Their second trip to the bakery had also introduced him to Trish Beacon, a ten year old girl with short black hair that was currently with them now.

Anya was extremely down to earth and humble, a sharp contrast to Agatha's mixture of etiquette and attitude. Samuel could tell how close the two girls were just by reading the room whenever they talked; there was an inseparability to their interactions, and a relief that they were spending time together again. The girl had also been quite taken to his Clefairy, especially upon learning he had acquired her at Mt. Moon. Apparently it was a place she was eager to visit next Season, when the time came for her to set off. It had not taken long for him to grow comfortable around her, courtesy of the mutually enjoyable talk that had followed. The girl was easily approachable, and very welcoming to any attempts at conversation.

Trish, in comparison to both older girls, was rather quiet, and though her guard dropped a little bit around Anya, it was only Agatha's presence that truly brought her out. There was a strange, yet moving trust between the two of them that Samuel knew had a story behind it. A very private one. From what he had gathered from Anya, Trish met both girls six years ago in this very cherry field, although he had chosen not to press when she failed to elaborate on the circumstances.

"Six years ago" had caught the studious boy's ears, however. That was as long as Agatha had known the Beacon family. Whatever source her bond with them came from, he deduced that the meeting with Trish must have been central.

And then there was Agatha. The constant of the week he and his team had stayed in Lavender. He owed a lot of his studious success from the past several days to her, the girl's knowledge of the town, its culture, and the relation to ghosts enough to make her a teacher at a school. She had shown much dedication to every explanation she offered him, rivaling his own commitment to note taking. She had not been kidding when she said she had questions for him as well, however.

It was an almost surreal feeling he had not gotten used to. Just how eager she was to learn more about him. He had always been the one wanting to learn. The one who found fascination and endless interest in nearly every subject he explored. The crave for knowledge was like a drug stuck to him perpetually. He was used to it, and he lived for it.

He was not, in comparison, used to that same interest being directed towards him instead of from him, and it was with a bit more than a hint of nervousness that he was unsure how to respond to Agatha's inquiries. What exactly had there been to share? He was not interesting. His hometown was a barely known settlement surrounded by a rich world far grander. Nothing of real value or significance throughout his upbringing. And yet she pressed. And though her efforts to explore the bland nothingness of where he came from confused him, he couldn't help the strange, pleasant sensation that overtook when she pressed into his future, and where he wished for his research to go. Almost like she was studying the boy who was doing the studying. Nobody had expressed such unwarranted intrigue towards him, as there was nothing there to express it too.

And yet, here was Agatha Kikuko.

Trish smiled fondly at the largest tree in the field, somewhat distant from where they were before turning and beginning to chat with Agatha. Samuel's gaze fixed on the blonde girl for a moment before the sound of footsteps drew his attention to the approaching Anya.

"Agatha said you were planning to leave in the morning, is that true?" she pushed back a strand of emerald hair while stopping in front of him, eyes briefly directed up to the yet-to-be-ripe cherries before fixing on him entirely.

He nodded at her, enjoying the sounds the group of Pidgey made flying off of the branches before responding. "We're due for another badge, so we're planning to head to Saffron and finally challenge Benver this time. We've met him twice, but we weren't ready."

"Hmm… Agatha hasn't battled him yet either, from what I know." Anya paused for a moment to look over at her friend. "I heard he is planning to retire after the Conference. He's in his sixties now, although my cousin tells me he can still throw some mighty kicks. She's a pupil of his."

"For training or martial arts?"

"Both, of course." Anya giggled. "She isn't planning to inherit the gym, though. Just learn everything she can and go off on her own. Saffron's really become the place to be for any fighting type enthusiast, ever since he took over."

Samuel couldn't hold back the giggle. "So basically, what this place is for ghost enthusiasts?"

"I suppose so." her grin lingered. "If you're leaving, it was nice meeting you. Good luck with the badge hunting and… well, the knowledge hunting." her eyes shifted to Agatha again. "I'm sure she's enjoyed being a part of it."

"I do owe her a lot." Samuel looked back to the blonde girl. Whatever Agatha had just said had planted an amazing smile on Trish's face, the ten year-old's excitement almost uncharacteristic from what he had seen from her. "She's certainly filled my notebook up."

"And I think she enjoyed every second of it," Anya's eyes twinkled. "We talked last night a the bakery. Did she ever tell you how interesting she thinks you are?"

"She… made it pretty clear." Samuel's cheeks flushed.

"She didn't tell you why, did she?" Anya's words came out with a chuckle. "My girl's never met someone as passionate as you. The questions you ask, and the questions you want to find answers for, she says they're perspectives she's never thought of. That she's never seen anyone think of. The way you want to… crack the world open, I think she described it."

Samuel blinked. "How does that make me interesting?" It was the world he explored that deserved all the curiosity. He was just somebody who wanted to do that.

"The fact that you're so determined to do it, obviously." Anya elaborated as a light breeze gently swayed the grass blades and branches. "There aren't a lot of people who ask the things you do. You're unique… because you're trying to dive deeper than almost anyone has." she looked back at Agatha and Trish, eyebrow raising at the Growlithe they were now speaking too. "Like I said… she's never thought the way you did before. Never even considered it. And after talking to her about it… I kind of agree." she offered a hand. "Thanks for gracing our town with your curiosity, Samuel."

Samuel stared at her hand for a moment, the turning gears in his mind struggling to process her assessment. Was such passion… really so unique? He had never thought twice about it, or expected that level fo appreciation from Agatha or anyone else, but after hearing Anya put everything into words…

'Is my dream really that special?' The question echoed in his mind. Was having that dream in the first place… what made him special?

After a moment or two, he felt a surge of warmth as he shook hands with her. "I… couldn't be happier, Anya. I'm glad."

She was about to say something else when the sound of rapid footsteps stole their attention. Agatha, Trish, and the Growlithe were now running to them, the canine awkwardly lagging behind somewhat. The rapid movement and distressed expressions immediately caused the two to exchange alarmed looks before moving to meet the trio halfway.

"Agatha…?" Anya asked cautiously, trying to push down the swelling anxiety that had suddenly surfaced. "What's going on?"

"Anya!" it was like Agatha had not even registered her best friend's question. "We have a problem!"

"What is it?!" Instinctively, Samuel's hand gripped Tangela's Poke Ball. The last time he had heard somebody speaking those words, it was because a child had wandered into a territorial Nidoqueen's nest. Thank the Guardian Mew Leader Benver had been around…

Trish's scared gaze found its way to him. "Growlithe… her mate, Meowth and their child were nabbed by poachers! They took the egg, too!"

Hearing the word "poachers" was like setting off an alarm in the thirteen year old boy's brain. Poachers were not trainers. They held cruel intentions, snatching Pokemon for nefarious means that often involved the black market or other wicked parties that would pay a good price. Their methods of capture were often equally inhumane, and lately black market auctions had been taken over by breeding mills with connections to the underground fighting scene. Often, they attempted to "mass-produce" rare Pokemon for the sake of selling tickets. It had been a recent but terrifying development that had put the authorities on notice.

Looking over to Agatha, his new friend was almost unrecognizable. A growl akin to that of a Nidoking who's turf had been threatened rumbled from her throat, and her eyes flashed like the fire spewed by his Charmeleon whenever he was pushed to his limit.

"And we already know why they were targeted, don't we?" the blonde girl's gaze zeroed in on an understanding Anya.

With a gulp, the emerald haired girl nodded at her before turning to Samuel. "Growlithe and Meowth… their child is a shiny Growlithe…"

Samuel's eyes were wider than he thought possible now. "No…" he looked down at the mother Growlithe in question. Whatever anger she likely had felt about her child, mate, and egg being abducted had since been replaced by… am empty sadness and grief that shattered his heart like a fragile window.

Agatha's clenched fists were vibrating with a fierce emotion. "Those bastards are planning to auction her off to some lowlife monsters that will force her to breed until her body can't take it anymore!" the tears remained in her eyes, not rolling down as she turned and locked gazes with Samuel. "And it will happen, too! No matter how much money they demand, there's no way those underground mills will pass it up!"

Getting his composure under control, Samuel nodded solemnly at her. There were never guarantees, but a shiny Pokemon predictably had a greater chance of producing shiny offspring. Such rare specimens were surefire attractions… that included the illegal underworld. "Those criminals would sell their souls to get their hands on just one of them, they're like living blocks of gold to them. They'd pay any amount of money…"

Agatha nodded at him, but did not offer him any further words as she quickly took out a Poke Ball and released a Vulpix. Her starter, he immediately recognized.

"Sage, I need you to escort Trish to the police, and fast." she nodded at the younger girl. "And Growlithe needs a doctor quickly." It was just now Samuel noticed that the mother Growlithe was limping on one of her back legs.

Understanding crept up to Samuel's chest, and he could see Anya emulating the realization. "You're planning to fight them…?!"

"No time," Agatha almost spat. "They're on the outskirts, probably getting ready to leave. I have to stall them so the police will have a chance, and won't have to chase them down." she shot Anya a glare. "Don't stop me, I'm a trainer now. Sage, Trish, get going with Growlithe now." The younger girl was fighting back tears as she carefully scooped the injured Growlithe up in her arms, quickly following after Agatha's Vulpix.

"I know you're a trainer," Anya started as she and Samuel began following after the blonde, who had broken into a sprint almost the moment Sage, Trish, and the Growlithe had left. "But I'm still going with you!"

/

Something fierce pumped out of Agatha's heart as her eyes caught sight of the vehicle she and her friends were rapidly approaching. Three men had hauled a cage onto the back, where a small Growlithe with golden fur buried her head into the Meowth clinging to her. The distinction in her fur color was far greater than most shiny Growlithe, almost certainly what had caught these bastard's eyes.

As she, Anya, and Samuel neared them, however, her eyes widened at the current sight, just in time for their arrival to catch the poaching trio's attention.

A familiar Sableye was lying on the ground, a Raticate's mouth wrapped around his head as a Drowzee looked on. The man standing beside the psychic looked up at the arriving children, crossing his arms with a dismissive sneer.

"Tch, there's nothing to see here, kids. Just go off and get some ice cream, assuming you even have that in this freakish town."

"Yami!" Anya ignored the man's comment as her hands shot up to her mouth. "What did you guys do!?"

"You talking about the purple pipsqueak?" A taller man leaning against the vehicle spoke up as the Raticate's trainer knelt down towards the fallen Sableye. "He tried to interfere with our business, so we shut him up."

"I reckon he's coming with us now," Raticate's trainer looked back at the taller man expectantly. "A foreign ghost? He might give us as much of a payday as the shiny Growlithe."

"A fatass load of cash." Drowzee's trainer confirmed while making a shooing motion with his hands to the kids. "Now go home."

Agatha snarled at the three men. "Hell no, you three aren't getting anything."

Face turning dangerously stern, the taller man pushed himself off the video and stepped forward, glowering eyes boring a hole in the girl. "I suggest you take that back while you can, brat."

"Agatha…" Anya's hands pressed together, face growing paler as she looked at her blonde friend, who stood still with clenched fists, expression unchanging and without a word.

A moment later, Anya shifted as Samuel placed a hand on her shoulder. With mild surprise, Agatha looked at the boy as he stepped forward to join her at her side. The two looked at one another for a moment before exchanging nods, and directing their attention in full at the three poachers.

Having seen enough, the taller man scoffed. 'Well, don't go saying you weren't warned." Behind Agatha and Samuel, Anya's heart skipped a beat as Raticate moved away from Yami, the large rodent and the Drowzee stepping forward to face the kids at their trainers' signals. As they did, the taller man pulled out a Poke Ball of his own, releasing a Mankey that immediately glowered with a crazed expression in his eyes.

Agatha was intimidated by the fighting type's look for just one moment before her hand snatched a Poke Ball of her own off of her belt, and tossed it forward as Samuel mirrored her actions. A Gloom emerged from her ball, and a Charmeleon emerged from his.

'Anything that violates my town will not be forgiven or forgotten.'

/

A deep breath left Kris' lungs as she sat back in her booth at the bakery, eyes momentarily glancing out the window before settling on nothing in particular.

"Rough day of work, dear?" The young Ace Trainer's head turned to view an older woman approaching her, black ponytail showing minor signs of graying. "I don't envy your field."

A small smile formed across Kris' lips. "Yeah… week's been a load, Trish." Of course, much of that "load" was private, given how much of it was taken up by her visits to Klark to discuss and analyze her findings. It only made things extra exhausting, if anything. "What I wouldn't give to be working in a cozy restaurant like this."

"Heh… I suppose so." the woman replied. "I'll admit I was pretty taken aback to find you were an Ace Trainer at your age. I know it's not unheard of, and that there are Gym Leaders that young as well, but I keep having to remind myself. Back in my time, you'd never see such a thing."

"Sounds simpler," Krystal admitted as a thought occurred to her. "Did you just get out of that meeting?"

Trish couldn't help the sigh. "Thank Mew we did. I know it's essential, but it felt like it would never end. We missed Knighter's birthday because of it." she glanced at the door. "Except Caleb, thankfully. Today was too important to postpone for him. Thankfully those two kids went into the tower with him. The rest of us will be going first thing tomorrow."

Kris nodded. Janine had informed her of what she and Ash were planning for tonight. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll bet you're feeling a bit winded too."

"I'm mostly used to it," Trish admitted. "It's just that the dates usually aren't this inconvenient. Anyway, would you like to order something?"

Kris' eyes fell on the menu. "Hmmm… now that I think about it, I haven't tried your-" A sudden noise redirected her attention to the doorway.

A Misdreavus had hovered into the room, and was approaching them quickly. Kris quickly recognized her as Admelia, a local ghost who often picked a random person in town to follow around for the day.

Trish's eyes lit up. "Oh, is Caleb back now? I'll have to give Ash and Janine something as thanks-" her expression turned to confusion when saw Admelia's face. "Admelia, what's wrong?"

Quite uncharacteristically, the young Misdreavus' wore an expression of total distress as she floated around the room chattering in panic. Kris and Trish's confusion turned to alarm after a few moments to register the scene. The young Ace Trainer quickly sprung from her seat, menu almost falling off the table as she released it from her grip, almost entirely forgetting that she had even been holding it.

"Did something happen?!" Kris started for a moment before pausing to remove a ball from her belt. "Wait." Activating the Poke Ball, a Gardevoir appeared in front of her, looking at her trainer expectantly, the shift in the psychic's expression was immediately noticed, and the teen bit her lip. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Gardevoir nodded lightly before turning to Trish, who's face had turned pale, before locking eyes with Ademlia. She nodded carefully to what the Misdreavus (who was struggling to calm down) had to say before turning back to Kris, although she made sure Trish could hear her response as well. "There is trouble at the tower."

At the psychic's announcement, Trish could feel her skin crawling. "No…"

Quickly, Kris turned to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Trish, hold on!" She looked between Gardevoir and Admelia, doing her best to stay professional. "What's going on there?" As Gardevoir closed her eyes to focus, the Ace Trainer tried to comb through her brain. She couldn't recall any incidents of Pokemon Tower being disturbed before. There was something in the back of her mind that she would not dare let out unless confirmed.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Gardevoir opened her eyes. This time, her words were for Kris alone. "Hermes is here."

The blue-haired teen's eyes went wide, as her breath failed to leave her throat. "...What?"

"I can feel him." Gardevoir elaborated, turning to face her trainer in full. "It's difficult because of what's happening at the tower, but…' she took a moment to pause and regather herself. Under normal circumstances, speaking would not be much of an exertion for her. "Just outside of town, and far from alone."

"What's going on…?" Trish looked between the two, nerves beginning to grow. "What's she telling you, Kris?"

Kris was still for a moment. Maybe two or three moments before she spared Admelia another look. The terrified Misdreavus had not left the room, now floating in place staring at her with an unsure expression on her face. The Ace Trainer's eyes found their way to the floor as her arms fell to each side. "Team Rocket…"

She was glad she wasn't looking to see the look on Trish's face. "...Wait, what?! What are you-"

"They're at the tower now!" Kris whirled back to the psychic. "What's happening there?!"

"There was a surge," Gardevoir responded, attempting to press a comforting feeling into her trainer's mind. "But I cannot pinpoint it. The distortion in the tower is going haywire. All of the ghosts are panicking, and it's messing with my senses. I may start feeling sick soon if I push any further."

"Then don't." Kris quickly told her before finally mustering up the courage to turn to Trish. "Call the police! Tell them that Team Rocket is in the tower and around the town. And that three kids are there!" Guiltily, she did not make out the older woman's response as she turned and bolted for the door, Admelia remaining in place as Gardevoir followed her out.

Kris could feel the change in the air as she and Gardevoir stepped outside. It wouldn't be long before those inside would notice it as well. Her psychic partner had more than enough experience with ghosts, but this was something different. This was a distortion hotspot completely out of control. Already, the shivering teen could see her friend's reaction was double as she pulled out another ball and released Smokey. The large Arcanine's fur immediately stood up as he emerged from the flash of white light, and his eyes eyes sharply fell on Kris and Gardevoir without delay.

"Team Rocket is attacking Pokemon Tower," the fiery canine's posture turned rigid and dutiful as Kris climbed onto his back and gripped his fur. "Janine is in there, along with Caleb and Ash. We don't know how much time we have, so there might be none." She looked over to Gardevoir. "Get to Klark and tell him what's going on. Smokey and I are heading over there right now." As Gardevoir teleported away, Kris' signal had Smokey rearing back his front legs before bolting down the road.

The Arcanine's speed was that of a speeding vehicle, and although held back for his trainer's sake, even she only handled it due to being used to such. Clinging to his fur tightly, the air whipped in her face without remorse as the canine sprinted down the road, the world around them passing by too quickly to properly make out en route to the tower.

/

"I-I'm scared, I wanna go home!" Caleb's grip on Ash had tightened as the panicked voices of the ghosts rang throughout the room.

By now, the air had grown heavy, thick, and cold. Ash could feel his ears ringing painfully as the noise continued. After what felt like forever, he finally undid whatever lock had been holding his body and place took a step forward, head whipping around. "We have to do something. Valiant, I'm returning you-"

"I-I need to stay out." The Kirlia's mental voice sounded like it was choking. "S-Something's… it's dangerous."

Ash's face tightened. Now wasn't the time for this. "It's more dangerous for you. We need-"

An ear-piercing squawk stole away the group's attention to the entry of the staircase leading down to floor three. Moment's later, Ash's quickening heart raced even further as a group of Murkrow burst upwards into the room, followed by some Poochyena.

"It's an attack?!" Janine's face was paler than Ash had ever seen it as her hands raced for her belt, quickly releasing Toxtricity and Golbat in record time as Pikachu charged forward to meet the assailants head on, quickly zapping one of the Murkrow to the floor before the others could react.

"Grandma!" Caleb's screams had Ash's blood rushing like a river as he felt the younger boy's tears soaking into his shirt. "HELP ME!"

"C-Caleb, it's fine!" Even as he spoke the words, Ash doubted he had done anything to reassure his friend. He was almost just as panicked. Keeping Caleb close to him, his hands dug for his belt before Tempest and Nebula appeared. The Staravia's shocked expression was almost mirrored by the Krabby, who looked around in uncharacteristic alarm as a few ghosts began popping out of thin air, fleeing upwards with indecipherable screeches. A good few of them were coming up from the floor below, before disappearing into the ceiling. No one needed to be told that an attack was taking place, or to fight back. And if they had, Ash wasn't sure if he'd be able to muster the words.

As Tempest and Nebula joined the fray, he felt his throat and mind completely lock up, at a loss for what to say or even think. He should be planning, coming up with some strategy to escape the tower, but he was still recoiling from the shock, from the… looking downwards, he could see dark-purple mist beginning to seep upwards from the floor.

"Coming up on the fourth floor-hey, there's action upstairs!" Just as Tempest batted away the last of the Poochyena, and Toxtricity blasted the last two Murkrow, all attention once again returned to the staircase, and then their hearts stopped.

Soldiers filing into the room, each accompanied by at least one dark type, and… and…

A blazing red "R" on their black uniforms.

Janine's pupils turned to a hollow form of panic as her body froze in place. "No…"

Ash's mind wasn't frozen anymore. It was moving too fast for him to keep up with his own thoughts. 'No no no no no no-!'

Sweat rolling down his face, Valiant quickly positioned himself in front of his trainer as Janine released Beedrill. One of the Rockets stepped forward in front of the others, his eyes scanning the room as Ash and Janine's teammates horizontally lined up in front of them, sparks rolling down pikachu's cheeks as Tempest aimed a pincer at the front Rocket like a gun.

"Caleb, get behind me." Ash quickly remembered that the younger boy was there as he grabbed onto Caleb and pushed him behind him. The moment he let go, Caleb's face was buried into his back, which soon started to feel wet.

"The tower is normally empty this time of night." the front Rocket commented.

"Just a few children," a female Rocket behind him piped in. "Just round them up and we'll move on." at her words, both trainer's Pokemon tightened their fighting stances.

Just as the soldiers prepared to step forward, Janine snapped out of her frozen state. "What are you doing here?! Don't you realize what this place is?!" her tone of voice was terrified with a hint of rage bubbling underneath.

"That's none of your concern, kid." The front Rocket replied. "We have important business at the top floor, so hand over your Pokemon and gather up against the wall."

"N-No…" Caleb sniffed.

Sighing, another male Rocket ran a hand through his hair. "We need to speed this up, guys." he spoke hastily. "They're gonna wonder why we aren't making progress."

Finding his voice, Ash backed away a bit whilst Caleb held onto him. "Please just get out of here."

The front Rocket did not seem to think much of it. "Then we'll proceed with force."

Janine quickly sprung into action. "Everyone, back up! Toxtricity, to the front with Hyper Voice!" As everyone from both teams complied, Toxtricty positioned himself ahead of them as Ash released Eevee and Phenom. Straightening himself, the electric/poison type reared his head back before bellowing a deafening roar. Shockwaves burst out of his throat, smashing into all of the Rocket Pokemon as he turned his head to angle the attack. Hyper Voice had been a move that Janine had prioritized since learning of her teammate's Punk Rock, and he had grown quite good at the move.

Although the Rocket Pokemon took the brunt of the force, the Rockets themselves were also knocked off their feet. Janine felt her advantage for only a moment, before her eyes took note of a few gravestones that had been damaged in the blast, entire chunks of rock now missing. Face pale as a marshmallow, her hand shot up to her mouth in a reflexive effort to suppress the nausea.

Rubbing his head, one of the Rockets glowered as he and his comrades rose to their feet, another Poke Ball now in his hand as more terrified ghosts rose from the floor and into the ceiling. "Huge mistake, you little bitch. Rush them!"

The Rockets released more Pokemon as whatever wounded Pokemon not knocked out from the blast struggled to their feat. Ash and Janine's teams ran to intercept, but Valiant and Ivysaur stayed behind. Quickly, Ash grabbed Caleb's hand and dragged him across the room before ducking behind a gravestone. As the two faced each other, the panicked rookie's heart froze in place at the sight of the younger boy's expression. Caleb's face was drenched in tears, and it looked like he might have been shivering as his back leaned against the gravestone, arms folded around him.

"W-What's gonna happen, Ash?"

'I don't know.' Ash thought to himself. 'Team Rocket is here.'

'Team Rocket is here. Team Rocket is here. Team Rocket is here.' The words looped through his mind like a broken recording. Memories of Celadon raced through his thoughts as he struggled to get a grip on his emotions. He couldn't tell if there was anger to accompany his fear, or if he was just scared.

Just barely, he choked out. "W-We're going to be fine, Caleb. I promise…" maybe it was the next chilling surge in the air as more screaming ghosts erupted from the floor, or maybe he just couldn't properly finish his sentence.

Why, why, why, why, WHY?! They always showed up out of nowhere, when everything was quiet and fine. Why wouldn't they leave him alone?! WHY DID THEY KEEP COMING?!

A sudden, somewhat rough tug on his shirt brought his attention to Valiant. The Kirlia was still sweating, and Ash was just about to reach for his Poke Ball before noticing that his psychic friend was pointing somewhere from past the gravestone. Following Valiant's direction, Ash's breath caught in his throat for the umpteenth time as he saw Janine, who still had not moved from her position, even amidst the escalating chaos. Still out in the open, Ivysaur was desperately nudging against her leg, but she remained motionless in place.

'NO.' Ash couldn't tell if his body was moving faster than his own thoughts, because his mind was everywhere. Springing to his feet, he grabbed Valiant and lightly pushed him further behind the gravestone. "Stay with Caleb." Without waiting for a response, he bolted out from behind his cover and made a break for Janine and Ivysaur. His friend's starter quickly saw him coming.

"Janine!" She seemed to finally break out of her trance as Ash grabbed onto her arm and roughly pulled her along with him, almost following onto his back with a startled stagger as two more ghosts erupted from the floor in front of him, before charging back to where Caleb and Valiant were. About halfway there, he noticed that Janine had started running with him, and let go of her arm as they ducked behind once more, Ivysaur taking one look back before doing the same.

"Ash, how do we-" Janine started before pausing, trying to prevent her tongue from twisting into a knot. "The tower wasn't built for combat. If this keeps up…" she didn't need to finish as yet another chill rushed down Ash's spine. "This tower is a gravesite!" her whisper was harsh like a Beedrill's sting.

The sounds of screaming caused the two trainer's to peek out from over the gravestone, watching as Pikachu and Toxtricity zapped a few of the soldiers to the floor. Most of the Rocket Pokemon had been defeated, the few remaining quickly being ganged up on as more voices rose up from the stairway.

"Domino, stay close to me. The higher we get, the more ghosts we'll find. They're retreating upwards to the top!" The male voice grew louder as the source drew closer, and then the figure emerged.

Ash's heart might have stopped.

The Tyranitar towering above all, deafening roar consuming the caverns.

The Hyper Beam, ripping through the ceiling like scissors to paper.

The rocks falling all around them, the entire cave collapsing in on the group.

His mind swirled a never ending cycle between a few specific thoughts as the Iron-Masked Marauder made his way into the room. He barely registered the blonde girl and soldiers flanking him.

"Ash! Don't-" Janine's voice made him realize too late that he was standing up in full now, stumbling back as the hunter's eyes landed on him.

From behind his mask, Marauder's eyes narrowed, studying Ash from head to toe as Janine rose up next to him. At his side, Domino briefly got his attention, although he did not look at her. "Marauder, I know that girl."

"The boy looks a bit familiar…" The hunter trailed off for a moment before scanning the room. His Weavile and Scizor stood in front of his group, and no Pokemon on Ash or Janine's side dared make a move. "We're the ones at the front for a reason, you know." derisive disappointment glazed over his voice as he looked around at the soldiers, most of whom were on the floor now. "Two children should not be holding you up."

"M-Marauder, sir." The closest of the fallen Rockets, a woman, pressed her hand against the floor in a vain attempt to get to her feet. "We needed to save our stronger Pokemon for the Alpha at the top. But then these kids caught us off guard…"

As the Rockets conversed, Ash almost stumbled back into the gravestone behind him. His eyes not leaving Marauder, his vision blurred for what felt like a split second or two.

"Why… why is he here…" He felt something coming up in his throat. It was the feeling he always got right before puking; a horrid sensation as bad as the act itself. As his hands shot up to cover his mouth, he suddenly felt a pair grip his shoulder. It took a few seconds to register that Janine was in front of him, chests almost touching, and purple eyes staring into his with a firm gaze.

"Ash, are you okay? What do you mean?" Janine's heart was racing as she spoke, and she could almost feel her blood run cold beneath her skin.

The sight of her did not ease him in the slightest, but it did slow his thoughts as his mind gradually made its way back. "J-Janine, I…" he tried talking again. "He's…"

"I know who he is." the poison specialist said. "We need too…" She wanted to say calm down, or something of the nature, but the words never came.

The sound of footsteps pulled her away from him, the cries of the ghosts no longer quite as loud as more and more had made their way past them and towards the upper floors. Removing her hands from Ash, Janine turned to see Marauder casually walking towards them with his hands in his pockets, each step feeling like an effortless, thunderous stride. Their Pokemon were glowering at him, muscles begging to move as Weavile and Scizor, who stopped halfway, stared them down.

"If any of you twitch, your trainers die." Marauder spoke the sentence no substance, like a boss handing paperwork to an employee to be filed. Behind him, Domino also began moving, motioning for her Crawdaunt to follow her while Mandibuzz stayed behind.

Janine's back was completely to Ash now, and the boy stared past her as the hunter drew closer, and closer, and closer, and closer until he was right in front of them. The girl's arms were crossed against her chest as the masked man towered over her and her friend, as though she was make believing her limbs were shields. Valiant and Ivysaur quickly moved in front of her just before Marauder stopped, eliciting nothing but a small grin from him.

"What are you two going to do?" his eyes moved downward to address them. "You've never killed before, and if you make me your first, you'll all die seconds later. Now move aside so I can talk."

Neither Pokemon obeyed. Janine only dared to break her gaze away from Marauder for a split second, just enough time to gaze down at them before her eyes found their way back to the masked hunter like a pair of magnets. Her heart was like a swinging fist punching against the interior of her chest, as though trying to break free as her breathing slowly became less controlled.

Behind Marauder, she could see the blonde girl and her Crawdaunt approaching. She was clearly only a teenager, but as she stopped next to Marauder, she may have looked far more oppressive if he weren't there towering over her as well. Behind her, Scizor and Weavile continued staring down the rest of the team, while Crawdaunt, at her side, spared a glance at Caleb before his eyes bore a hole in Ivysaur and Valiant.

Domino fixed her gaze on Ash and Janine for a moment, before focusing her attention on the two Pokemon just long enough to speak. "Do what he says." Her voice was as steady as a steel pillar, perfectly matching the professional scowl she wore, but it might have been the clicking of Crawduant's pincers that finally moved Valiant and Ivysaur to the side. Reflexively, both Pokemon now positioned themselves in front of Caleb.

At the entrance, a few more soldiers had arrived, but were quickly signaled by those already present not to move. Apart from Marauder and Domino themselves, the currently present forces had begun lining up by the entrance as Weavile and Scizor continued to scan Ash and Janine's teams.

Marauder took two extra steps as Domino and Crawduant remained stationary, his full height now completely looming over both rookies as his masked gaze remained locked in. He did not resist Janine's attempt to step back, the girl now at Ash's side with their shoulders touching. Ash felt a pang in his chest as the hunter's eyes scanned him once more, before shifting towards a neutral gaze directed at both.

"Sending a prayer, I'm assuming," he began, voice even enough to make even Domino's appear shaky by comparison. He allowed himself a brief glance at Caleb, who was curled up against the stone, face still drenched as Valiant and Ivysaur huddled protectively in front of him, before looking back at the two trainers. "Picked a late hour to do that, although I suppose I'm not one to talk."

Janine's teeth chewed her bottom lip for a moment as he finished talking. "Why… why are you here…?!" Her voice was a lot quieter than she wished it was, an unclear emotion bubbling beneath her eyes.

"Same reason I'd ever be anywhere," Marauder replied with ease in his delivery. "When you go to the supermarket, it's to fill your house with food. When you go to the bank, it's to collect or store your money. I'm here because I have a mission, and something Team Rocket seeks is waiting for us at the top of the tower." His grin stretched just slightly enough to be noticeable. "We need control of every floor. We have plenty more soldiers down below, working their way up. A good amount of ghosts are resisting, but most are not as brave as the ignorant horror stories about this town would have you believe. Most of them are retreating, trying to shelter themselves on the top floor. They're all gathered in one place, conveniently huddled up with our target." he gestured to the ceiling above their heads. "In crisis, a creature diverts to their natural instincts. And that's what ghost Pokemon are, creatures. We were sure to disrupt the distortion to put them on the backfoot, and we've brought the dark types, their natural hunters. They've completely gone default as predicted."

Janine may or may not have noticed how tightly her fists were clenched, or if they had even been clenched at all. "Why… why are you here?!" hot tears rolled down from her eyes as she almost saw red. "I don't- you think I care about some mission!? This place is sacred, why are you-!?"

"Sacred places are sacred for a reason, kid." Marauder's eyes fell on Ash before focusing their full attention on her. "It's because there are some things far too valuable for mankind to comprehend. Things that must be plunged into to even make the attempt." he motioned for Weavile and Scizor to start moving forward. "I don't think the League fully understands, and they're whole foundation was built by Mew himself. It'll be their loss once the curtain is finally ripped open."

"Living things are buried here." Janine's hiss seeped through her teeth as Marauder began walking past them, eyes focused on the staircase leading to the fifth floor. "If you damage this place…"

"Go on, finish your sentence." Marauder stopped walking as he turned back to her and Ash, the latter daring to move his head to follow the hunter's movements. "I have plundered enough tombs to need an extra set of hands to count them, short stuff. You wouldn't believe what was in them, and I can hardly believe what's in this." Both Ash and Janine felt their hearts stop as the hunter's hands pressed against their shoulders, the masked man leaning forward to look between both of them. "You know you can't stop us from climbing up those stairs. You can try to stop the people who will follow us, but we don't have time to be a part of that. And if you do," his thumbs briefly rubbed against their chins. "They'll have time to deal with you. But I don't, nor do I need." He rose to full height once more, one arm falling to his side as his other hand gripped his belt. "A couple of first years in the wrong place at the wrong time are about as harmful as a paper ball being thrown at the teacher. It's up to you whether or not you want to behave, and your choice isn't my problem."

"The League would never forget this." Janine's vocal cords felt weak as Domino, Crawdaunt, Weavile, and Scizor followed Marauder past them.

"There's a lot of things the League won't be forgetting, kid." Domino turned her head to look back at the pair. "We won't let them."

Janine was chewing her lip again, eyes finding their way back to the room's entrance where the rest of the soldiers waited. "Monsters… you're all…"

No longer continuing the conversation, Marauder raised a hand above his head and snapped his fingers "Everyone, to the next floor. Kill anyone who makes a move."

The soldiers and Pokemon all stormed past Ash and Janine's team, and then the two trainers themselves as the squad rushed up the stairway. Nobody in the group moved a muscle.

/

Neptune towered over Silver as the surrounding soldiers spread out at Domino's signal. Beside the executive, his Sylveon, Calliope, glanced up at her trainer in expectation as the Sigilyph descended down behind them.

"I trust everyone is in position, Hermes?" Silver inquired before nodding in satisfaction at the telepathic confirmation.

Every corner of Lavender Town's perimeter was occupied by Rockets, and no matter what direction the League came from, they would be intercepted with haste. The teen executive felt a pressure bubbling in his chest at the thought of this being a fight he would certainly have to retreat from. He was no stranger to his role being to stall for time, but such a task had not been presented to him in this manner since his promotion. A reminder of who they would be up against.

Pinion was currently surveying the sky, amongst several other Rocket fliers, hoping to spot the League forces from a distance when they arrived. That would give the Rockets extra time to close in on them and stall further. Already, a couple of trainers approaching Lavender's border had been swiftly rounded up and detained at camp, Pokemon and belongings confiscated. The lack of resistance was appreciated to keep the operation efficient.

"Petrel," Silver spoke into his communicator. "What floor are Domino and Marauder on?"

"They just entered floor six." Came the older Executive's reply, stationed on the opposite perimeter. "The top floor is next."

Beneath his silver mask, the red-haired executive grimaced. "That's not fast enough. By now, they could be here at any min-" A sharp screech from above caught his attention as he and his teammates quickly turned their gazes upwards to see Pinion hastily flying back down to them. "Speak of… Are they here?" His face scrunched as the Crobat nodded rapidly. "Then we're behind schedule. What direction are they coming from?" A pointed wing straight ahead. "Exactly lined up with me… You get that, Petrel?"

"We will be there." the older Executive replied. "All the fliers should already be moving to meet them, but I'll have Necro send a signal just in case."

"You too, Hermes." Silver looked at the Sigilyph, who nodded. "Let's go."

The pit in his chest was growing.

/

Coming from the southeast, the opposition Silver came face to face with, flanked by his forces, was of a similar size to what he expected. Several League soldiers had already sent out their Pokemon, along with the psychics who had brought them there in the first place. Despite the numbers, however, all eyes were on the figure in the center flanked by the two Ace Trainers. A gravitational pull for everyone's attention.

Agatha had lost some of her height to age, and what had once been gorgeous blonde hair had given way to graying. Her exterior was nothing like the larger than life extravagance of Champion Lance, the physical impossibility of Bruno, or the youthful presence of Lance or any of her fellow Elite Four comrades.

That did very little to distract from her aura tonight, her scowling face resembling that of a reaper as an enormous Gengar floated behind her head. Her most famed Pokemon's exterior had a somewhat white lining mixed in with the typical purple, and his size far exceeded almost all other members of his species. Anyone who knew of the Indigo League knew of Agatha's Gengar and his tremendous feats; raw power that even most dragons fantasized to have, and a plethora of nasty combinations and hindrances that made him as infuriating to fight against as he was terrifying.

Neptune must have sensed the nerves in his trainer, as he drew ever closer to Silver while the teen reflexively readjusted his mask. With only a split second of hesitance giving way to conviction, the Rocket prodigy looked the glowering Maiden of the Ghouls in the eye.

"Elite Four Agatha Kikuko of Indigo, I've been expecting you."

"Then you are nothing but a fool," the older woman's voice dripped with venom rivaling that of which her Gengar was capable of as her cane pointed in Silver's direction. "I've heard stories of you, Silver. The young Rocket behind the death of Leader Wade of Goldenrod. The one who stole the Master Ball prototype and blueprints from Celadon Gym just recently, and destroyed the museum." her eyes narrowed further, a focused glare that could have easily passed for a death ray seeping through her gaze. "You're clearly bright and capable… but not a survivalist at heart, are you? Attacking this town of all places, knowing that I would be the one to show up." None of the League soldiers behind her said anything, the bitterness in her speech enough to almost petrify even them.

But for Silver, her declaration was nothing more than a reiteration of what he had been reminding himself the entire week. "I wonder if there are things you know, Maiden of the Ghouls." 'The longer I stall, the more time Domino and Marauder's team will have.' "That you have never shared. It is difficult to believe the world's greatest expert on ghosts is ignorant to what lurks in that tower."

Agatha's face remained dangerous as Silver tried not to break under her studious gaze. "You obviously would not come here unless there was something you wanted. This isn't one of your senseless attacks if you wish to invoke my wrath, which you have. I will not indulge your analytics, astray child."

"You will not be reaching the tower, either."

"You intend to fight me?" By now, the glow of her Gengar behind her radiating off of her body had made Agatha appear less and less human as her hair flowed in the growing wind. "My judgment has no boundaries for those who breach my home, and certainly none for those who violate sacred grounds. You have done both today, and Wade has yet to be avenged."

"Then I suppose there are no words left." Silver placed a hand on Neptune's hide in an effort to find reassurance. 'I've done what I can, Domino. The rest is up to you.' "EVERYONE!" By now, more and more Rocket soldiers and Pokemon had arrived to back them up, and the League would be springing into action at any moment. Petrel was moments from arriving himself. "Swarm! Don't ignore the others, but prioritize Agatha!"

/

Domino's legs had shown no signs of giving out even as she ascended the steps of the tower at this pace. She imagined most would not be able to claim the same, particularly with the pressure being operated under. As she followed Marauder ascending the staircase leading to the final floor, the words "Time Limit" repeated in her mind over and over again. Whatever League forces Agatha brought with her, a good portion of them would certainly slip away from the conflict as Silver and Petrel's forces occupied themselves to stalling the Elite Four member, not to mention the police that would be on the scene soon enough. Agatha herself would likely only be stalled for so long, and once she arrived, there would be no battle win.

Making matters worse, she swore this last staircase was feeling a lot longer than the others…

"We're here!" In front of her, Marauder's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

The squad of Rockets filed into the room, Pokemon in toe. As they arrived, the loud whispers that Domino had progressively heard on the way up had grown seemingly deafening, and the air was cold and heavy. What's more, the lights were out. Just as Marauder had said: All of the ghosts that had not fled the tower or fought back had retreated to the top. The layer of the Alpha.

Numerous flashlights bathed part of the room in golden light, revealing the long field of gravestones spread throughout the room as Marauder took a step forward. The situation barely even seemed to register for the seasoned hunter, who was walking into the room as though stepping through a flower field. Scizor and Weavile remained on either side of him, with perfect flank.

"The true mission starts now, everybody. The ghosts could flee or retaliate at any minute, so we best get capturing." his gaze scanned the room as Scizor and Weavile both sharpened each of their claws. Behind him, Domino's posture grew stiffer and stiffer as Crawdaunt and Mandibuzz huddled closer to her.

She was suddenly finding it hard to breath, yet her heart was beating faster. The presence in the room… there was certainly something. Something beyond what a Pokemon should be, as they knew. Yet the continued thought of such only seemed to excite Marauder further.

'Operation Origin…' she repeated to herself in her mind. 'Mom, Dad… and you two were here to know what we were dipping our hands into…'

Rapidly shaking her head (to the mild confusion of a few of the surrounding soldiers), she emptied her mind. Those thoughts would lead to death in such a crucial situation as this. They had to be completely on focus for what was about to happen.

The Moon Stone shard had appeared in Marauder's hand. The one Silver had ordered she give to the hunter. To so many, it was simply that: A shard of the Moon Stone, used to evolve specific Pokemon. But…

"There are many stories about the Moon Stone," Marauder narrated. "So many theories and stories about the giant rock resting deeply beneath Mt. Moon's caverns. Some fairy tales, some speculation. But the most popular one of all…"

"Is the connection to Mew," Domino finished for him.

"Bingo, exactly," she could practically feel the excitement radiating off of the masked hunter, even with his back to her, the fragment still firmly held in his now shaking hand. "That the stone was created by Mew, blessed by him, or both. And as big as that rock is today, it was once much bigger. So big, that even with all of these fragments scattered across the world, it still maintains its massive size. Just how big was it before it split apart? And just what about it grants these small pieces of the stone selective evolutionary powers?" as the whispers continued, his lips twisted into a bitter, toothy grin. "Of course… who was ever to say that such tiny fragments were the only pieces that were scattered? What happens if a Pokemon becomes exposed to a more… concentrated form of Mew's power?"

As he finished his speech, Domino's arms defensively crossed against her chest as she looked around the room wearily. "It's now or never, we need to detect him." Moving forward to the hunter's side, she pulled out a small tablet. "These readings will be what does the job."

"Indeed With the excitement in his voice now leaking like an overflowing kitchen sink, Marauder raised the Moon Stone shard high above his head. "It is time, soldiers, to uncover the secret behind Lavender's great distortion hotspot!"

Only a few seconds had passed before the shard began to glow a deep, ocean blue. It was reacting to something. Was it calling out? Or being called too?

Domino stared at the table with wide eyes. "Marauder! The readings are…" beside her, she knew he was on the verge of bursting apart. The hunger in his grin was unrivaled by any expression a human was capable of.

"Yes…" he spoke softly, almost as though in disbelief. "To think it was actually true…" slowly but surely, his voice began to raise. "I knew I made the right choice getting involved in this project! Operation Origin is real! And this is just the beginning. The Alpha ghost of Pokemon Tower possesses a full chunk of the Moon Stone! A mortal specimen beyond mortality itself!" His hand raced for his belt, but just as he enlarged his Poke Ball, something caught Domino's eye.

Turning to see the small figure, the young agent's eyes landed on the Sableye that had appeared out of the blue. The small ghost had sunk into a fighting stance, black tendrils leaking from his fingers as he took aim at the group. "Some of our company has finally revealed itself."

"Oh…?" Marauder's gaze found its way to the Sableye. "One of the ghosts has decided to play hero for its master, I see. Weavile."

Yami fought back the bead of sweat that threatened to roll down his face as the dark/ice type approached him, clicking his claws together. Just as his soon-to-be attacker was near-halfway in his advance, however, something filled everybody's heads.

Domino's face had turned pale, and behind her, a few of the Rocket soldiers seemed to be on the verge of panicking before Marauder quickly whirled around and issued an order.

"I-I-Is…" her gulp prevented her words from leaving her mouth. 'I-Is… that it, Marauder?" Cautiously, she looked up at the Hunter, who remained standing firm.

"That was a warning. The Alpha is speaking in our heads." for a moment, his face was a stoic, stony glare, before twisting into yet another grin as he cupped his hands together. "The time has come to show yourself, Alpha! You've been hiding yourself in here for who knows how many ages, using the ghosts you attract as camouflage! But Team Rocket knows your secret: You are a mortal Pokemon, imbued with the aura of a divine creature! The time has come to hand over your chunk of the Moon Stone!" Another sensation rippled throughout the room. Anger. Rage. Marauder could feel it, his bones were shaking beneath his skin. "Magnificent…" He whispered to himself as a wind began to slowly but surely pick up. "If you really do exist, then there must be others like you. Creatures that go beyond the limitations of mortality, of their own species… and it's all the key to finding your Guardian. Operation Origin officially begins tonight, and will end with Team Rocket holding the power of Mew IN OUR HANDS!"

The wind surged as a screech roared through the room. Everybody braced themselves against the gale that threatened to shoot them out of the tower itself as the readings on the tablet went haywire, and the shard in Marauder's hands glowed as blindingly as the sun itself.

Domino's breathing struggled to get itself under control as she peaked out from behind her arm, shielding her face from the force. 'This is actually happening… what the hell have we done?!'

"YEEES!" beneath his mask, Marauder's eyes were a fantatical wildfire as something began to take shape in front of him. "Come to me, one of a kind specimen! Lead me to the greatest prey any hunter could ever dream!"

Fighting to maintain their footing, the soldiers released more Pokemon in a panic as Domino's hand clasped her mouth, struggling to hold back the vomit. The feeling was growing… the power radiating in front of them, unlike anything any Pokemon should ever be able to give off.

"It's too much…" the gusts of wind stole away her whisper, never to be heard.

The swirling black that now floated before Marauder began to collect and form. Two giant arms spread out from either side as the haze took the form of a giant, bulky body. As the Alpha ghost continued to take shape, its identity soon became known to all, as Domino began backing away a few steps, both her teammates not daring to leave her side.

The gigantic form of a Dusknoir towered above the squad as the whispers turned to screams. Yami remained still as several other ghosts took form, some prepared to fight, and others fleeing outside the tower. But all eyes were on the Alpha, its singular red eye glowering down at Marauder with a gaze that could very well murder a man on its own. Thick, harsh globs of blackish purple air seeped from the giant Dusknoir's body, and a bluish pink outline coated its body, the heavenly aura merging with the grotesque aura as all remaining ghosts orbited the Alpha's form like a sun's gravitational pull.

To the side, Yami gazed up in awe, a vigor filling his heart as he turned back to the approaching Weavile with a sharp confidence, and determined glare.

Marauder was the only one not terrified as the arm holding his Poke Ball winded back for the throw. "It's a shame Silvally is not here for this, but tonight is the night that Lavender dies. Now, punch a hole in the heavens!"

The Dusknoir was directly above him, arms spread out to the surging wind spawned by its very existence as Marauder chucked the ball. The burst of light took shape into Tyranitar's towering form, and the bloodlusted roar of a titan transformed the final floor of Pokemon Tower into a warzone.

/

"Nebula, Wind Blast!"

"You two, Golbat!"

True to Marauder's word, it had not taken long for additional Rockets to start pouring into the room, significantly less content on ignoring the three children. Ash and Janine's teams had formed a line in front of their trainers and Caleb (who was still clinging to Ash) as the two fliers of the group swept the soldiers and Pokemon off their feet with powerful gales, leaving several of the Rockets knocked out on the floor from landing wrong, but the occasional Wind Blast was needed for certain individual targets. The remaining teammates would intercept whatever Pokemon slipped by, resulting in brawls spreading across the room as the human trio kept themselves behind cover. More than a few gravestones had been damaged or broken in the chaos, especially as the Rocket Pokemon grew bolder in fighting back, sensing Nebula and Golbat's creeping fatigue from the constant blasts of Whirlwind.

Ash knew his Staravia friend would not last much longer, and temptation told him to have her use Reckless. A final blast of Whirlwind enhanced by the ability would tear the Rockets down by the numbers. But he did not know if this was the end of the wave, and they'd be left defenseless afterwards. Based on Marauder's words, he doubted they'd be lucky.

A bit close to them for comfort, Pikachu, Eevee and Beedrill were ganging up on a Mightyena. Elsewhere, Phenom was viciously clinging to another that ran around in desperate agony as the dinosaur's Poison Fang sank deeper and deeper and deeper in. A great deal of the Rocket Pokemon present were dark types, which did not surprise Ash in context.

Sure enough, a few more soldiers had already filed into the room from the third floor, one quickly being startled by the Whirlwind currently in progress. The other two quickly sprung into action, and Ash's heart sank as two Graveler emerged from their Poke Balls.

"Janine!" he tried shouting over the fighting. "They'll never be able to blow those down!" at her grim nod, he scanned the room for Tempest's whereabouts, and perked up as he saw the Krabby already attempting to make his way to one of the Graveler. A wave of apprehension struck him, not sure just how strong the newcomers were.

One of the soldiers tightened her hand into a fist as she glowered across the room. "Enough of this, brats! Graveler, Rollout!"

Eyes widening, Janine quickly turned to Ivysaur. "That things about to rampage around the room! Stop it with Energy Ball and put it to sleep!" Her starter nodded, reluctantly leaving her side as Graveler curled into a ball and tore through the floor, smashing through several gravestones as he charged across. A blast from Ivysaur's Energy Ball forced the rotund stone behemoth out of the ball-shaped form, knocking him backwards, but the other Graveler was suddenly approaching the quadruped.

"Flamethrower!" Another Rocket soldier raised his voice on command, and Ivysaur's eyes widened as the second Graveler opened her mouth and unleashed the fiery stream. Ivysaur narrowly avoided the attack by leaping back with Vine Whip, but still felt the heat singe his skin as one of his vines was burnt off. The Flamethrower struck a gravestone, overheating the rock as another voice suddenly sounded from the stairway.

"Janine! Ash! Caleb! Are you up here?!"

Janine barely heard the call as the remaining Rockets shifted their attention. "Wait, that's-"

Smokey's form blurred into the room as the Arcanine let loose a massive stream of fiery. Angling his head around to redirect the Fire Blast, his attack swept across the nearby vicinity, knocking out several Rocket Pokemon as the nearby soldiers scrambled to safety, only to be swiftly brought down themselves as the massive canine struck them in the head with his paws one by one. Both Graveler closed in to attack the fire type, but one of them was quickly dealt with by an Iron Tail that launched it into a gravestone a few feet away, and the other was abruptly knocked out by a stream of water from another source.

For the first time that night, true relief overtook Ash as Kris appeared in the room next, a Politoed at her side. The Ace Trainer quickly noticed them as Janine sprang up, some of their Pokemon slightly startled by how quickly the fight had ended. "Guys! Are you okay?!"

"Kris!" Janine quickly rushed from their hiding spot, and as Ash followed her, he noticed Caleb beginning to move a bit more freely at the sight of the older trainer. "They just came out of nowhere, and-"

"I know," the blue-haired girl answered quickly. "The police are starting to get here, but there's still a lot more going on down below. I'd have my Pidgeot fly you guys out the window if she wasn't sick; some Rocket fliers are patrolling the place, but nothing she can't zip past."

Caleb's tear-stained face was pale again. "S-So we're… stuck…?"

"Not for long." Kris said firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you three…" her voice trailed off as she surveyed the room, cursing under her breath. "This is…" The very thought of a gravesite being destroyed was stomach churning on its own, and the condition of the room gave off that same image. "They've never done something this audacious before."

"There's something at the top…" glancing beside him as he spoke, Ash saw Janine trembling again, as if trying to catch her breath before he refocused on Kris. "That's why they're here."

"At the top…" Kris' brow furrowed as her eyes scanned the doorway leading to the stairs to the next floor. "It's gotta be something important. Who's leading the attack? Do you know?"

"The…" Janine hesitated for a moment. "Iron-Masked Marauder" Just the reminder sent a shiver up Ash's back as the Ace trainer's face paled.

"No… you mean…" Now Kris' eyes were glued to the doorway. "Of all the…" after a moment or two, she ran her hand through her hair with a frustrated huff. "I can't leave you guys alone, but…"

"Miss Kris…?" Caleb spoke hesitantly as the teen's fists began to tighten. Beside her, Smokey and Politoed were both vigilant, as though waiting for any more Rockets to burst in.

Suddenly, Ash's heart skipped a beat as a roar sounded from directly above them, his eyes quickly shooting up to the ceiling as he felt his muscles beginning to lock. He knew that sound.

Finally, Kris took out two more Poke Balls, a Meganium and Ampharos appearing beside her as she turned back to the younger three. "I… I have to go after them. Whatever they're here for is too important to ignore, but… are you okay with that? I'll leave Ampharos and Politoed here with you."

Ash and Janine shared a few looks. The thought of her leaving them behind so quickly after arriving put them back at unease. Uncertainty. But if she left two Pokemon, it was doubtful that any grunts could touch them. And there was nothing stopping Marauder and his team from attacking them on their way down, if they succeeded.

Reluctantly, they gave her a nod.

/

Yami sank into the ground, narrowly avoiding Weavile's strike as the dark/ice type rushed him. Although the small ghosts had managed to land a few clean hits, he was beginning to look worse for wear as Marauder's knocked him around. The surrounding room had descended into chaos as Tyranitar charged the alpha Dusknoir, the two behemoths clashing as the rest of the ghosts either fled or fought for their lives. Most were overwhelmed, the room filling with many dark types that saw some of the resisting ghosts beginning to retreat. Many on both sides were caught in a crossfire as Tyranitar and Dusknoir devastated the surrounding area, however, and cracks and holes had already begun forming in the floor.

"Aren't you going to run with the rest of them, pipsqueak?" Marauder mocked from the side as his Scizor tore through two of the last remaining ghosts. "I guess being part dark type yourself doesn't make you "prey" like the rest of your friends. No matter…" Another Poke Ball appeared in his hand. Moments later, Spiritomb emerged from the capsule, a shrill screech escaping its body as something pulsed in Yami's head. Clutching at the sides of his head in panic, the Sableye was knocked away moments later by Weavile's icy fist.

Marauder's eyes carried a satisfied glint as he turned back to point at Dusknoir. "Spiritomb, do your thing and disrupt the alpha's energy. Domino, get your partners ready."

Shivering at the sight of the new ghost, Domino stiffly nodded at the hunter, gesturing for Crawdaunt and Mandibuzz to take a stance. WIth another cry, Spiritomb's aura pulse across the room, ramming into Dusknoir like an invisible shockwave of emotion as her Pokemon showered the giant ghost with their attacks. A giant, charged up blow from Tyranitar knocked the ghost on it's back, and-

Just as a few of the other Rocket Pokemon were about to zero in, a giant blast of fire swept them off of their feat, and Smokey blurred into the room, bowling over several soldiers one by one. Domino's blood froze as the large canine charged for her next, but a Crabhammer from Crawdaunt socked the fire type in the jaw, forcing him backwards as Kris and Meganium filed into the room next.

The Ace Trainer's eyes were focused and steel as she scanned the room. Smokey's entrance had felled the majority of the Rockets before they had the chance to retaliate with any further teammates, but the two in front of her she knew to be a far bigger deal than any group of grunts.

Domino, a teenage girl known as "Black Tulip" among her fellow Rockets. Knowledge of Team Rocket's child soldier program had only surfaced roughly half a decade ago, and according to the blonde's file, Domino was among the early cases that had brought such a thing to light. At just eleven, she had carried out a successful espionage mission that had landed the organization such a successful heist, and was spoken to have high skills in stealth and analytics, while certainly being no slouch on the battlefield as well. She was among the most prodigious amidst the group.

But like a gravitational pull, it was Marauder that her gaze would have stayed on, if it were not for the scene in the middle of the room. Although the ghost attached to the keystone was an abnormal creature on the eyes, she vaguely recognized it as a Spiritomb, and what little knowledge she had on the species made her shudder. The true attention stealer, however, was that. The Dusknoir of such great size, giving off such a… she wasn't even sure how to describe it.

Her blood nearly ran cold beneath the masked hunter's sneer as Meganium remained close to her trainer's side. In front of them, Smokey sidestepped into a crouching position, the vicious, predatory growl escaping his throat giving Scizor pause before springing into action.

"So the League has arrived," Marauder commented. "But you are no Agatha, Ace Trainer. And it seems you've come alone."

Barely stopping the breath from catching in her throat, Kris' eyes glued themselves to the hunter as her fists tightened. "I won't be alone for long," she spoke with a light snarl. 'They have to be after that Dusknoir. I don't know, but we can figure that out later. Agatha would know.' "Iron-Masked Marauder, you are wanted for a litany, but what you're doing tonight…" she could barely muster the words as the fury filled her eyes.

"And I suppose you're here to stop me? I would not get your hopes up." his eyes shot back to Domino. "We may be running out of time. You know what to do."

Domino nodded, eyes scanning her Mandibuzz and Crawdaunt, as well as Marauder's Weavile. 'If Spritomb can keep disrupting that Dusknoir's distortion, it'll become harder for it to remain bonded with the Moon Stone's power. We need to create an opening to swipe it and fast.'

Sensing that her enemies were done talking, Kris quickly shouted. "Meganium, Petal Blizzard!"

/

Damian's position on the battlefield was a fairly low-risk one. He was off the beaten path en route to the tower, making the League forces less likely to engage him directly given their urgency to get there. Necro was also nearby protecting this portion of the team, and the Mr. Mime's barrier work was rather competent and reassuring.

Even despite all that, the boy could not be prepared for the sensation he felt watching Elite Four Agatha release her team. It was like death was standing on top of him, his insides feeling like they were churning and freezing in place all at once.

The Rocket Pokemon had quickly swarmed her, almost like a wall made out of dark types , but it was in vain. Even now, as Executive Silver stood against her, joined by Petrel, the dominant presence of the renowned Maiden of the Ghouls remained unchecked. Silver had been strong enough to face down a Gym Leader just prior to this, and yet his entire strategy against this ghost Master revolved around desperation to simply last as long as possible, the thought of winning not even on the agenda.

Beside him, Charmeleon breathed out a blast of fire in response to a stray attack that Necro had shielded them from. Noctowl flew overhead, observing the path of the League forces that had broken off from the main fight and begun making their way towards the town. They had been intercepted by the remaining Rockets, but with the majority of their forces occupied with stalling Agatha, they would not be held back for long.

Eyes glancing towards Necro's direction, Damian felt somewhat unnerved yet intrigued by how the Mr. Mime effectively danced in battle. His movements felt like they carried a rhythm that only the Mr. Mime himself was aware of, seemingly erratic and without reason to any onlookers. When he teleported, he vanished with a powerful flash of light that momentarily blinded any nearby enemy. So far the League forces had not touched him, and any efforts to reach their division of the team proved fruitless.

He should feel safe, but the thought of Agatha looking in his direction for even a moment filled him with dread.

/

"Blast her again, Neptune!"

Silver rode on the back of Pinion as his partner aimed a Hydro Pump directly at Agatha herself. She stood motionless as Aegislash appeared in front of her, Neptune's attack harmlessly washing over the barrier that formed around the ghost's shield shaped body. The moment the attack ceased, the metal specter changed into the shape of a sword, sending the large reptile back with a blinding-fast strike. The transition had felt like only a split second, and Neptune had no chance to catch his adversary's blade in his jaws before being slashed across the chest and sent on his back. Petrel's Liepard quickly moved for the bladed spirit, only for Agatha's Dusknoir to punch Calliope away and intercept the swift feline with Shadow Sneak, lurching back from a Night Slash to the abdomen before swinging forward in turn and decking the tall cat with Fire Punch. Three Mightyena trying to gang up on Gengar were blasted away with ease before the ghost/poison type fired a Thunderbolt up at Silver and Pinion, the Crobat swerving in the air as the teen Executive held on tight to avoid the scorching blast of lightning.

'At this rate, we're going to have to retreat sooner than later.' Silver gritted his teeth as Petrel's Weezing drew closer, the poison type spreading a giant cloud of gas that was no doubt intended for the opposing trainers as much as the Pokemon themselves. Agatha's Gengar was quickly upon the cloud, however, suckign up a decent poriton of it as Aegislash charged through the gas outright to deliver a devastating strike to Liepard before returning to its shield form to effortlessly tank Calliope's counter attack. Moments later, a wave of psychic barriers washed over Agatha and her forces, and the cloud of toxic gas became as harmless as a Rattata poking an Onix.

"Executives Petrel and Silver!" their communicators sounded. "The police are in the tower, they're trying to fight they're way up. And this girl blitzed by us just before that, I think she's an Ace Trainer!"

Though the older executive wore a gas mask, Agatha recognized him nonetheless: it had not been the first time he had gone into battle dressed like that. 'Team Rocket Executive Petrel. Certain sources claim that you were the one who started Team Rocket's indoctrination of child soldiers, some of whom are participating in this very battle. You deserve less mercy than anyone else here.' Predictably, the Executive kept himself out of her reach… for now.

"Dusknoir, Seize of the Dead!" The large, bulky ghost's red eye glowed as though it contained magma, and a large, expanding puddle of purple shadows spawned on the ground directly in front of him. Black arms spawned out of the puddle like plants birthed from soil, and rushed for Neptune. The Feraligatr blasted at them in retaliation, but even as some some arms were destroyed, more continued to take their place, moving forward rapidly before strangling the water type to the ground. As Silver shouted orders to the blue reptile struggling against the abyss of arms, and nearby Rocket Pokemon struggled to fight their way towards his position, the old woman looked on with a stoic expression that gave way to the malicious murder in her eyes.

Agatha's judgment would not be denied.

/

Klark had been greeted with pandemonium upon entering the tower, and even before that, Decidueye had been sensing something coming from the top, just in time to see a hole explode from somewhere on either the top or second-highest floor. The agent gritted his teeth as Stoutland and Decidueye quickly entered the fray. Kris was either at the top or with the children her Gardevoir had told him about. The worst case scenario would be both, and though securing the kids would be the priority, getting them out of the tower would be easier said than done. Gardevoir had teleported them to the site without much trouble, but it was much more problematic for her to actually teleport inside the building. Already, whatever was going on was messing with the psychic's focus, not to mention the distortion levels predictably fluctuating and going haywire. It wasn't even a good idea for her to be here in the first place, but she insisted.

The first floor alone was a chaotic warzone, and one that promoted greeted thoughts of disgust at such an event taking place at a gravesite. Police forces and Rockets alike were locked in combat, and the walls separating the rooms were already damaged and well on their way to being destroyed at this current rate. The agent worried for the staircases leading up the tower; those being damaged alone would make things significantly harder, and reaching them would require a decent bit of effort as he ducked behind cover, wincing at the sight of multiple gravestones being damaged or even upheaved entirely. One within his view was not only laying across the floor, but was split in two.

'You'll have to hold out just a bit longer, Kris.'

/

"Stay behind me, Caleb!" As more Rockets had begun pouring into the room, Ash and his younger friend had found themselves closer to one of the far corners, now separated from Janine. Valiant had stuck with them, still prepared to at least try and defend despite the sweat pouring down his face. Ash wasn't totally confident the Kirlia could manage a barrier, but the young psychic had resisted his attempts at returning him to his ball.

The rest of their teams had resumed fighting, except for Nebula and Golbat, who had used up their reserves and needed to be returned. Ampharos and Politoed provided the rest with valuable moments of reprieve as they assumed the front lines against the attacking forces, but that reprieve did not stretch to Ash's psych as the shaking and crashing noises from the above floors continued to intensify. The sound of Tyranitar's roaring echoed downwards across the tower, and every single instance caused him to momentarily freeze in place.

Adrenaline pumped through Phenom's veins as he bashed his head against an Ekans, sending it recoiling backwards. An instant later, he turned just in time to see the Raticate rushing for him, but not in time to stop the strike from the large rodent's tail that struck him in the face. Staggering back, the Tyrunt would have lost his footing if he had not hit a gravestone first, and with growing rage, lunged for the rat. Sidestepping a gnash from the normal type's teeth, the young dinosaur bowled over his larger opponent with Roar, before leaping forward and chomping down with Poison Fang. His teeth punctured their way through the Raticate's skin, and he ignored the terrible taste of fur as he clung to his opponent. His mouth filled with blood as Raticate screamed, running around aimlessly as Phenom fought to maintain his grip. The rodent ran past Eevee, who disfigured a charging Fearow's beak with Super Tail as Toxtricity launched more shockwaves into the advancing enemies.

Ivysaur remained glued to Janine's shadow as the purple-haired girl fought to exercise her breathing, knuckles white as her eyes scanned the room.

"Scum…" she muttered under her breath, and her starter only had time to spare a glance at her before returning to vigilance. "This is…" Her efforts to regather her thoughts were halted as the earthquake-like shaking above them grew even more intense, drawing many eyes up to the ceiling as a loud crash was heard just above them. Even as the fighting continued, it was interrupted yet again as cracks began to form, and then… "No, wait! Guys-"

The ceiling burst open.

Debris from the above floor showered into the room, accompanied by a few gravestones and caskets undoubtedly containing deceased Pokemon. All eyes in the room immediately zeroed in on the enormous figure that crashed down onto their floor, silhouetted by the cloud of dust.

Tyranitar resembled a solid shadow as he crouched in the center of the room, fragments of a gravestone cracking and crumbling beneath his feet as he rose to full height. As the monstrosity surveyed the surrounding parties in the room, Ash found his back against the wall, palms pressed firmly against the surface. He wanted to look away. He couldn't look away. For what felt like a split second, the beast's eyes were on him.

Moments later, Marauder landed beside Tyranitar with the Weavile and Scizor in tow. Domino and Kris soon after.

"I don't know what that thing was you just caught," Kris began, "But-"

"You've already lost," the hunter interrupted, snapping his fingers. "Boys, clean up!"

Rearing back, Tyranitar roared as a surging Hyper Beam shot out of his mouth towards Smokey. The blast ripped through the room, destroying whatever in its path wasn't yet rubble, and as the Arcanine cleanly evaded it, tore through the wall into the next room, where it detonated against the far end, leaving a hole into the outside.

Some Rockets tried to rush Kris with their teams, while others fled, preferring to stay out of the way. Ampharos fired a large bolt of lightning into the beast, but Meganium's blast of leaves were turned to ice by Weavile. Politoed forced Scizor back with a blast of water, before being socked in the jaw by Crawdaunt as Mandibuzz rushed for Smokey.

Grabbing onto Caleb, Ash eyed the doorway leading downstairs. "Caleb, we have to go." Even as he said it, his eyes frantically scanned the room for his team. Apart from valiant being at his side, only Nebula had been recalled. And Janine was somewhere in the chaos. He did not want to draw attention, but against his better judgment, he called out while leading the younger boy by the hand. "Guys! Are you there?!"

From the corner of Marauder's eye, he could see them attempting to flee, but thought nothing of it. 'They're just collateral. We need to beat the Ace Trainer so we can get away with the prize.' "Scizor, sink your claws into her!"

The metal bug turned to Kris and rushed for her with Metal Claw. Her fists tightened as Meganium launched herself at Scizor with Vine Whip and Body Slam, crashing into his body and launching him away as Tyranitar attacked Smokey with Dark Pulse. Marauder could see Domino and her team trying to slip away in the distraction, but something else caught his eye as well… A familiar Sableye appeared out of a shadow on the floor, boldly firing a Power Gem into Tyranitar's back. The attack did little to faze the beast, but it did get his attention, and Yami almost buckled under the behemoth's death glare.

"Pipsqueak is back? And here I thought Weavile knocked you out." On cue, the dark/ice type rushed for Yami, who quickly ducked under him with Shadow Sneak, before resurfacing behind him to strike the back of his head with Fire Punch.

"Smokey, Flamethrower!" Meganium positioned herself in front of Kris as Yami's blow launched Weavile forward. A surging stream of flames slammed into him and blasted him away from the immediate area. Scizor quickly took a leap back to avoid the fire as Marauder signaled for Tyranitar to move.

"You can't keep up like this forever, girl." the hunter sneered. 'I've beaten people stronger than you, and evaded more clever ones at that."

"I'm not letting you escape with whatever you just caught."

'Good, she's targeting the wrong one.' he thought with some satisfaction. By now, Domino was absent. "Hyper Beam, Tyranitar!" The titanic creature reared back once more, before firing the blast straight for kris and Meganium. The teen's starter quickly wrapped vines around her to pull her out of the way as she leapt to the side, but the shockwaves still had Kris screaming as the blast collided with the floor, tearing another hole.

/

Blood trickled from Phenom's snout as he batted the Raticate away with Dragon Tail. The Rocket grunt in front of him snarled in frustration as the rodent sank to a knee. Phenom soon did the same, however, desperately trying to suck more air into his lungs as the larger normal type returned to a standing position. The dinosaur's body was covered with bruises from all of the fighting that had gone on, and despite his best efforts, he could feel his body accepting its limits, even as his eyes flared with a rare rage.

A smack from the Raticate's tail quelled whatever adrenaline was left as the Tyrunt's back collided with a stone behind him. A weak growl escaped his throat as the Raticate advanced. The rodent's balance staggered for a moment before regaining itself as the soldier ordered another attack.

A stream of bubbles slammed into the side of the normal type's head, and Phenom's eyes widened briefly as Tempest came into view. He could only take in the sight of the Krabby for a brief moment before his eyes began to shut, his body relaxing itself despite his best voluntary efforts. Glaring at the soldier, Tempest fired another a second Bubble Beam straight at him, growling in frustration as the grunt quickly retreated. Just as he was about to give chase, he paused and looked back to Phenom.

The Tyrunt was unconscious now, leaning unevenly against the gravestone. His hide was clearly bruised with blood leaking from a few spots. With a sigh, Tempest moved to lift him up, but was struck from behind with a Bullet Seed that sent him rolling straight into the collapsed dinosaur. Shaking his head, Tempest's eyes squinted for a moment to see the approaching Cacnea, before an Icy Wind suddenly slammed into it.

Valiant huffed as the grass type collapsed in a sheet of ice. The… presence was gone, and he could feel some strength coming back, but catching his breath was still a struggle. He and Tempest locked eyes for a moment before Ash returned the Krabby and Tyrunt to their poke balls.

Caleb clung to the older boy as Ash looked around in desperation. His heart wouldn't stop pounding, and for a moment he had to press a thumb against his chest to remind himself to breathe. "Alright, that's two. Where are Pikachu and-" a sudden call diverted his attention, and his eyes widened to see Yami approaching them. "Yami!"

The Sableye was half-sunk into his shadow, moving along the floor smoothly like water before rising a bit as he stopped in front of the group. Ash winced at the ghost's condition; it wasn't horrendous, but Yami had clearly been taking punishment. Yami must have noticed Ash's concern, shaking his head reassuringly before frantically chattering, gesturing towards the wall.

'He wants us to get outside.' Ash quickly realized. "Yami, Pikachu and Eevee are still somewhere, but I lost sight of them. Do you know where-" Ash was cut off as the Sableye quickly pointed down, and his blood somehow felt colder. "They fell through the floor?!"

/

Janine was cursing herself as her feet halted. Recalling Beedrill and Toxtricity had not been too difficult, as both had made their way back to her as Kris had called for her to run. And run she had, though Ivysaur remained glued to her throughout. Escaping the chaos was all she could think about, and she had not remembered Ash until she had already reached the third floor. She could hear fighting in the room next door as she and her starter halted.

"You've got to be…" the poison specialist hissed through clenched teeth as she reluctantly looked back towards the stairs that she and Ivysaur had just gone down. Her partner nudged his head against her legs for a second or two as she desperately racked her brain for a solution. 'I can't leave Ash and his team behind, but if we go back up-' An explosion from above shook the tower, and she grunted while covering her ears for a moment. 'It'll be dangerous no matter which direction we go in. Kris is up there, but so is the Marauder, and…' her mind trailed off as she looked around the room, and suddenly, something caught her attention.

There was a familiar Pokemon lying further in the room, and her instincts urged her to draw closer. As she and Ivysaur approached, her eyes slowly widened in realization.

It was Eevee.

"Eevee!" quickening her pace, she quickly knelt down in front of the unconscious normal type while Ivysaur nudged the evolution Pokemon with a concerned growl. "How did you get…" her eyes made their way towards the ceiling, where clear holes had been punctured through by the fighting, and she felt a cold sweat running down her. "They're… completely destroying the tower." Another worried growl from Ivysaur. In hopes of reassuring him, she patted her starter's head, but the action was absent minded, without much thought put into it as she felt a shiver up her back. Trying to rid herself of the feeling, she felt Eevee's pulse before gently shaking her body. The normal type was definitely hurt, but her injuries didn't seem too severe, and she was breathing fine. Had the fall been what knocked her out? Normally she'd use Iron Tail to save herself. Had the Rockets taken her out? "Eevee? Eevee, wake up."

As Janine coaxed her, the furry quadruped's eyes began to squeeze for a moment, before opening lightly. Janine's relief was short-lived as another, louder explosion struck the ceiling above them.

Chunks of rubble fell down from nearby, and the girl yelped, initially believing she was going to be hit. A particularly loud thud, however, drew her attention to the casket that had landed in front of her. Half a casket, at any rate.

A good portion of the top had been blown off, completely exposing the inside, and the girl's face turned to a sheet at what fell out. The remains had long since been decomposed, and all that was left was the deceased Pokemon's skeleton, hanging awkwardly out of the casket, right in Janine's line of vision.

As her face grew even paler, she felt something in her throat. Something cold… yet hot. Her stomach was sloshing as she urged her willpower to push it down, and miraculously, nothing came up. Her eyes, however, could not leave the skeletal remains no matter how badly she willed it, and for a few moments she felt like she was seeing double. The world was tilting, and she felt her own gaze growing hollow. Pressing her hands against the hard floor, she scooted herself back, only for the gravestone her back pressed against to serve as yet another reminder. Her fingers trembled against the surface of the floor, and she didn't respond to Ivysaur's nudges.

"How can… any of you…" she chewed her lip. The hammering in her chest was beginning to distract her. "Nothing's sacred to you, you're just barbarians! You're just…" she gripped her chest for a moment, but the fog in her mind had both her hands clutching her head as her eyes were drawn to the floor, unable to focus on anything else as the shivering trailed over her entire body. "WORTHLESS! DEMONS! SCUM! ALL OF YOOOOU!"

Another explosion moments later silenced her, and all she could do was moan as her wet eyes clouded her uneven vision. Soon, it wasn't just her eyes that were wet. She thought she could feel Ivysaur rubbing against her, but she couldn't see him, and her body wouldn't let her move to look. All it would allow was for her arms to hug her knees against her chest as her face wettened further. "Father… what the hell am I supposed to-"

"Who's that in here?" Though she jolted, she couldn't immediately make out the two figures entering the room and approaching her, but a low growl left Ivysaur's throat as he positioned himself between his trainer and the Rockets. A Hypno stood beside one, and a Jynx with the other.

The second Rocket, with the Jynx, nudged the first on the shoulder as his eyes scanned the girl. Ivysaur's growling grew more and more hostile the closer the Rocket squinted, but the two psychics took a step forward to ensure no retaliation. "This girl… why am I…?"

"She does look a bit familiar, doesn't she…" the first Rocket observed curiously. She was still huddled up against the gravestone, the half-conscious Eevee leaning against her side as her knees, wrapped in her arms, leaned into her chest. "Wait a minute…"

"So you do recognize her?" the second Rocket inquired.

The first Rocket's face slowly split into a grin. "I think I do… this is Koga's daughter." his fists shook as Ivysaur's growl turned sharp. "What great luck."

"What's she doing in Lavender?"

"Who cares?!" the first Rocket nodded to Hypno as his eyes locked onto Janine's. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her face as he took a step forward. "This is perfect! My cousin was killed last month thanks to your demon father." his expression was twisting now. "His daughter's coffin should make a good birthday gift."

Ivysuar was not growling anymore. A guttural shout escaped his throat as the two psychics advanced. Janine wanted to protest, but nothing would come out of her mouth even as it opened.

Just as the Hypno raised its pendulum, a dark arrow suddenly struck it in the back…

/

Klark observed the two unconscious Rockets for just a moment before shifting his eyes to the girl against the grave. She wasn't awake anymore, and had probably passed out during the brief fight. Her Ivysaur had eyed him suspiciously, but quickly eased up after seeing Kris' Gardevoir with him.

"This is Janine, right?" Looking over at Gardevoir, she nodded back to him. "Take her to the Center, I need to stay here.

/

"Caleb, are you alright?" Ash reached down to help the younger boy up. As they had rushed down the stairs with Valiant and Yami, Caleb had lost his balance, nearly falling down the stairs had Ash not caught him.

"Y-Yeah…" Caleb tried to breath as Ash helped him back to his feet. "Thanks."

Ash looked him over for a moment before grabbing his hand and continuing, doing his best to move down carefully without compromising their speed. A loud crash from the fourth floor filled his ears as he struggled to remain focused on the path ahead.

Yami was moving along the walls, body still half sunk into Shadow Sneak as he led the way down. Valiant brought up the rear of the group, not sparing any glances back, but doing his best to keep the feeling in his head under control. Now that the intense presence of distortion was gone, his mind was coming back to him, but the overwhelming myriad of emotions coming from every direction had only been somewhat reduced.

As they passed through the doorway, Ash braced himself for the worst, desperately hoping they weren't about to run into a gang of Rockets that would… he could barely process the thought. 'Why is this still happening?!'

They quickly did draw the attention of a figure, but to his relief, the man was no Rocket. In fact… he seemed fairly ordinary. He was dressed in casual clothes, with blazing red hair slicked back into spikes. A large canine Pokemon that the boy narrowly recognized as a Stoutland stood by his side; had the situation not been what it was, he would have gaped at the normal type, who was very similar to Smokey in size. Not too far away was what appeared to be a bird Pokemon, or an owl, more specifically, but Ash drew a blank on the species.

He quickly realized that this man must be another visitor, and was probably paying his respects while they were at Knighter's grave. Although Ash wasn't any less panicked, seeing this newcomer thankfully did not make his mood worse, which was the best he could ask for at any point. He still stiffened upon noting a few unconscious Rockets and their Pokemon in the room.

Klark's eyes widened as Ash and his group entered the room. Decidueye spared them a second's worth of attention before returning to her vigilant stance, ready to strike at any attacker. "Kids! Are you two hurt?"

The man seemed a lot more composed than one would expect a civilian to be in a situation like this, and that barely calmed Ash's nerves in the slightest bit as he led Caleb in the man's direction. "We're fine for now, but I have two friends missing. Have you seen a Pikachu or Eevee on this floor?"

Klark and Stoutland met them halfway , the man taking a brief moment to look back at Decidueye before his eyes returned to Ash and Caleb, the latter once more clinging to the former as though it had become second nature to him. Valiant looked up at him somewhat warily while Yami's eyes surveyed the room for the two missing Pokemon. "You're Ash and Caleb right? Your Eevee was here, Janine already found her."

Ash's eyes widened for a split second, not even registering that this stranger knew his friend's name. "Janine was here?! Where are they now? Are they o-"

"They're okay," Klark quickly raised a hand to try and calm the boy. "Ace Trainer Kris' Gardevoir got them out of here a few minutes ago, so they're safe." his face was serious. "You said you have a Pikachu missing?"

"Yeah, my friend Yami," Ash looked over to the Sableye for a second. "Said he and Eevee fell through one of the holes in the fourth floor." It was a miracle he could get his words out properly. "We're trying to find them and get out of here."

"Focus on the second part," Klark urged. "I can get you to the police-"

"No!" Ash yelled almost a bit too quickly. Freezing up for a second, he looked back at the startled Caleb, and mumbled apologetically before returning his focus to Klark. "I can't leave without him! He'll-"

"The police will find your friend." Klark tried to ease him. "I know how you feel, but you can't prolong escaping. This is a full on attack, you can't be in the middle of it."

"I… already am…" Ash could feel his voice losing strength as Caleb held onto him tighter. "Please, I just…"

Klark's face scrunched up as he looked over the young rookie with clear pity. The boy's body expression was one of an overwhelmed child, being pulled in every direction by panic and fear. Caleb was not faring much better, having effectively become attached to Ash's clothes.

A loud THUD caught their attention as something fell through one of the holes in the ceiling, and Ash could hear a familiar voice yelling out as the impact kicked up a small cloud of dust. Signaling for Stoutland to remain with Ash and his group, Klark ran over to the body that had fallen through the hole, quickly joined by Decidueye.

"Kris' Meganium…" Klark gritted his teeth. The grass type was knocked out clean, and a good portion of her skin charred black, and a massive bruise on her side and head. A loud crash opened up another part of the ceiling, prompting a startled yelp from Ash and Caleb as more fell through.

Once more, Ash felt his blood freeze in place as Tyranitar rose to full height. The beast's hide was scarred by battle, but he still stood tall above everyone else in the room as Marauder, Scizor, and Weavile joined him. The dark ice/type was clutching an injured arm, but was quickly recalled as the masked hunter's eyes zeroed in on the red-haired man.

"Klark, Klark, Klark…" the agent's face scrunched, eyes stiffening as Marauder's own gaze narrowed beneath his mask. "Somehow I knew you'd follow me all the way to Indigo. Do you have anything better to do than be a leech meddling with my career?"

Despite his dwindling focus, Ash managed to look back at Klark in surprise. 'Wait… what…?'

"I'll follow you until you're behind bars," Klark's professional tone suppressed his snarl. "You've gone past inhuman yet again."

"All that matters is the accolades," Marauder responded nonchalantly as Decidueye took aim at him and his team.

"Of course you'd say that," Ash's eyes turn to see Kris entering the room. She seemed to be massaging her shoulder for a moment, but quickly straightened out as best she could, with Smokey and Ampharos behind her. "You don't have any more respect for life than Team Rocket has for the law."

"Marauder, sir!" several grunts entered the room. "The police are making their way up! We have too-"

"Fight our way out, I know." Marauder eyed the officers entering from the second floor. He unclipped another Poke Ball from his belt, releasing a bird whose appearance made Ash's skin crawl.

Its feathers were a suit of armor, with red eyes that glowed more like a demon than a creature. As it flapped its wings in place, the bird let out a howl that made Ash feel as though death were massaging his spine.

"Alright Corviknight," Marauder looked between Kris and Klark, barely even paying mind to the police officers. "The mission is over, so I'll need an escape route."

"You won't get one!" Kris asserted as Smokey crouched down in front of her. "You're under arrest, and that's final!"

"You really are too young for your job, Ace Trainer." Marauder leered at the teen. "That Alpha ghost I captured on the top floor? It's not even with me. Domino slipped away ages ago." Kris only had time for her eyes to widen in shock before he snapped his fingers. "Tyranitar, Scizor, carve through them!"

Tyranitar's roar was deafening. Overpowering. The sound filled Ash's entire head as he lost his grip on Caleb, collapsing onto his bottom. The Tyranitar was clearly in view, but he did not see the inside of the tower anymore. The floor was made of rock, and so were the walls and ceiling. Dust fell from the top of the cavern, as though threatening to cave in at any moment as he frantically scooted backwards, the thought of standing suddenly foreign to him. 'No, don't. I don't want to be back here. Please...'

And then Tyranitar let loose a massive Fire Blast.

Smokey dove straight into the blast as the room exploded into chaos. The Arcanine's Iron Tail was molten hot to the touch as he drove it straight into the behemoth's breast. Multiple police Pokemon attempted to shower their attacks onto the giant beast, but were quickly forced to contend with the other Rocket Pokemon closing in.

Decidueye aimed an Energy Ball at Tyranitar's head, but Corviknight quickly flew to intercept it. The emerald sphere exploded against the bird's armor, but he tanked the attack with ease before zipping through the air at a downwards diagonal angle towards the grass/ghost type. The metal bird's Drill Peck was narrowly avoided as Decidueye used Phantom Force to dematerialize, but the reappearing owl was knocked away by a Steel Wing to the beak before she could use Confuse Ray.

Just as Corviknight was about to press his advantage, an Electro Ball entered his peripheral vision. He just barely swerved to the side, but winced as some of the lightning singed his exterior. Ampharos charged forward and targeted him with a Thunderbolt, but the bird was ready this time, and turned to block the streak of electricity with Steel Wing, snarling as he strained himself to contain the attack.

Stoutland's teeth were completely engulfed in fire as he charged forward to take a bite out of Scizor. As though his life depended on it, the metal bug slipped away from the attack before rearing back to strike the large dog in the hip with a Brick Break. Stoutland whirled around and forced Scizor away with a Roar, but even as he staggered back, the bug let loose a barrage of golden stars that pelted the canine in the face. Stoutland's eyes were forced shut for a moment as he struggled to shake off the attack, but he still had the awareness to take a leap backwards when his opponent went for a second Brick Break, before blasting Scizor with a Thunder Wave that briefly forced the armored bug in place. Now once again, Stoutland leapt forward with Fire Fang, intent on chomping down into Scizor's head, but quickly spotted a grunt's Mightyena charging for him from the side. Changing his trajectory, Stoutland rammed head first into the dark type, bowling it over.

Officers and Rockets alike shouted orders at their Pokemon as attacks were flung in every direction. Tyranitar towered in the center of the mayhem, his roars sounding more like claps of endless thunder from his vocal cords as he batted Smokey away with his tail, before firing a Dark Pulse up at a nearby Pidgeotto. The bird squawked loudly as she swerve to avoid the blast, only to be knocked out cold by Corviknight moments later as the Dark Pulse struck the ceiling above Kris. Her eyes widened as a large piece of debris fell towards her, but just as she was about to move out of the way, a yellow blur coated in Agility leapt above her head and batted away the rocky chunk with an iron Tail.

The Ace Trainer blinked for a moment before her eyes zeroed in on Pikachu. Ash's starter had dirty cuts across his side, and his fur was covered with dust from the rocks, but despite his somewhat heavy breathing, he was very much still in shape. "Pikachu, to me! Quickly!" The mouse nodded before trotting to her side, and she allowed herself a split second smile. "Thanks for that."

Finally on his feet again, Ash's eyes doubled in size as he realized Caleb and Valiant were no longer with him. In fact, he was in a completely different part of the room than he had been in before. When had he stood up and started running? "Valiant, Caleb! Where are you-" Something suddenly caught his eye from the side. Turning around, he screamed at the Liepard rushing for him-

And then turned again as the feline was blasted away. Looking for the source of the attack, his eyes fell on Yami, whose breathing had grown hard, and no longer effortless. Feeling his legs getting much heavier, the boy began making his way to the small ghost, who was looking up at him with relief. "Yami, do you know where-" his eyes widened again. "Wait, behind you!"

The Sableye turned around just in time for Scizor's claw to smack him across the head. Ash looked on in horror as the dark/ghost type flew a few feet away, before tumbling several more across the damaged floor, finally stopping after slamming into a half upheaved gravestone. Though still conscious, he collapsed onto his stomach, struggling to summon the strength to raise an arm and massage the wound on his head. Hearing footsteps, his vision began to blur as he looked up to see the approaching hunter.

Marauder stared at the Sableye in silence for a few moments before his hand made its way to his belt. "You're a peculiar one, Sableye. I think you might actually be the only ghost left in the tower at this point. That determined to save the day, are we?" his lips stretched into a revolting smile. "Most Pokemon prefer to run away from me rather than towards me. Well, the ordinary ones anyway. But you know something?"

With tunnel vision, Ash watched Marauder pull… something off of his belt. It was clearly a ball, but it looked nothing like any other Poke Ball. It was a dark purple, with what looked to be a pattern of black plating covering it. As Marauder enlarged the device, the boy's heart stopped for the upteenth time that night.

"I've always liked dark and steel types the best."

"No, Yami run-"

Marauder chucked the ball. His aim was perfection as the ominous device soared through the air, striking Yami clean in the skull. The ball opened up and sucked the Sableye in without effort, before closing with just as much ease.

"YAMIIIIII!"

Glowing with a peculiar purple light, the capsule flew back the way it came, returning to Marauder's hand. He didn't even spare it a second glance as he reattached the device to his belt.

Yami was trapped in that ball. And the ball was secured on the hunter's belt.

Ash was on his bottom again. His fingers laid themselves out against the surface of the floor as he could see nothing but Marauder, standing tall in the middle of the carnage that he had created.

Just as the hunter was about to turn back to Scizor, his communicator went off. "Marauder! This is Petrel. Silver and I had to retreat, Agatha is heading for the tower right now!"

The masked man's face twisted in displeasure. "Did Domino make it?"

"Yes, she's with us, and she still has the target on her. You need to get out of there immediately."

'He sounds pretty worried.' Marauder thought to himself. 'The concern makes sense. He knows my role is only just beginning.' "Roger that, I'll see you back at camp." Quickly taking out Scizor's ball, he recalled the armored bug before turning to Tyranitar, just in time to grin with satisfaction as the behemoth bashed a broken piece of the floor across Smokey's head. The fiery dog rolled across the floor, struggling to return to his feat just before collapsing as Kris and Pikachu rushed towards him.

A few of the officers seemed to take note of Scizor's sudden absence as Marauder's eyes scanned the room. "Well everybody, it looks like the night's finally drawing to a close. All Rockets, fall back immediately!"

Gripping Smokey's fur, Kris glowered up at him. "You're not going anywhere!"

"I think you should be more focused on getting out yourselves than keeping us in." The Ace Trainer only had a split second to process his declaration before he turned to Tyranitar. "Alright Tyranitar, bring the tower to its knees!"

Every pair of ears in the room heard the order, and every party froze in shock as Tyranitar reared back and fired a Hyper Beam down into the floor.

The blast tore through the third floor… and the second, before hitting the foundation on the first floor. The monstrosity turned his body as the beam continued to carve through the bottom of the tower's left side, before angling his head upwards, allowing the blast to travel across and towards what remained of the ceiling leading to the other floors.

/

Agatha saw the blast from her position. A giant Hyper Beam protruded from the side of the tower, and she could almost feel the structure shaking in its place.

Her face wore an expression of horror that very few ghost Masters ever did. "No… they didn't!"

/

Marauder's cackle did not sound like a noise that a person would make. Tyranitar was camouflaged by the dust and debris as pieces of the tower above descended upon the third floor. The Hyper Beam was still leaving his mouth, as loud as the roar he had let out when firing it, continuing to rip into the structure above. In every occupied portion of the tower, police and Rockets alike were scrambling to secure themselves and each other to escape as the collapse threatened to bury all who were still present.

For Ash, the whole world had transformed. There were no Rockets or police officers in the vicinity. It was just him, Marauder, and that thing. He was in the cavern again, and the rocks were falling everywhere.

Falling Rocks.

FALLING ROCKS.

FALLING ROCKS.

His hands clawed at his head as he screamed aimlessly. His sense of touch was leaving him, and all he could hear was the roaring of the beast and the collapsing of his surroundings. But amongst it all, one thing did slip through the cracks. It was a cry for help, and the voice was…

Caleb was in the cavern, on his hands and knees as the rocks fell around him. The younger boy was still, not even attempting to get up as he cried out a second time. All Ash could do was stare at him, his muscles not allowing themselves to move, and his throat not allowing his voice to be heard.

The rocks continued to fall.

The monstrosity continued to roar.

The police continued to scramble.

The world continued to shake.

Whatever chains shackling Ash's legs crumbled into dust as he broke into a sloppy run. The cavern had grown darker, and Caleb was all that he could see. All except for the rocks above, that fell all around him. He felt the impact of every step as he ran across the stone floor, nearly falling on his face several times as every stride threatened to trip him down to his doom. A last second instinct had him ducking his head to the side, grazed by a particularly large piece of debris, before tiny pebbles stung his face. He paused for a moment, trying to regain his vision before remembering where he had to run too. He picked up speed, for fear of his body going stiff on him before he dove.

His arms wrapped around Caleb, pulling the younger boy close as another large piece of debris landed beside them. Yet another fell from the fifth floor, just above their heads…

"AAAASH!"

He couldn;t make out the voice. It was clearly female. Was it Kris? Looking up, he saw a small figure running towards them. He only had about one second to process who it was as the large piece of floor closed in on him and Caleb.

Now it was Valiant's turn to dive, body carrying him across the air separating him from his trainer. As he clung to Ash and Caleb with the tightest grip he could muster, he squeezed his eyes shut and focused as hard as he could. For a moment, nothing came, and he chewed his lip tight, growling and hissing in frustration just as the large piece of debris landed-

Ash did not feel the hard floor anymore. It took his body several seconds, and maybe even a full minute to process what was underneath him. It felt like grass, and dirt. He and Caleb were still on the ground, and the air had almost entirely changed. Opening his eyes… he could see vegetation, and angling his gaze upwards, he could some of the stars in the sky, although several clouds had covered some of them, as well as over half of the moon.

Valiant collapsed onto his back next to them, having a somewhat easier time catching his breath. The Kirlia did not move, simply looking upwards without a sound.

Caleb had finally registered at Ash was there again, burying his face into the older boy's chest, and it didn't take long for Ash to feel his tears. The younger boy's sobs were not quiet, and it was the only sound he could process as he rubbed his friend's back, allowing him to hug against him more tightly.

"I-It's… It's okay Caleb, we're fine now." He did his best to speak soothingly, trying to fight off the shaking in his voice as he pulled Caleb closer. "Valiant got us out. We're fine. We're gonna be okay."

But Ash was crying too.

/

On the other side of the Region, a muscular man with spiky pink hair sat in an office, fingers hastily drumming against the desk as he continuously shifted and squirmed in his seat, Finally giving up, he got to his feet and began pacing around the room, before hearing a dreaded knock on the door.

A woman with long, red hair wrapped in a ponytail entered the room. Her expression was the last thing Champion Lance wanted to see.

"Lorelei… what's the news?"

The ice Master's face was hollow, almost without life as she tried to look Indigo's greatest trainer in the eye. "Lance… the tower in Lavender, it's…"

/

"Who's accounted for?" Petrel asked. "What's the percentage?"

The Rockets were already hastily packing up their camp. Sooner rather than later, the League would be sweeping the entire area surrounding Lavender. They needed to make themselves scarce before that happened. Amidst the activity were Petrel, Silver, Domino, and a few reporting soldiers with Damian among them. The older executive's arms were crossed, thumb tapping against his elbow with impatient unease.

"We are still trying to figure that out, sir." the soldier standing closest to Damian replied. "We can confirm that not all of them made it out of the tower, but it does seem like the brunt of the losses took place against Elite Four Agatha and her League forces.

"No surprise," Silver asserted with some regret. "That was inevitable." as he turned to look at Domino, the blonde girl stiffened at the sudden attention. "Did you get a look at the stone?"

Feet shuffling, she fought back the stiff feeling in her face and nodded at the young executive. "I did… and was a bit surprised, to be honest. It's only about twice the size of a typical Moon Stone, and yet… we know that it's far from just that. I think the energy might be a lot more concentrated? Just looking at the thing hurt my eyes, and touching it made me feel kind of lightheaded…" her gaze shifted to Petrel. "How the hell was the Alpha able too…?"

"A question for another day," the purple haired executive answered honestly. "That is going to be Ariana's work, as usual."

Damian mustered up the courage to speak. "So," he almost flinched as the older Rockets all laid their eyes on him, but still managed to continue. "How long until we leave?"

"Tonight," Petrel answered firmly. "We cannot afford to stay anywhere near Lavender for more than an hour. Of course the League probably already expects that we'll be fleeing…"

"We'll be across the Region once it's time to leave," Domino spoke. "But I suppose we'll all have to be under the radar for a while."

"It's out of necessity, of course." Silver insisted. "Marauder will be reporting to Ariana, but the rest of us will be headed underground well off the beaten path. Speaking of which, where is-"

His question was answered by a call from above. "Reporting in!" all eyes looked up to see Marauder on Corviknight, descending from the air before touching down a couple meters away. "Mission officially complete."

Petrel looked like his hair was about to turn gray. "If you had taken about a second longer to show your face, I would have worried that Agatha's ghosts had devoured your soul and fed your carcass to the Champion's red Gyarados."

Dismounting the armored bird, Marauder returned Corviknight without a word before turning back to address the group. "I needed to ensure that no League fliers were on my tail before heading back here. The ghosts and dragons would have a whole buffet on their hands otherwise."

"You did the right thing," Silver confirmed. "But we still need to make haste. I'd prefer significantly less than an hour, if I'm being honest. The rest of our reports can wait." he turned to Domino. "Domino, round up Necro and the other psy-"

A moan from Damian caught their attention. The blue haired boy's hands were gripping his head as a strange, sickly sound came out of his throat.

Domino did not hide her alarm. "Damian, are you-"

The noise grew louder. It sounded like he was vomiting violently, but nothing was coming out of his mouth. Silver quickly moved as the young Rocket sank to his knees, the moans now sounding significantly pained as the teen executive gripped his shoulders.

"Damian, what's wrong? Why are you-" his voice left him as the child raised his head.

Damian's eyes were red. A deep, crimson, glowing red, pupils resembling the most ominous of gemstones. And then he spoke.

"You have brought everything on yourselves tonight."

Startled, Silver staggered back, releasing his grip on the boy and allowing Damian to rise to full height. Every Rocket present took a step back, confusion worn on all of their expressions.

The voice that left Damian's mouth did not belong to him. It was distorted, echoey, and rippling. But as he continued to talk, Silver was given more chances to piece together the… familiarity.

/

Agatha stood at the remains of the Pokemon Tower. As she leaned on her cane, her eyes glowed a deep, blood red crimson. Back to her side, was her giant Gengar, who's eyes looked exactly the same.

/

"You declared war on the Indigo League a long time ago. Ages before the fate that befell Wade. But now you have provoked me, and the consequences will all be from your despicable design. I will rain hellfire upon you and every man and woman you call comrade. What you've done will be felt and echoed unto you long after you have departed from this realm, and if I have to linger beyond my grave, it will be seen through. From this night forth, you will know the damnation of slighting one of my kind, and violating what you have. This is not a declaration of war, it is a sentencing."

Damian's eyes returned to normal. Blood leaked from his nose and eyes as he collapsed onto the grass, and Silver rushed to pick him up. The boy's body felt frail and cold, and the red haired teen did his best to be gentle as he wrapped the younger Rocket's arm around his shoulder to support him. As the rest of the Rocket's looked on in silence, he shook Damian lightly, paying no mind to the drops of blood that fell on his arm.

"Damian, how are you feeling?"

"What just…" Damian reached up to grab his forehead as his eyes squeezed shut. "I feel like I'm…"

"He's pale," Domino commented, managing to find her voice first. "He almost looks malnourished…"

"Can you walk?" Silver asked.

"...I… I don't know." The boy got the words out after a brief struggle.

"I'm taking you to the medical tent." Silver's eyes scanned through all of the present parties. "Twenty minutes. Not a second longer." Without another word, he led Damian away.

For a few moments, everyone was still. It was Marauder and a female soldier who started moving first, bringing the rest of the group back to the world.

Arms folded around her chest, Domino shivered for a moment. A long moment. For those few seconds, she felt as though she were standing in a blizzard near Mt. Silver's peak. "So…" breaking out of her trance, she unsteadily looked up at Petrel, who was still staring off in the direction that Silver and Damian had left in. "What now?"

Her superior was unresponsive for a moment, continuing to stare for just a few seconds longer, before his face contorted into a tight scowl.

"Now," he began, voice firm and blunt. "We move onto the next phase, and wipe the floor with that arrogant crone."

/

It was a night that never should have happened, and for all the years of the town's history, was never imagined. It was a night that the dim atmosphere of the town disappeared, giving way to a normalcy that was not normal for anyone there. It was a night that the chilly breeze of the town subsided, giving way to a normalcy completely abnormal for everyone who felt it. It was a night that nobody felt a presence beside them, or something watching them from the shadows, giving way to a normalcy that only brought loneliness. It was a night where countless specters departed through the skies and trees surrounding the town, aimless and without a goal, as lost as can be. It was a night that never should have happened, and would never be forgotten.

There were no ghosts in Lavender.