As heroes continue their trek to Ironriver City, it seems that Vernon is still working an an old persona.
"Wham!" said Vernon, revealing his new and improved Toxicity uniform. Now it had a long, flowing purple and black cape, and a hat that was dark violet and covered the top of his head. "How do you like me now!?" Floattery flew out behind him to reveal its new costume: along with it's old mask, it came equipped the new tentacles that had suggested before.
"Vern, are you ever gonna give up on Toxicity?" said Serena, a hand on her hip.
"I shall never!" said Vernon. "The world needs Toxicity! I am the hero they don't want but need!"
"I don't get it," said Ash. "What is it about this persona of yours that makes you want to make it happen so much?"
Vernon paused at that to think. "Well, it's hard to say. But, I guess maybe I enjoy being such a cool hero. All the flair, all the dramatic air, and the power to change the world, I like to think Toxicity is my coolest character yet."
"Well, we're happy to see you feel that way," said Ash.
"Hey, guys, look!" pointed RotomDex. Everyone looked to see a large city in the distance. Every building seemed to be made of metal, but there seemed to be a few places of interest, like a cathedral-looking building, a library with stone pillars over the entrance, an entertainment complex, and a large sailboat sitting next to a long stream of water that flowed alongside and under the city. "We made it!" said RotomDex. "Ironriver City!"
"Awesome!" said Ash. "That means I'm one step closer to my next Gym Badge!"
The group began wandering around the city to have a look around. It truly was a big city, hundreds of people bustling about, and there seemed to be something to do on just about every corner. The buildings housed games, books, food, entertaiment, you name it. Right now, Ash, Serena, Vernon, Pikachu, and RotomDex were examining the sailboat, and were looking out onto a magnificent view over the calm, blue river that flowed by.
"This place is so cool!" said Serena. "It's lot bigger than I expected."
"It just so happens to be the second biggest city in Ralia after Coastport City," said RotomDex. "The thing is they built this city here because the historical importance of surrounding area."
"Hmm?" said Ash. "What do you mean?"
"Well, they say some of the very first people to ever colonize Ralia came to settle around here. And that's when they even met, get this... a Legendary Pokémon!"
"A Legendary Pokémon!?" Ash said, his eyes practically sparkling in excitement. "I don't believe it! What kind!?"
"Well, the legend is honestly pretty vague," said RotomDex. "But what I do know is that there was once a war that was waged between the colonists who came to this region thousands of years ago and the natives who lived here first. And they say it was a Legendary Pokémon that finally helped settle the conflict."
"A Legendary Pokémon, eh?" said Serena, putting her index finger to her chin. "Say, I've been wondering for a while. Do you think maybe... it was that mysterious figure who rescued us from Team Shade on our way to Brightmere Town?"
"Could be," said Vernon.
Suddenly, the group witnessed a shadow fall over them. They turned their heads to, who else, Team Rocket.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
...
"Uh, Meowth?" said Jessie. "That's your cue."
"Ugh, who cares?" said Meowth, walking limply onto the scene. "The motto ain't the same without Wobbuffet."
Jessie almost cringed at the thought, but turned to the group regardless. "Alright, twerps, you should know why we're here. Hand over Pikachu, and no one gets hurt."
"Wob!" Wobbuffet suddenly emerged from its PokéBall, standing in from of the group with its arms outstretched as a warning.
Jessie sighed. "Wobbuffet, please. We don't want to hurt you. Why can't you please just cut us some slack this time?"
"Wob," Wobbuffet narrowed its eyes.
Suddenly, that was when another shadow came over them. Everyone looked around for the source, but they could see nothing.
"Who's there?" said James. "Show yourself!"
Suddenly, a small, bat-like Pokémon appeared before them. It was black, with crescent moon shaped ears, had large eyes, and had white fur around its chest.
"What kind of Pokémon is this?" said James.
"My personal partner," came a deep voice. Team Rocket turned around to see a tall man swoop down and land before them. He was dressed to look just like the Pokémon, but they could see his piercing white eyes under his mask.
"Who on earth is this joker?" said Meowth.
"Some call me the Dark-type Knight," said the man. "I'm... Lunabatman!"
"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard," said Jessie. "So you've got a small measly bat. Big deal."
"Lunabat is no measly bat, lady," said Lunabatman. "So 'em, Lunabat. Use your Supersonic!"
Suddenly, the Pokémon, Lunabat, began to screech at the top of its lungs, and Team Rocket was forced to cover their ears in pain.
"Owie!" Meowth whined. "My ears are gonna pop!"
"Now use Dark Pulse!" said Lunabatman. Lunabat blasted Team Rocket with a series of swirling ring in order to knock them back.
"Now finish it with a Dark Blast!" Lunabat charged up a black orb in its mouth before shooting it at Team Rocket, and when it hit the floor, it exploded into a huge mass of dark energy, sending them fly away.
"We're blasting off again!"
"Whoa!" said Vernon. "That was so cool! Who are you?"
"I'm... Lunabatman!" Lunabatman said as he stretched out the wings on his suit and struck a pose. "And you strangers best thank me for keeping you all safe."
"Um, yeah, we are," said Serena. "Thank you."
"And you," said Lunabatman, looking at Vernon, "I hope you realize I don't like to share this city with other superheroes."
Vernon looked confused, but then he looked down and was reminded that he was still dressed in his Toxicity garb. "Oh, no, this is-"
"I don't share," said Lunabatman. "Do you know why? It's because I'm Lunabatman!"
"Well, my work here is done," said Lunabatman. "Lunabatman, away!" He jumped off the edge of the ship to glide away on hid wings, as Lunabat flew after him.
The group was now walking over towards where they believed the Ironriver City Gym was located. "Yeesh, for a superhero, he's got some ego," said Vernon. "He's such a weirdo."
"Oh, yeah?" said Serena. "So why are you still dressed as Toxicity."
Finally, they made it to a building that had the Pokémon Gym logo at the top. Ash knocked on the door, but he got no answer. He tried again, but then the door suddenly opened. He peeked inside to see the entire place was dark. Carefully, he walked inside, his friends behind him.
"Hello?" said Ash. "Is anyone here?"
RotomDex decided to light up its screen to illuminate the area, but that was when he came face to face with a large Pokémon's silvery muzzle with sharp teeth.
"Yah!" RotomDex shrieked. It backed up to witness a large Steelix sitting before it, eyeing it with an angry maw. It growled as it leaned forward.
"Hey, hey! We don't mean any harm!" Vernon said.
"Steelix? Steelix!" came a female voice. Everyone turned to see a woman with silvery hair tied in long pigtails, and a silver-colored vest walking towards everyone. In spite of her silver hair, she looked surprisingly young. "It's okay, Steelix, no need to get upset," said the woman. She petting the Steelix's head before it finally calmed down. She then faced her new visitors and said, "What are you folks doing in here?"
"Um, I'm... actually a Gym challenger," said Ash. "Are you-"
"Yes," said the woman. "I'm the Gym Leader." She pulled out a necklace with the Gym Symbol at the end of it out her vest. "My name is Irene. But I'm afraid I'm not taking any challengers right now. This gym is closed until further notice.
"What? Why?" said Serena.
"Because I've got a few problems I need to deal with at my amusement park right now," said Irene. "There's some crooks hiding in there somewhere and scaring everyone away."
"You have an amusement park?" said Ash.
"Yeah, I built that whole place with my own two hands," Irene explained. "And I need to make sure it's safe from lousy crooks. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get going. I need to call someone very important for help."
Irene quickly walked away, out through the door, letting light leak in. The Steelix quickly slithered away back into the darkness of the gym.
"Well, that was a waste," said Ash. "Now what am I supposed to do?"
Vernon put a finger to his chin. Suddenly, he grinned, and he struck a pose. "I have a plan, Ash. The mighty Toxicity shall defeat those lousy crooks, save Irene's park, and then she will be free to battle you your heart's delight!" That was when Floattery popped out of its PokéBall, also dressed in its super garb.
"What? Wait, Vernon-" Ash said, but before he could even blink, Vernon and Floattery were gone.
"Where's he going?" said Serena.
"Well, according to my maps," said RotomDex, scrolling through its maps, "I think the park in question is actually Wildshore Park. It's just to the west of here."
"Alright, let's go," said Ash.
Who's that Pokémon?
It pushes its two tails towards its opponents, and unleashes 20,000 volts of electricity. It can generate enough electricity to power a big city for a year.
Lunabatman was gliding through the darkened skies, Lunabat gliding beside him. Finally, he spied the man he was looking for on a building, and swooped down onto the rooftop to face him.
"So, we meet again... Cubane," he said.
The man turned to face Lunabatman, revealing himself to be a tall, muscular man who wore a Cubone-like skull on his head as a mask. "Well, the bat has landed. Sure hope you've said your goodbyes."
"You're evil garbage!" said Lunabatman. Lunabat appeared before him, ready to fight.
"Isn't that just like you, Lunabatman, to hide behind your Pokémon," said Cubane.
"You always hide behind a mask, Cubane," said Lunabatman.
"No one cared who I was until I put on the mask, Lunabatman," said Cubane. "But now, you will be unmasked as the fraud you are." He through a PokéBall, and out of it came a Marowak, who brandished its bone as it prepared to fight.
"Wait, your Cubone evolved?" said Lunabatman. "Then why are you still calling yourself Cubane?"
"Well, there are no good puns to make out of 'Marowak', okay?" said Cubane. "Now, I shall break you, your Pokémon, and your spirit. Use Bonemerang!"
Marowak threw its bone straight at Lunabat. The bone made contact with its head... and Lunabat felt nothing.
"Seriously, dude?" said Lunabatman. "How many times you gonna try that before you realize that a Flying-Type is immune to Ground-type moves?"
"I don't care! It makes no sense!" said Cubane. "Seriously, why does that thing feel nothing when I through everything the earth has at it."
"You're too easy," said Lunabatman. "Use Dark Pulse!" Lunabat shot dark rings at Marowak, knocking it back. "Now use Crunch!" Lunabat flew forward and clamped down on Marowak, sinking its teeth in.
"Grr," said Cubane, before he suddenly felt something buzzing in his pocket. He pull out a pager, and upon looking at it, he recalled Marowak and said, "I'm afraid I have business to attend to. See real soon, Lunabatman." He recalled Marowak and ran off and jumped off the roof. By the time Lunabatman looked over the edge, Cubane was gone. Lunabatman then looked up to see his signal, the Lunabat Signal, a spotlight of a Lunabat, across the sky.
"Ugh," said Jessie, carefully standing up. "That costumed weirdo, who does he think he is?"
"We'll never grab Pikachu with him around," said James.
"So I hear Lunabatman is giving you trouble?" came a mysterious voice. Team Rocket looked around anxiously. "What if I told you I could help you if you help me eliminate him?"
"Uh, who are you?" said Meowth.
A man stepped forward, revealing himself to have clown makeup over his face like a Mr. Mime, and a suit that resembled a Mr. Mime. "Call me... the Mimer."
Irene stood up top a gate at the entrance to Wildshore Park, looking at the Lunabat Signal she was casting into the sky with a spotlight. Suddenly, she heard someone land behind her, and she turned to see Lunabatman.
"Thanks for coming so quickly, Lunabatman," said Irene. "I would have called you sooner, but, you know, this thing only works at night."
"It's alright," said Lunabatman. "So I hear there have been some crooks hiding inside this park, giving you trouble?"
"Officer Jenny has been trying to flush them, but to no avail."
"But what do they want?"
"I don't know," said Irene. "But I fear you may be my last hope."
"I wonder who it could be?" said Lunabatman. "Mukface? Cacturne? Ra's al Golurk? Persianwoman? Killer Krookodile? Mr. Frosmoth? Two-Peko?"
"I don't know," said Irene.
"Fear not, Irene," said Lunabatman. "The world's greatest detective is on the case. Lunabatman always gets him man. You know why?"
"Because you're-" Irene started.
"Because I'm Lunabatman!" He jumped off the gate, and glided downward.
"Vernon?" called out Ash, as he, Serena, RotomDex, and Pikachu walked through Wildshore Park. "Where are you?"
"Here!" came Vernon's voice. They turned to see him drop down in his Toxicity costume, Floattery popping out behind him.
"Vernon, just what are you doing?" said Serena. "Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?"
"Hey, if that bat boy thinks he can be a superhero in the big city, I say I can too," said Vernon. "He should learn to share. So on that note, I'd appreciate it if you didn't reveal my secret identity."
"Identity? You've gotta be kidding me," said Serena.
"You again?" came a voice. Everyone turned to see Lunabatman jumping down in front of them. "I told you, spike boy, this is my turf."
"The name is Toxicity, thank you very much," said Vernon.
"Um, no, I know who you are," said Lunabatman. "You're Vernon, one of the biggest names in acting four years ago."
At that, Vernon gasped and his eyes started shimmering. "Yes! Finally! Someone knows who I am!" He then ran up to Lunabatman and practically hugged him. "You have no idea what that means to me!"
RotomDex raised an eyebrow before spotting Lunabat. It then decided to scan it. "Lunabat. The Night Pokémon. A Dark and Flying type. Lunabats are reluctant to come out during the night, and utilizing the silence and blackness of night, they stalk their unsuspecting prey. Evolves from Umbat at night at level 33."
"Get off of me!" said Lunabatman. "I got news for you, purple boy. Lunabatman doesn't share! You know why?"
"Why-"
"Because I'm Lunabatman!"
However, Ash suddenly heard a noise coming from behind them. He turned to see a shadow moving. "Um, guys?"
"C'mon, man, I think your ego can stand an extra hero helping out," said Vernon. "The owner of this park is the Gym Leader, and my friend has a match to make."
"Guys?" said Serena.
"Well, Lunabatman has no time to deal with buffoons like you, Vernon," said Lunabatman. "No get out of my way or you'll-"
"Guys!" shrieked Ash's voice. The two turned, only too see that Ash and Serena were suddenly nowhere to be seen. Only Pikachu and RotomDex frantically searching.
"What?" Vernon said. "My friends! Where'd they go?"
"Congratulations," said Lunabatman. "Now you've even got your friends in trouble."
"Me?" said Vernon. "You're the one who distracted me! If I had seen it coming, I would have their attacker begging at my feet right now!"
"Enough!" said RotomDex. "Look, it was no one person's fault. It was both of you."
"Excuse me?!" said Lunabatman.
"But that doesn't matter!" said RotomDex. "Right now, Ash and Serena could be in danger, and we need to work together for now for their sake, alright?"
"Rotom is right," came another voice. Everyone turned to see Irene walking up to them. "This is my park, and if either of you want to save it, we're all gonna have to work together. In fact, I'm coming too."
"Forget it," said Lunabatman. "Lunabatman works alone!" He then leapt off the ground to fly away, Lunabat right behind him.
"Ugh," said Irene, before she turned to Vernon. "So who are you supposed to be anyway?"
"Uh," said Vernon, believing the darkness of the gym had caused her to not see him in there, "I am Toxicity! And this is my partner, Floattery."
"Float!"
"Alright then, I need you to help me try to find where these crooks are hiding within this park. Officer Jenny searched for days, but she couldn't find anything. There's gotta be something we're missing."
"Hmm," Vernon thought. Where on earth could these crooks be hiding where not even Officer Jenny could find them? "I need to see a map of the park."
It's Electivire!
"Ugh, where are we?" said Ash. He opened his eyes and looked down to see that he was tied to a chair. Except that chair was several, several feet above the ground. He looked up to see the chair was hanging from a spinning amusement park ride. He looked behind him to see Serena in the exact same predicament on the other side of the ride.
"Serena? Are you okay? What's going on?"
"I-I don't know," said Serena. "We're stuck on some kind of merry-go-round."
"Indeed, my dear," said a mysterious voice. They turned to face the clown-faced man from before, surrounded by a blue aura, floating up to them. "The two of you are going to be part of a little... experiment. I need to decide which of you my dear friend Lunabatman will choose."
"Choose?" said Serena. "Choose to what?"
"To live," said the man, before letting our a crazy laugh.
"Who are you? What do you want with this park?" said Ash.
"I am the Mimer! Lunabatman's greatest adversary!" said the man. "And what do I want with this park? Nothing. I just see it as a perfect little playground for mischief and chaos."
Suddenly, the Mimer began eyeing Ash. "Wait, where's your Pikachu?"
"Pikachu?" said Ash. "What do you want with Pikachu?"
"My newest friends demanded that little Pokémon of yours in exchange for their services," said the Mimer. "Hmm, this may be a problem." He then floated back down, and Ash and Serena looked down to see him land by a Mr. Mime, who was using Psychic, and to their shock, Team Rocket.
"What?" said Jessie. "No Pikachu?"
"I'm afraid not," said the Mimer. "But you needn't worry, my dear. With the boy all the way up there, I believe his Pikachu shall arrive soon."
"Yeah, I guess that would be the twerpish thing to do," said Meowth.
"In the meantime, I need you three to join Cubane downstairs," said the Mimer. "He will require your help to finish the trap for Lunabatman."
"On it!" Team Rocket chorused before they walked away.
Vernon, Pikachu, Irene, and RotomDex were examining a map of the park, hoping to pinpoint a place for the crooks to hide.
"Just what do these crooks want with this place, anyway?" said Vernon.
"You got me," said Irene. "All they've been doing is causing the rides to go berserk, getting people in trouble."
"Wait, if they're controlling the rides, then maybe that can narrow it down!" said Vernon.
"Good luck," said Irene. "To control the rides, you need to be in my control room. And no one gets in or out of there without my say-so."
"Is there any other way to take control of the rides though?" said Vernon.
"Well, I for one can think of one possible way," said RotomDex. "As a Rotom, I can tell you that if you insert the right command into a network, it should give you access to everything."
"But without the tech in the control room, it would be impossible," Irene insisted.
"Unless... they could give themselves remote access somehow," said Vernon.
"Well, I suppose that's one possibility, but for a remote control to access every ride in the park, it would need to remain at the center at all times. It's the only way the signal could reach all rides. But the center of the park has a spinning ride. Nothing else. That puts them right out in the open."
Vernon kept brainstorming, until he had an idea. "Unless, you're not in the park, but under it!"
"Huh?" said Irene. "You lost me."
"Just follow me," said Vernon.
Underneath the spinning ride, there was a cavern, in which Team Rocket was hiding alongside of Cubane, who held a remote in his hands.
"I gotta say, you guys," said James. "These people are a little crazy, even for us."
"So?" said Jessie. "As long as we can get Pikachu, I say it's worth it."
"Cubane!" came a voice. Everyone turned to see Lunabatman arriving in the entrance. "I knew you were behind this. Just surrender now."
"But why would I do that?" said Cubane. "After all, this is where the chase gets interesting." Marowak jumped before him, clutching its bone, while Lunabat flew in front of its trainer.
"Too easy," said Lunabatman.
"Oh, ho, I'm afraid it's not Marowak you have to worry about, Lunabatman," said Jessie, as she, Meowth, and James suddenly let several PokéBalls roll along the floor, which opened to reveal several different Cubones.
"Did I forget to mention?" said Cubane. "My Marowak had a family."
Every Cubone unleashed a Shadow Ball, and Luanbat flew upwards to dodge it. "Use Dark Pulse!" cried out Lunabatman. Lunabat unleashed a torrent of dark energy from its mouth, but the Cubones quickly dodged and jumped up to use Low Kick on Lunabat. The bat Pokémon was sent flying to the ground until the Cubones all used Shadow Ball to pummel it.
"No, Lunabat!" Lunabatman cried out. That was when he was struck in the face by Marowak's Bonemerang, knocking him back until Cubane appeared behind him.
"I've just broken the Lunabat," Cubane said, grabbing Lunabatman and raisng him above his head. "Now, I'll break the man."
Suddenly, he was blasted in the face by a stream of purple Acid. He dropped Lunabatman and turned to see Vernon and Floattery standing triumphantly.
"I think that's far enough," said Vernon.
"Ha! You think I'm afraid of you?" said Cubane. "I eat runts like you for breakfast."
"Just tell me where those two kids you kidnapped are!" Vernon demanded.
"Oh, did I forget to mention?" said Cubane. "They're having fun on one of the rides! Too bad there are no brakes!"
"Wait!?" said Vernon. "Grr, Floattery, use Acid!" Floattery let another stream of Acid loose, but Marowak intercepted and blocked it with its bone.
"Lunabat! Use Dark Pulse!" said Lunabatman. Lunabat shot a Dark Pulse upwards, knocking all the Cubones away. It then aimed another Dark Pulse at Marowak and made a hit.
Irene and RotomDex were sneaking in behind them. "Alright, so you know the plan right?" said RotomDex.
"Of course," said Irene. "It's going to be great."
"Not so fast!" said Jessie, who suddenly spied them. "I hope you don't think you're gonna sneak past us?"
"Where's Pikachu!?" said Meowth.
"I don't know," said RotomDex. "Maybe it's looking for Ash."
"Ha!" said Meowth. "Well, even if it finds the twerp, it can't rescue him from the spinning ride."
"Spinning ride?" said Irene. "You mean the one above us?"
"Oh, er..." said Meowth.
"Pika!" cried out a familiar voice. Team Rocket looked down to see a very ticked-off Pikachu emitting electricity from its cheeks.
"Way to go, Meowth," said Jessie.
Pikachu charged forward with a Volt Tackle, knocking Team Rocket back so hard, they actually emerged from the ground and were sent flying.
"We're blasting off again!"
Marowak was busy fighting Lunabat when Vernon walked up to Lunabatman. "Need a little help?"
"No, not before and not now," said Lunabatman.
"Lunabatman, please," said Vernon. "I'm sorry if I encroached on your turf, but my friends are in danger. I won't be able to forgive myself if something happens to them! But I can't save them by myself! Please, you've gotta help me! Work together for now?"
Lunabatman looked at Vernon, and saw a strange sincerity in his eyes. Finally, he said, "Fine. Let's finish this together."
"Floattery! Use Acid!" Vernon called out.
"Lunabat, Dark Pulse!" said Lunabatman.
Their Pokémon used their respective moves, knocking Marowak back. Marowak looked back up, angry, and Cubane said, "Bonemerang!"
Marowak threw its bone, and Vernon was about to tell Floattery to dodge... when it harmlessly smacked Lunabat instead.
"Really, dude?" said Lunabatman. "Again, that's not gonna work!"
"Ah, you know what, forget it!" said Cubane, pressing a button on his remote. "You should know that your friends don't have much time left."
"Grr," said Vernon. Suddenly they all heard a crash and looked over to see all the Cubones laying on the ground unconscious. They saw Irene standing triumphantly behind a bronze colored Pokémon that resembled a bear cub, and its body looked to be metallic.
"That's right!" said Irene. "Cubronze and I won't be going down without a fight!"
"Bronze!" said the Pokémon.
Curious, RotomDex scanned Irene's Pokémon. "Cubronze, the Bronze Pokémon. A Steel type. Cubronzes and their mother like to live in caves that possess rare materials within their walls. It is said that Cubronzes have a natural sense for finding bronze. Evolves into Silvursa at level 20 and into Goldear at level 30."
"Look, I'm gonna save your friends," said Lunabatman. "You two keep Cubane busy!" Quickly, he charged out of the cavern, Lunabat right behind him.
"Wah! What's happening?!" said Serena, as the ride suddenly started to spin out of control.
"Ah, so it seems Lunabatman is finally here!" said the Mimer from the ground. "Just in time to see you two go splat!"
"Mimer!" said Lunabatman's voice, as the Mimer turned to face him. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"Playing a little game, of course!" said the Mimer, as his Mr. Mime walked up to him. "Now then, that little ride will collapse soon, and I'm afraid you've only time to save one of the kiddies. Tick tock, Lunabatman!" He and Mr. Mime ran off, cackling.
Growling, Lunabatman ran up to the ride as he saw Ash and Serena spinning helplessly on it.
"Lunabatman!" said Ash. "You've gotta help us!"
"I know, I know," said Lunabatman. Quickly, he opened up a thing on his sleeve and pressed a button. "Hey, Al? I need you to send in the cavalry, okay? The sooner, the better."
"Roger that, master," came a Britich voice on the other side. Suddenly, the ride slowly stopped spinning. Confused, Lunabatman looked up to see it slowing down, but then growing a face. A face that resembled... RotomDex?
"Oh, hi, Lunabatman!" RotomDex said. "Don't worry, we've got your back!"
That was when Irene, Vernon, Pikachu, Cubronze, and Floattery appeared, carrying the unconscious Cubane and Marowak. "What do you think?" said Irene, holding up RotomDex's Pokédex body. "RotomDex figured out how to sneak into Cubane's remote control."
"Amazing what a little teamwork can do, huh?" said Vernon.
Suddenly, Ash and Serena felt themselves moving downward. They looked up to see the cable that were holding them were about to give out. "Ack! Guys!" said Ash. "We're still gonna fall!"
The cables snapped, and Ash and Serena screamed as they fell downward. However, they suddenly slowed down their descent, and they opened their eyes to see their chair being carried by many small, black, bat-like Pokémon. They all looked like Zubats, but with black fur and crescent moon symbols on their foreheads. Carefully, the Pokémon set Ash and Serena on the ground.
"Whoa," said Vernon. "What are those things?"
"The cavalry," said Lunabatman. "Ralian Zubats."
"Hang on, I remember reading something like that on Dex!" said RotomDex. "Um, Zubat. Ralian Form. A Dark and Flying type. In Ralia, Zubats have truly adapted to the night, and grew black fur to blend in. They are believed to have the ability to sense where something is so long as it is pitch black. Evolves into Umbat at level 22 and into Lunabat at night at level 33."
The Mimer and his Mr. Mime roamed the halls of the Wildshore Park funhouse. They walked along the hall of mirrors, the mirrors distorting their shapes at every turn.
"Such a shame," said the Mimer. "I'm sure this will haunt Lunabatman until the day he dies. But the nightmares will be so... delicious."
"Mime, mime?" said the Mr. Mime.
"Just finish him?" said the Mimer. "And why would I do that? It would spoil the fun. It would ruin the joke."
"The only joke around here is you!" came a familiar voice. The Mimer turned in shock to see Lunabatman and Lunabat standing before him.
"Wha? How'd you find me?" said the Mimer.
"Oh, please. This is the funniest place in the park. We all know you're too cliche to pass it up."
"Grr, Mr. Mime, use Psychic!" the Mimer cried out. Mr. Mime tried to move Lunabat and throw it with its mind, but nothing happened.
"Hello, Dark type, remember?" said Lunabatman.
"I don't care!" said the Mimer. "I makes no sense! C'mon, you don't want to catch me now, do you? This game of Meowth and Rattata, it's been so much fun. You complete me. And besides, you won't interrupt a joke before the punchline, would you?"
"Oh yeah, good point," said Lunabatman, who quickly punched the Mimer unconscious. Mr. Mime saw this and simply raised its hands in surrender.
The next morning, three Officer Jennys lead Cubane and the Mimer into a police car. "Well, that wasn't so bad," said one Jenny. "Thank goodness for Lunabatman."
"And for that new hero, Toxicity!" Irene said, as she, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and RotomDex all watched from the side.
As the Jennys drove away, Irene turned to face Ash and said, "I'm sorry, but we may have to wait on your Gym Challenge. I need to get to work on fixing this park up after all that those crooks did."
"I understand," said Ash. "Well, good luck."
Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and RotomDex walked out of Wildshore Park, and that's when they finally saw Vernon and Floattery, now in their casual clothes again.
"There you are, Vernon!" said Ash. "Where have you been?"
"Well, let's just say me and Lunabatman got talking last night," said Vernon.
"I misjudged you, Toxicity," said Lunabatman. "I must admit. If it wasn't for you, I never would have pulled that off."
"Well, thank you," said Vernon. "But I'm just glad my friends are safe."
"You know what?" said Lunabatman. "I think you may have the makings of a true superhero. Forget the big screen. I say you should save Toxicity for being a superhero in real life."
"You really think so?" said Vernon.
"Absolutely. Just stay out of Ironriver City," said Lunabatman. "In fact, I wanna give you a gift as a bit of a first step for you." And Lunabatman held out a PokéBall.
"He gave you a Pokémon?" said Ash.
"Ooh, can we see it?" said Serena.
Vernon grinned and held out a PokéBall, before opening to release a Ralian Zubat.
"I'd like you to meet the newest member of my team," said Vernon. "Lunabatman said this little guy was making trouble in his Lunabatcave, so he wants me to take care of him now."
"Zubat, bat, bat!" said the Zubat.
"Awesome!" said Serena.
"I've decided, you guys," said Vernon. "Toxicity shall not make it to the big screen. Toxicity shall be a superhero in real life. I'm sure I can squeeze in heroics with my acting."
"Sounds good to me," said Ash.
"But, there is one other thing," said Vernon, suddenly sounding serious. "Lunabatman told me that the Mimer blurted out a name. He thinks it's who he and Cubane were actually working for. Team Shade."
"Team Shade!?" Ash and Serena said simultaneously. "That's not good!" said Ash. "Where are they?"
"Lunabatman thinks they're hiding somewhere down the river," said Vernon. "I say we find them and give them a piece of our minds!"
"I second that," said Ash.
"Me too," said Serena.
So Team Shade has returned? Whatever could this mean? More to come as the journey continues!
TO BE CONTINUED...
Okay, so a few things to explain. Yes, I know about Gligarman from way back in the Johto Journeys. But this is something I really wanted to do. If only so I could make as many painful superhero puns as possible. Second, Lunabatman has a secret identity. And it's actually turn out to be someone important. Something to think about, hmm? And Irene, well, if you haven't guessed, she's a Steel type Gym Leader. Yes, a Steel type Gym Leader is second, but don't worry, because the routes leading to Ironriver City would have some Fire and Fighting types on it you could catch. Her name is meant to sound like iron, and that Steelix? Well, in her gym, you'd be walking across a maze of steel girders, and you'd have that Steelix move around to fill in some of the gaps in the girders with its head that you can walk on.