BEYOND INFINITY'S GATE (WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, SEASON 5)
[CONFIDENTIAL] From the files of Dr. Kaminko.
Item No. 420: Ultra Beasts
Publicly Released Information:
[DATA UNAVAILABLE]
Confidential Information:
Catalogued by the Aether Foundation, the Ultra Beasts are extradimensional beings originating from Ultra Space, the world between worlds. They are extremely strong and presumably hostile and are capable of destabilising the border between worlds.
Kaminko's Notes:
The Ultra Beasts are servants of Giratina and heralds of its return. According to Dr. Fennel, they are born due to strong concentration of Ultra Energy from different worlds, making them fusion beings that are capable of inhabiting various dimensions.
[END OF FILE]
Chapter One: Lusamine's Warning
"Scientists are 'puzzled' by a strange phenomenon occurring all around the world. Areas in Sinnoh, Hoenn and even Galar have reported oddly colored, low-hanging clouds that seemed to be emitting electricity in the sky, mostly visible around sunset time. The Pokémon Association has officially confirmed this to be the result of a 'normal meteorological phenomenon'."
It was a chilly, early Autumn morning in New Bark Town, Johto. As news came on from the radio in the background, a girl in her late teens with dark hair was outside, standing in her backyard, barefoot in the chilly, slightly wet grass. She was standing on one foot, the other holding up a Poké Ball. Her right arm - and her only remaining one at that - was tied behind her back, essentially leaving her to balance herself with only one foot. The only sound besides the faint singing of Pidgey from afar was the loud snoring of a Feraligatr that was sleeping on its belly under a tree.
"Officials in Kanto are praising the actions of private military corporation Holon Security Force for their role in 'containing a natural disaster' in Lavender Town. However, the local civilian population has spoken out against abuses and crimes committed by soldiers employed by the corporation. The Commander-in-Chief and CEO of Holon Security has yet to make an official statement regarding these accusations."
She had been in that same position for several minutes, and was preparing to make her shot. She was going to use her foot to throw the Poké Ball and hit the tree the Feraligatr was sleeping under, which she had managed to do before with pinpoint accuracy.
But that was when she had both arms.
"Chairman Rose of the Pokémon League appeared recently in a press conference regarding Galar's ongoing energy crisis. He has spoken up about the Pokémon's nation's regions needing to co-operate to develop sustainable solutions to fix this crisis, which, he says, will soon affect other regions as well."
Still, she wasn't going to give up. Even though the leg carrying her weight was shaking and hurting a lot, she was gritting her teeth and getting through it. Nothing could interrupt her perfect throw now.
"KRIS!"
And that was it, the sudden loud voice calling out to her caused Kris to lose her balance and fall, her face hitting the wet, cold grass quite painfully. Doing this caused Kris to utter a litany of curses.
"Hey, I thought you were supposed to be training!"
Kris looked up at the arrival. It was Lyra, the brown-haired, brown-eyed girl with hair on similar pigtails as Kris, but much cleaner. In general, Lyra's default outfit, her weirdly childish Mario-like overalls, were spotless compared to Kris' worn out and now grass-stained clothes.
Despite Kris' annoyance at her, she gratefully accepted the help as Lyra untied Kris' arm and helped her get back on her feet.
"What happened?" Lyra asked her.
"Fell," Kris replied grudgingly.
"Not because of me, was it?"
"No, my feeling of peace and tranquility broke totally on its own," Kris said in a deadpan voice, "not at all related to your shouting."
"Oh, good to hear," Lyra said obliviously. "I thought maybe it's because you put on some weight. But then, I would have thought you lost a lot of it with, you know, the arm and all."
Kris rolled her eyes, having long since learned to tolerate Lyra's unfiltered utterances. The news were still broadcasting from the radio:
"Kalos League Champion and esteemed actress Diantha has now been missing for three days. Local authorities are cooperating with the Galar Navy to search the Coumarine Canal for possible sightings."
"You're up early today," Kris commented as the two girls sat on some nearby lawn chairs, Lyra sitting next to the Feraligatr and petting its spiky head, the water-type not waking up, but smiling and growling happily in its sleep.
"I had an idea," Lyra said eagerly, "like, I had it last night, then I even dreamt about it."
"I think I know exactly what you mean," Kris said with a grin and pulled out a pamphlet from her pocket, giving it to Lyra.
Lyra frowned as she looked at the pamphlet, then gave Kris a confused look.
"The Lily of the Valley Tournament is starting soon in Sinnoh!" Kris said passionately, poking the pamphlet with her finger. "You and I both got a ton of badges, which means we can participate. Whoever wins, we split the prize money 50-50! Who knows, maybe we'll even get the chance to challenge Cynthia…"
"We've met her already," Lyra reminded Kris. "You really think crazy Croc here," she pet Feraligatr again, "can stand up against that Garchomp?"
"Just getting an official battle - one that will be streamed to millions of people, by the way," Kris said, "would be amazing!"
"That sounds cool," Lyra said dismissively, "but that's not really what I had in mind."
Kris sighed. "You and I both know we're way too good to just stay here in this town and do nothing," she told Lyra earnestly. "I became a Pokémon trainer because I want to get stronger and better and make a difference in this world!"
"How is winning a tournament and getting a bunch of money and clout going to fix that?" Lyra asked sincerely.
Kris couldn't quite figure out how to answer that
"To be honest, I don't think I can learn much more about Pokémon through battling that I don't know already," Lyra mused.
Kris nodded, agreeing but not being quite able to admit it. The two had started their Pokémon journeys together about a year ago, back when Kris was still an insecure newbie who had no idea what to do with her life. Now… well, she was no longer a newbie, at least.
Still, while Kris and her Pokémon had gotten stronger, Lyra had always been one step ahead, to the point that when she battled, Lyra could give commands to her Pokémon without having to even say a single word. It was a skill Kris had long since admired but was too overcome with jealousy to ask how she did it.
"I'm kind of over the whole competitive battling scene," Lyra contemplated. "I mostly just did it to…"
Lyra blushed and cleared her throat, while Kris just raised her eyebrows at her quizzically.
"Well, um, it doesn't matter anymore," Lyra said and smiled affectionately at Kris. "But I had a talk with my grandparents. They run the Daycare near Goldenrod City, right?"
"I remember, I've been there so many times," Kris said quickly. "What's your point?"
"I wanna do something like them," Lyra said firmly. "I want to start a shelter for abandoned Pokémon! Not only will I be able to learn about Pokémon and be close to them, I can actually use my skills to make a difference in the world!"
Kris just kept nodding, smiling fakely. "That sounds… nice."
But secretly, Kris was crushed. She was sure that Lyra would have eagerly joined up to train for the tournament with her. After all, when they were kids, they had spent countless hours watching their favorites battle against various challengers in many tournaments, always coming on top. Cynthia, Lance, Morty… Kris was painfully aware that her room in the basement of her parents' house was full of posters of these Champions and Gym Leaders. Kris had for so long wanted to be like them.
But, Kris had to admit that for the few years that the two friends had drifted apart, something permanent had come between them. Maybe they didn't want the same things anymore.
"Uh, do you wanna go see the professor?" Kris asked quickly.
"Huh, why?" Lyra asked, clearly slightly displeased that she didn't get to talk more about her dream.
"I… I'm just in the mood," Kris said. "It feels like he hasn't left the lab at all this past month. Maybe he has some big announcement to make soon."
"Well, okay, but I gotta tell you more about this shelter idea," Lyra said, clearly not getting that Kris was trying to avoid the issue. "I was thinking of borrowing some money from my parents, then-"
The trip to the lab was short, with little silence as Lyra babbled on about her ideas for the shelter while Kris was vaguely listening and agreeing. Professor Elm's familiar laboratory was a large, two-story building that clearly used to be a house before being converted, not at all resembling the fancy facilities that regional professors used in other places.
Still, inside, it looked like a lab - a particularly messy at one at that - with expensive research equipment, papers scattered about, Elm's young aide wandering around trying to do everything himself and the professor himself typing furiously at his workstation at the end of the room by the window, sitting next to an egg incubator, a Poké Ball analysis machine and a healing machine.
Kris was immediately taken back to her childhood again, with her and Lyra helping professor Elm out in his research of Pokémon living nearby. The trips to the seaside by Cherrygrove, to the Dark Cave to the north of New Bark… those were moments she would always treasure. Falling off the tree while trying to take a picture of a Pidgey nest, not so much.
Elm was a relatively young scientist in his mid-30's. Tall and lanky with thinning brown hair with round glasses, Elm greeted Kris and Lyra in his usual, nervous way, almost knocking over a coffee cup. The familiarity of this action made Kris smile - she felt more at home with Elm and Lyra than she had ever done with her parents.
"Um, Kris, Lyra, glad to see you!" Elm greeted. "Err, sorry, things are a bit hectic over here-"
"Aren't they always," Kris muttered at Lyra, who smiled.
"-and I'm just reading a message from a colleague. I'm thinking about… oh, well, they're actually talking about it on the radio now!"
Elm turned up the volume on the radio, allowing Kris and Lyra to also hear what else they were talking about. It had to be a busy news day if they were still going on:
"And finally, a report on the frequently discussed matter on the so-called Ultra Beasts. With the massive UB Assembly spotted in Hoenn and UB Blade making an appearance in Galar, there has been a lot of speculation and angry comments online about a supposed coverup being maintained by the Pokémon Association. We are currently on the phone with Ultra Beast expert, President Lusamine of the Aether Foundation. Good morning, Ms. President!"
Kris was stunned that Lusamine was appearing on the news as if nothing had happened, remembering exactly what she had done to her and her friends. Lyra also narrowed her eyes at the radio, her cheerful expression completely gone.
"Good morning to you," the eerily calm and clear voice of Lusamine came on the air.
"Let's get straight to the facts," the newscaster said, "What are these 'Ultra Beasts', and how valid are these aforementioned concerns?"
"That's a very good question," Lusamine said as if speaking to a child, "and let me start out by saying that there is no reason for anyone to panic. Yes, the Ultra Beasts are indeed real. They are creatures who have entered our world from another dimension through so-called Ultra Wormholes. Their existence and code names were indeed leaked to the public by an unfortunately misguided former employee, but any sightings of them anywhere outside of our highly secure facilities in Aether Paradise are complete fabrications."
"So, you do indeed confirm they exist. And for what reason are they held in your facilities?"
"Unfortunately, we all remember an unfortunate incident at the Sevii Islands where an extraterrestrial Pokémon almost went on a rampage. My people fortunately contained the situation."
Kris sputtered in disbelief. "That was us, you bi-"
"Kris, please," Elm said.
"But following that, we immediately began research to see if these creatures could be prevented from appearing in our world, and if we could perhaps harness their powers to defend the world from future threats. As of now, the Ultra Beasts are tamed and in our control, kept securely on our island facility. Authorities in Alola, Kanto and Unova are cooperating with us to help ensure the safety of everyone involved."
"Thank you, President Lusamine."
Elm switched off the radio when the topic shifted to weather-related news. Kris and Lyra just stared at the quiet radio in silence, enraged and confused. Elm decided to quickly calm down the situation.
"Err, yes, I know how you're feeling," he said quickly, "but I wouldn't take it so seriously. We know the truth about what they're doing, after all. And we know a bit more than that."
"How so?" Kris asked him.
Elm motioned at Kris and Lyra to come look at his computer monitor. However, all Kris could see were a bunch of opened tabs and windows showing scientific documents written in a small font and full of complicated diagrams she couldn't quite make sense of at glance.
"Uh…" Kris said. "I mean, I got it, but for Lyra's sake, maybe you can expand on this…"
"Hey!" Lyra snapped.
"Um, right, sorry," Elm stuttered. "I know who leaked the information. It seems he has quit the EXO project and the Aether Foundation and has been sending me a lot of data from them."
"That's fantastic, actually!" Kris said sincerely. "So what do we do?"
"Well, I doubt we need to do anything right now," Elm commented. "I, er, would assume that once he gets enough data, we have enough to build a case against Lusamine's lies."
"So who is it?" Kris asked.
"Um, Professor Cozmo, actually," Elm said and adjusted his glasses, avoiding eye contact with Kris.
Kris frowned. "I thought he hated you for stealing his-"
"Wife?!" Elm snapped suddenly. "What did you hear?!"
"...his job, I meant," Kris finished.
Elm blushed. "Yes, erm, right, er, quite, well, regardless, our relationship has drastically improved over the years, and he seems to trust me with this. He said he will send me even more."
"Well, nice, things really have a way of working themselves out!" Lyra said cheerfully and folded her arms.
"But there is something I'd like you to check," Elm said quickly. "As you know, the Aether Foundation also opened a research center just a few blocks away. And now they seemed to have been moving around the wind power plant nearby. Probably nothing out of the ordinary, but I'd feel better if you girls could go and check. It's just me and the aide here, so we're a bit busy."
Kris looked over his shoulder, seeing the aide leaning on the wall and playing with his phone.
"Yeah, clearly," she said flatly.
Either way, Kris and Lyra prepared their Pokémon and left for Route 29, the country road connecting the small town of New Bark to the slightly less smaller town of Cherrygrove. As they walked, they couldn't help but to break into a song:
"...take me hooooo-me, to the place, I belooooooo-ng, by Mt. Silver, my home foreveeeeer~"
As they finished and laughed at their horrible tune, Kris and Lyra talked eagerly the whole way there, completely ignoring the clandestine nature of their mission. Kris was happy to be on good terms with Lyra again, still remembering the few years the two had hardly spoken to each other, not to mention all the bitter resentment Kris had over Lyra doing better in tournaments and whatnot…
Hmm, Kris thought. Maybe it hasn't all gone away yet.
But she had to think about that later, as she and Lyra quickly found their culprit. On the path leading to the wind farm, they spotted four people. Two of them, a man and a woman, in all-white uniforms with many gold elements, like buttons and stripes on their multiple pockets and shoes. Using the trees on the path as cover, Kris and Lyra approached the Aether Foundation employees, noticing they were talking to two teenage girls, who were a few years younger than Kris and Lyra were.
"...a bright future in the Foundation," the Aether woman said cheerfully. "I have just recently joined and I already have a great salary, six weeks of paid vacation a year, incredible benefits and a chance to work from wherever I choose!"
"And let's not forget the contribution you'll be making to society," the Aether man added. "Once the Aether Foundation has grown large enough, we will change the world to a better place. For the safety of both humans and Pokémon worldwide, we really recommend that you consider joining us!"
"And we have over 200 employees in Johto alone, an 800% increase from three weeks ago!" the Aether woman continued with forced cheer. "All the cool people will be working with you eventually!"
The two girls, clearly just on a walk, were not convinced, glancing at each other while the other was reading a pamphlet about the Foundation.
"So… what is it that you do, exactly?" the girl with the pamphlet asked.
The Aether Foundation employees exchanged looks, the woman giving an even bigger fake smile than before while the man's mouth was half-open, trying to think of something to say.
"Well… it's all explained in the brochure!" the man said quickly. "Really, though, it's hard to summarize with just a few words."
The girls didn't seem convinced, and after feigning interest in the pamphlet, they left the area. As soon as the girls were far enough, Kris and Lyra nodded at each other, and stepped out of the bushes, startling the two Aether Foundation employees.
"Boo," Kris deadpanned.
"Um… hey there!" the woman said in her usual false cheerfulness. "Are you two also interested in a fantastic career at-"
"I wouldn't work for that Devil's spawn that you call your boss if you had a gun to my head," Lyra snarled at them.
"Uhh… yeah, what she said," Kris added. "Don't you two know who we are?"
"Should we?" the man asked rudely, folding his arms, clearly going away from 'recruitment mode'. "I don't care if you're some local hillbilly heroes who saved a Pidgey from being crushed by a Miltank being tipped over, we represent the Aether Foundation and you're disturbing our work."
"That's the intention," Kris remarked. "So you two can leave quietly and tell your boss to tell their boss to tell Lusamine that this whole area is off limits as long as the two of us live here."
The woman, however, dropped her cheerful pretense and slowly pointed at Kris and Lyra.
"You two…" she said quietly. "Hey, Hiro, I was warned about these," she told the Aether man. "When I was sent to do recruitment here, they told me not to engage with some New Bark girls who used to work for our boss."
"Traitors, huh," the Aether man said and glared at Kris and Lyra. "The Aether Foundation does not tolerate them."
"Lusamine and the rest of you betrayed us first," Lyra said. "And we didn't work for her. But joining up with her little project was the biggest mistake we ever made."
"Well, it's too late not to engage," said the Aether woman, taking out a Poké Ball. "We're gonna whoop you and get promoted by the big boss herself!"
"Yeah!"
Kris and Lyra backed off as the two Aether employees sent out a Pokémon each. The man sent out a Mudsdale, a very large brown equine Pokémon from Alola, standing at more than eight feet with thick black and red mane. Kris had seen the Pokémon in pictures, but never in real life.
The woman, on the other hand, sent out a Muk, a little more familiar to Kris, except it looked wildly different from others of its kind. Instead of being purple, this Muk was striped with vibrant colors - green, blue, yellow and pink. On top of that, the Muk had large white crystals sticking out of its body.
Of course, Kris and Lyra reacted quickly while also analyzing their opponents. Lyra was the first to toss out a Poké Ball, sending out Scorch, her Typhlosion, whose rattling flames everyone could practically feel as they lit up the area. Kris, on the other hand, kicked one of her Poké Balls into the air and sent out Croc, her Feraligatr, who roared and showed its claws at the opposing Pokémon, ready to fight.
"You messed with the wrong hillbillies," Kris said.
"Muk, Disable!" the Aether woman commanded.
"Croc, Protect!" Kris ordered.
"Scorch, Flame Charge!" Lyra said.
"Mudsdale, Strength!" the Aether man yelled.
While Feraligatr blocked Muk's attempts to prevent it from attacking, Scorch dashed at Mudsdale, curling up into a ball and becoming enveloped in flames, spinning and hitting Mudsdale in the face and fleeing before Mudsdale had a chance to ram it.
"Stop that thing!" the Aether man yelled at the woman impatiently.
"Uh… Muk, Sludge Bomb!"
But the toxic projectile fired by Muk was blocked and deflected away from Scorch when Kris ordered Croc to use Hydro Pump.
"Smoke 'em?" Lyra asked Kris, who nodded. "Okay, Scorch, Flamethrower, U-formation!"
Understanding immediately, Scorch created a U-shaped ring of fire around Muk and Mudsdale, stopping them from getting any closer. Immediately afterwards, Kris ordered another Hydro Pump on the blazing fire, putting it out and filling the area with smoke, preventing the trainers and Pokémon from seeing anything.
Using the cover of the smoke, the Feraligatr and Typhlosion suddenly appeared, and while Mudsdale attempted to kick Typhlosion, Croc boosted the fire-type into the air and out of the attack's way, hitting the ground-type with Aqua Tail and knocking it out instantly, while Scorch used Lava Plume on Muk, knocking it out as well.
But as the smoke was clearing, the battle was yet to be over. At the same time, Kris and Lyra called out their Pokémon's most powerful attacks: Hydro Cannon for Croc and Blast Burn for Scorch. The Feraligatr fired a massive ball of water at the general direction of the trainers while Scorch fired a massive fireball the same way.
As the two attacks collided mid-air, they caused an explosion that knocked the two Aether Foundation employees off their feet, though the blast was far enough not to hurt them. Instead, they dropped on the ground groggily, their fancy uniforms covered in soot from the blast and smoke. As they were unable to get up, Kris and Lyra dragged them off the path, putting them leaning against a tree. As for their Pokémonm, they were unable to drag them anywhere due to Mudsdale being too heavy and Muk being too… poisonous. So, they used the Aether goons' Poké Balls to withdraw the Pokémon safely - not like the Pokémon were guilty of anything. They then called Falkner of Violet City, having the police there take care of the Aether goons.
Following the incident, Kris and Lyra left for home, empowered and invigorated by the battle.
Unfortunately, the very next day, the consequences came down.
As Kris was heading to Lyra's house to go see if she was willing to have a practice battle with her, she saw something which she did not expect - a very fancy white limousine parked outside the door. Especially unusual in a town where no one outside the tractor-using farmers used any sort of cars.
Kris rang Lyra's doorbell, but got no answer. As the door was unlocked, Kris stepped right in. She walked straight to the kitchen, seeing Lyra sitting there through the slightly opened looking extremely bothered. And when she opened the door completely, she understood why.
Sitting next to Lyra, sipping tea like she dropped in all the time, was Lusamine, president of the Aether Foundation. She was tall and had long, seemingly impossibly well styled blonde hair and wore an outfit that was white and gold like the Aether Foundation logo, only hers looked like what a supermodel would wear on the runway.
Next to Lusamine was her daughter, Lillie, blonde-haired and green-eyed like her mother, only one year younger than Kris and Lyra. Wearing a white dress and oversized white hat, Lillie was staring down and looking like she didn't want to be there.
"Ah, Kris, we've been expecting you," Lusamine said serenely. "Come on in."
Kris looked at Lyra for guidance, but Lyra just sighed and looked away. Clearly there had been a tense conversation before Kris had arrived, so she had no choice but to step in and sit on the opposite side of the table from Lusamine.
"Now, Kris, I'm sure you didn't think you could do something like that without me finding out, did you?" she asked Kris kindly, as if talking to a child.
"Why are you here?" Kris asked immediately. "We quit. We won't be coming back to work for you anymore."
Lusamine just smiled and took a sip from her tea. "I know," she said. "I will honor my promise. You, Lyra, professor Elm and the rest of your friends will in no way be expected to return to us. But you didn't think yesterday's incident would go without response, did you?"
"Yeah, we beat up some creeps trying to get children to work for you evil sickos," Kris said with a shrug. "So what? You probably have like six more of those ready to go."
"Indeed," Lusamine said, smiling politely. "It's not about that. It's the principle of the thing. I agreed to let you go and let you live your lives. I assumed you would know better than to interfere with our business."
Kris crossed her arms and put her feet up on the table. Lyra gave her a quizzical look, but Kris just looked into Lusamine's eyes.
"What are you gonna do about it?" she asked. "We're only doing what's right. We don't want your 'business' around here. Or anywhere, for that matter, but we're only doing what we can. If I had the power, I would crush your whole company. Or have you forgotten?!"
Kris gestured at her left shoulder and the arm that should be there.
"This happened because I tried to escape from you," she snapped. "I blame you, and whoever else from the Pokémon Association that you have working with you!"
Lusamine closed her eyes. "Finish your tea quickly, Lillie," she said patiently. "We will be leaving soon."
"Good," Kris grumbled.
"Kris!" Lyra hissed. "Do you mind if we talk outside?"
"I know what you will say, so you might as well discuss with us present," Lusamine interrupted calmly, looking at Lyra and Kris in turn.
"I was gonna say, why drag Lillie over here?!" Lyra shouted at Lusamine. "Except I know exactly why! You want to remind us that she's practically your prisoner!"
Lillie sighed, her head sinking further down. Lusamine, however, just set her empty teacup on the plate gently.
"I just want to make sure you steer clear of us for the time being," she said and got up. "I trust that you will be smart enough to do that. Do take care of yourselves. Let's go, Lillie."
Lusamine strode out of the room confidently, her high-heeled shoes clicking with every step. Lillie got up slowly and gave Lyra a sad look, but was unable to say anything as she then followed her mother out obediently.
As the limousine carrying Lusamine and Lillie drove away from the house, Lyra got up angrily, knocking a chair down as she did so.
"That b… we have to stop her!" she told, pointing at Kris. "We were right to beat up those two. Can we, like, do the same to every Aether Foundation employee we see until she has no one left!"
"Calm down, Lyra," Kris said.
Kris was slightly amused by Lyra getting angry like that, which was not common, but she didn't show it. She knew Lyra was feeling sorry for Lillie, whom she had apparently befriended before. And both Kris and Lyra were clear about the reason why Lusamine had brought her there. Was Lusamine really going to do something bad to her own daughter?
But then, Kris knew that there were many ways to hurt someone that didn't involve direct pain.
"We do have to stop her, whatever she is trying to do with the Ultra Beasts," Kris said. "But how do you suggest we do that?"
Lyra looked at Kris. "You mean you didn't check your mailbox this morning?"
Kris shrugged. "I have enough coupons for Ragecandybars, why would anyone write to me?" she said.
Lyra handed Kris a letter addressed to her, closed with a red seal of sorts.
"It's a letter from Blaine," she explained. "I have no idea what he's been doing this past month, but he's in Kanto right now. And you, me and Elm were all invited to come see him in Celadon City."
"He couldn't have called, or sent a holo?" Kris snorted as she read the letter.
Lyra smiled. "You know how he is," she said. "He probably assumes they would never read our letters since nobody sends paper mail anymore. So, are we going or not?"
"We'll get to see everyone again," Kris said quietly. "Iris… and Wes, probably… sure, let's go! Together we'll come up with something!"
"We need a plan to save Lillie," Lyra said, nodding. "Then strike back at Lusamine and the rest."
While Kris wasn't sure if she agreed on the priorities, she nodded at Lyra and held her hand to comfort her. Lyra's anger and stress almost visibly left her body as she did so.
"Let's do it," Kris said. "Screw Lusamine and her threats."
~o~O~o
Location: ?
The evening of that same day, Lusamine was in a completely dark, windowless room, with only a small spotlight pointing down on her. She was standing there, waiting and staring at the opposite side of the room shrouded in total darkness.
Her wait was eventually over as nine monitors suddenly turned on simultaneously all over the room, all of them showing a large red number from 01 to 09, the number '01' being in the middle as the monitors were arranged in a half-circle.
"President Lusamine, we are expecting a report," came the distorted voice from monitor 02.
"And you will have it," Lusamine said proudly. "The DNA Splicers project is about to be completed and we will have it transported to you when final tests are done. Kyurem-Black continues to be under our watch, awaiting its release. And the Ultra Beasts are all in their stations, ready to begin their work."
"Yes, we understand there is a direct link to Blacephalon," said monitor 05. "If we can trust a monster like that."
"The Promised Day is indeed at hand," said monitor 08. "History will remember this!"
"The world may never again question us when we have the power of Infinity Energy at our disposal," said a happy, gleeful voice from 02. "The sacrifices of those required to make this possible will not be forgotten… speaking of which, there seemed to be problems on your end, Ms. President."
Lusamine inhaled and kept her voice leveled. "Indeed, the head of EXO's Exology department, professor Cozmo, had managed to slip past his escorts when taken to Hoenn for a research trip. And it indeed seems that he was the one who leaked the information to the press."
She could already sense the discontent from the Committee, so she was quick to intervene:
"However, we have this under control," she said. "I will bring him back to the fold, just as we did with Dr. Fennel."
Lusamine was shocked, but kept it under control and only raised her eyebrows a bit as the monitor with the number '01' on it suddenly turned off and was replaced by a hologram of a pale, lavender-haired woman of vague age, anywhere from 30 to 60, wearing a business suit.
"Madam Sird," Lusamine said formally. "There is no need for you to-"
"The situation has already been dealt with," Sird spoke, her hologram making constant eye contact with Lusamine. "I'm waiting for the report from the field team."
Lusamine frowned. "That was unnecessary."
"As the head of this Committee, I deal with things as I see fit," Sird said. "That's all for today. The meeting has been adjourned."
~o~O~o
Location: Cozmo's shack, Fallarbor Town, Hoenn
Professor Cozmo, hoping to be at least temporarily safe in a shack in the middle of nowhere, was busy typing up an email to professor Elm. However, he couldn't help but to shake his head at himself. That foolish Elm had stolen so much from him that they could never reclaim their friendship. And Cozmo hadn't forgotten how he had gotten this job in the middle of nowhere, or how his theories about Pokémon coming from space had been laughed at. But this was no time for petty grudges.
The final document Cozmo attached in the email were blueprints for a device. He glanced at a table nearby where his microscope was. He couldn't believe his eyes when he got his hands on the sample while still working for EXO and the Aether Foundation. Initially, he was only interested in the meteorite, but it had also contained fragments of Deoxys DNA. And he knew exactly what the government was going to do with that.
That had been the last straw. The Foundation had sent two fools to escort him to supposedly pick up something from the Mossdeep Space Center, only for him to flee to Fallarbor while they were distracted. Still, he knew time was running short and they didn't take kindly to people quitting.
And indeed, as he had finished scanning and attaching the blueprints, there was noise at his door. Cozmo barely had time to spin around in his chair when he saw the door of his shack get knocked down. Instead of his escorts, two heavily armored men in camouflage-patterned uniforms and face-obscuring gas masks had burst in, pointing energy weapons at Cozmo. They were flanking a shorter soldier, in a similar uniform but without the mask. That woman had blue eyes, curly blonde hair and a superior smirk on her face, keeping her arms crossed as she looked down on Cozmo.
"Professor Cozmo, I take it," she said. "Lieutenant Domino, Holon Security."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming back," Cozmo remarked, leaning back on his chair while subtly letting it hit the Enter key, sending the email he had been preparing. "You got me. I learned my lesson and I'm going back to EXO to do my duty or whatever."
Still smiling, Domino pulled out something from her pocket - a flower, a black tulip, to be precise, which she let lovingly run between her fingers before pointing it at Cozmo.
"I'm afraid it will take a bit more than that, professor."