The group had woken up early that day to check on the wounded Aggron. The cold morning air crawled on their skin. Some of the group had to wear jackets. Infernape and Lopunny didn't need them for obvious reasons. As they arrived at the hospital and the warm air washed over them. They recognized someone who was standing in the reception room.
"AGGRON!" The group yelled in excitement. Their comrade looked over at them and grinned a toothy smile.
"What did I miss?" He asked as the group ran over to him.
"HOW IS MY FINEST MINION DOING?" Gliscor screamed, making the entire hospital 'shh' him. Roserade chuckled at the sight. As Aggron looked around, he noticed that someone was missing.
"Where's Gengar?" The happy mood had become somber at the mention of that name.
"He left," Infernape confessed. Aggron frowned and was quite naturally confused.
"What do you mean he's gone?" Gardevoir stepped forward to explain,
"He said that you were only a co-worker to him. He seemed hurt." Aggron took a moment to think about the possibilities,
"That's out of character for him. Maybe he's in grief." Ampharos decided to speak up,
"Well this is the end of our adventure, so maybe he just wants to cut out the middleman. The others looked over at him, they couldn't be mad at him for bringing that up but they had forgotten.
While others were down about the news, Lopunny was optimistic.
"Come on guys. It's not like we'll never see each other again." He beamed, lightening the mood. Infernape shook his distress away,
"Yeah, we can see each other." Gardevoir looked as though she wanted to say something but she stopped herself. Unfortunately, Infernape noticed.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Gardevoir looked as though she was caught committing a crime. The others looked over at her. Gardevoir gulped and answered,
"Yeah, we meet on holidays and stuff." Infernape squinted at Gardevoir suspiciously but shrugged it off.
Sceptile and Blastoise then received a call on their WristOn, he backed away from the others and went outside the hospital. He answered and audio lines appeared on the screen.
"Is this Bodonoki Tokage and Haidaro Denstsu?" A voice asked. Sceptile answered and the voice continued, "We have a lead on the Phantom Corp. We need your help and Head to the town of Tetrador immediately." This was a lot for the two to take in,
"Alright, alright. I'll go, just slow down. What is your lead?" Sceptile asked. Blastoise also had some questions,
"Why do you need this old geezer?"
"Our organization has reason to believe the Phantom Corp has several important officers in Tetrador. If we find and capture them, we can possibly find out the identity of Donquixote."
Any hesitation Sceptile and Blastoise had disappeared as they ran over to the hotel. Sceptile used his vines to grab his supplies and he ran as fast as he could north towards the town of Tetrador. Blastoise shot a burst of water into his room, picked up his things and ran to join Sceptile.
The group was now sharing addresses when Lopunny muttered something as she looked back,
"Who the hell is Donquixote?" Infernape overheard this,
"What are you talking about?" he asked. Lopunny pointed to her ears,
"I overheard Sceptile and Blastoise talking to some guy about the Phantom Corp and a town called Tetrador." The others were intrigued, especially the fact that Blastoise was involved. They were also curious as to why the two left without telling them.
"What does it got to do with us? We're not Senshi, and if Blastoise is going along, then it has to be serious." said Aggron
"He has a point," said Gardevoir, "We probably shouldn't get involved," Lopunny couldn't argue with that logic, but she couldn't leave it at that,
"It's not like grandpa to leave without saying anything. Look, we don't have to get involved, we just have to ask him what's up and we'll leave. Alright?"
"What do you mean, 'we?' Not to be rude, but that sounds like a you problem," said Aggron in the nicest way imaginable. Infernape had to agree,
"Yeah, sorry, but Blastoise is your…" he looked towards the others, "...mentor."
"I'm telling you. I'm not crazy! There's something happening, something maybe bigger than all of us."
Gardevoir was about to cut her off but then her thoughts began to wander. She remembered immediately after the battle with Dragalge and Gigalith. Once he had recovered, Infernape had told them what Dragalge said about protecting this country. From what? Furthermore, Roserade said that a grass-type had killed Mawile but who did it? Those incidents may be connected. Maybe they had nothing to do with each other, but that was the all important word: maybe.
Taking a breath, Gardevoir talked to everyone.
"She might be wrong about this. This might be nothing. But we don't know that. The mere mention of a 'Donquixote' was enough to send two seasoned senshi into a panic. If this is something big, then we can't hide that knowledge. If we know something is brewing under the surface like Lopunny says and we don't do anything about it, then we are complicit in what horrible plan this 'something' is up to."
The group was surprised to hear this but it all added up. They looked amongst themselves and decided that they would ask Blastoise the question.
However there was still one problem.
Ampharos looked at the other as did they. They all remembered what he had said after his fight with Druddigon. Infernape walked over and embraced Ampharos,
"You're one of my best friends. Thanks for helping me through all that." Ampharos smiled,
"Thanks for being a great friend." he said. Gardevoir ran over and hugged Ampharos tightly, making him blush,
"Hope to see you soon!" Then, Aggron walked over on Ampharos and pitted him on the shoulder,
"You're a brave man. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"You've saved our skin more times than we can count," said Infernape, "Go on hero."
All of this overwhelming praise from his close friends brought Ampharos to tears. He wasn't sad however. In fact, he was smiling brighter than ever before. Just barely able to stop himself from outright bawling, he admitted something to them,
"I never had friends before I met you guys." Everyone was stunned, but he continued, "I was too scared of being hurt, but thanks to you…" he locked eyes with everyone and declared,
"I have nothing to be afraid of," before he turned around and began to leave. The whole ordeal had made Infernape misty-eyed. Gardevoir was already crying. Aggron looked on, proud of his friend. Garchomp and Lopunny just watched this whole thing. Lopunny just sweetly smiled at him. She was glad that he broke out of shell. As everyone waved their goodbye, Ampharos left the hospital, finally seeing himself for what he was. A hero.
Roserade also had to say her goodbyes,
"Traveling with you has been the bee's knees but I have to go. History isn't gonna discover itself." She said before she began to leave.
"HEY, YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE! YOU'RE MY HOSTAGE!" Gliscor yelled as he ran after Roserade.
Later, Infernape, Gardevoir, Garchomp and Aggron met at the edge of town. They had tried finding Sceptile and Blastoise but they were already gone. They didn't respond to any texts, which left them all worried. Apparently, Lopunny hadn't gotten anything either. With few options left, they got ready to go on their final quest. They had gotten supplies and were ready to head to Tetrador.
"HEY GUYS!" Lopunny yelled from the sky. She landed in front of Infernape, who looked nervous.
"W-what are you doing?" He asked. Lopunny spun around,
"What do you think? I'm joining you guys." She declared. Infernape's look at her worriedly,
"Are you sure, you aren't a Senshi and-"
"I know, I know. That's why I'm coming. I want to prove that I can join the Senshi." Lopunny explained. Infernape still looked worriedly at her, to which Lopunny gently punched his shoulder,
"Come on, Ferny, you know I can fend for myself."
"Alright, Bun Bun, you can come." Infernape conceded. Lopunny cheered as she ran to the front of the group,
"Alright, let's go!" The others smiled as they began on their journey to Tetrador. However Lopunny fell back a bit and looked back to Hydroton. Her lip quivered,
"Goodbye." She whispered before she ran back to the group, replacing her sadness with a smile.
Theories about the Phantom Corp and Donquixote began to swirl inside of their heads. None of them knew anything about these. Infernape's theory was that it was some sort of foreign terrorist organization. It would explain how he never heard of them until now. But they would be internationally known if it required Blastoise. Gardevoir thought the Corp was some drug cartel but again, why would they call in Senshi like Sceptile? Lopunny wasn't too concerned with what they were doing. She was too excited to finally prove herself worthy of the title of Senshi.
The town of Tetrador was relatively small compared to the large city that was Hydroton. It was in a swamp, with drab colors of brown and green littering the area. Wooden pathways were the only safe way to traverse the town without stepping foot in the bog. The homes were primarily made up of wood but they were more than just basic shacks. For the limited material, it was incredibly well made. Houses were minimalist but practical. The larger buildings were similarly designed but obviously larger.
The group decided to split up to try and find some sort of sign. Infernape and Lopunny decided to go towards the bar. Several Pokémon were inside drinking whilst others were playing 8-ball. Infernape and Lopunny sat down by the counter and ordered a drink. As they waited, Infernape looked around, nothing seemed wrong but something was off. He looked over to Lopunny, hoping for her Liars Sight ability would get some info. Lopunny understood his silent message and looked around the bar, hoping that someone would have the Phantom Corp on their mind. To her dismay however, no one was hiding anything worthwhile.
The bartender passed them their drinks before beginning to converse with the two.
"Well then, I've never seen you two here before. What brings you here?"
"Well, we are looking for someone." Infernape explained, it wasn't a complete lie. Lopunny nodded,
"Yeah, we are wondering why they are here." The bartender seemed curious and decided to press further,
"Intriguing, what would bring them to a town like this?" Infernape was apprehensive at the thought of giving more information. He looked over for confirmation from Lopunny. She shook her head, the bartender had no ill intent.
"We have an idea of why they are here." He confessed, "They were on their way to find a criminal gang and they stopped by here." The bartender's smile faded as he took on a more serious tone,
"What organization is this?" Infernape didn't say anything. The bartender just shrugged and walked away. As Infernape and Lopunny left, one of the patrons stood up and followed them.
Infernape and Lopunny began to discuss where they could possibly go next. Infernape then looked behind him and saw someone following them. To his terror, despite being in broad daylight, he couldn't make out their features and they appeared blurry. Infernape pulled Lopunny closed and whispered into her ear,
"Someone's following us." Lopunny nodded and the two picked up the pace. The stalker sped up as well. Infernape and Lopunny turned a corner, hoping to lose their mysterious follower. A game of cat and moose started as they ducked and turned trying to outsmart the other. The stalker was pursuing them ferociously. Finally they saw Infernape and Lopunny turn to the left and he followed suit.
A fist struck the stalker in the chest, sending them back. Infernape had attacked. They landed in the middle of the street but they got back onto their feet. Infernape and Lopunny took a battle stance. The stalker just smirked, he saw a crowd around him.
"Who are you two and why are you attacking strangers on the street?!" He loudly demanded. Infernape and Lopunny were appalled at this attempt to manipulate the crowd.
"Are you kidding me?! You followed us!" Infernape yelled.
"Don't try to pin this on us, dipshit!" snapped Lopunny. The stalker now grinned at the two,
"How gutless, trying to manipulate the townsfolk with your lies."
The crowd began to boo loudly to Infernape and Lopunny's surprise and confusion. The two shook off the surprise however. They tried to leave but the crowd got in their way, screaming at them. The stalker finally got rid of the blurry effect and revealed himself. He was large, eclipsing Infernape in size. Yellow and black, shaggy fur covered his body. He had two black tails with red tips and a confident grin.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with them." he said as he cracked his knuckles. Infernape and Lopunny prepared to fight.
Infernape burst towards their foe, his fist igniting. He struck the Electivire in his face. To his shock, the Electivire was completely unfazed by the attack. The Electivire grabbed Infernape by the hand and struck him in the face. He then threw the fire type into the ground. Lopunny jumped towards the Electivire at incredible speeds. He caught her and grinned as he sent powerful electric shocks into her. She screamed in pain as the electricity ripped through her body. Infernape saw this and roared as he burst towards the Electivire, unleashing a massive barrage of strikes. While this was doing damage, it wasn't enough as the Electivire threw Lopunny into the fire type.
Lopunny coated her hands and feet with ice and bounced towards the Electivire. She struck him in his side before bouncing away. She created a wall of ice to bounce off of and jumped back at the electric type. The Electivire dodged the attack with ease but Infernape caught on as well. He joined Lopunny, using hit and run tactics to avoid retaliation. The Electivire just smiled and continued to dodge, waiting patiently to do some damage. At this point, he was surrounded by ice walls, creating a decagon of ice walls.
Infernape stopped in front of Electivire to shoot a massive burst of fire at him. Electivire dodged it with relative ease, the fire slammed into one of the ice walls. The Electivire then grabbed onto Infernape and Lopunny and threw them into the ice wall. The wall imploded onto the two, shattering and breaking. Infernape and Lopunny stood back up, soaking wet from the melting ice.
"Got another one in ya?" Lopunny remarked, Infernape noted the smile across her face. The Electivire just started laughing,
"No I don't. But frankly, I won't need it." He charged up his electricity. Infernape and Lopunny prepared to strike before a terrifying revelation hit them. They were coated in water. It was too late to run as the Electivire released his finishing blow.
The two screamed in agony as the current of thunder traveled through them. Every inch of their body's felt like they were on fire. Even the townspeople cringed at the horrific sight. Once the onslaught was over, Infernape and Lopunny collapsed onto the ground unconscious. Every movement was ceaseless pain. Someone emerged from the crowd, a tree like Pokémon with black limbs and picked up the two.
"Alright. we'll take it from here." The Trevenant said to the crowd as he held up a badge, which nodded and went back to business.
"These two know too much." The Electivire explained to the Trevenant.
"Think I recognize this fiery guy, Blackout" Marshall reminisced as the two began to walk away with Infernape and Lopunny in hand.
Gardevoir, Aggron, and Garchomp took a different route, they instead went to find any sort of NSA building. Anything that had the logo on it. However, try as they might, they could not find a building that bore the iconic symbol. This left the three concerned.
"Well, I can't think of somewhere for Sceptile and Blastoise to be." Garchomp whispered to the others.
"Maybe a club? The noise would prevent someone from listening in." Aggron suggested,
"In any case, we need to hurry, the Phantom Corp could be making a move as we speak." Gardevoir insisted.
"What did you just say?!"
A voice called out to them with a mixture of shock and horror. The three looked over to see a purple scorpion-like Pokémon approaching them. The Drapion looked horrified,
"Be quiet, they are all over the place. Come with me." The Drapion ordered, ushering the three along. Garchomp naturally had some reservations,
"Hold on, why should we trust you? You could be a part of the-"
"SHH! Please just trust me. I know it's shady but just do it." Drapion pleaded. Gardevoir looked over at Garchomp to dissuade any tension.
"Can I read your mind?" Gardevoir asked. Drapion nodded and Gardevoir closed her eyes.
Gardevoir soon opened them and gestured to the three to follow Drapion. He led them through the town and towards a small office building. Drapion guided them to the second floor and there, they found who they were looking for. Sceptile and Blastoise were talking to someone when they turned around and were horrified.
"Gardevoir?! What are you three doing here?!" Blastoise panicked.
"Lopunny overheard you guys talking about Donquixote and you left without telling us." Gardevoir explained. Sceptile sighed in frustration, partly at them but mostly at himself. He had to explain himself and Blastoise.
"The Phantom Corp is a criminal organization that's been around ever since Nihonera was founded. They were dangerous back then but relatively out of the way. That was until…He showed up. They grew exponentially, hiding their operations under alias of other gangs. We don't know what they want, but they have power. Lot of it." Gardevoir gulped as she thought of the implications.
"How much power do they have?"
"At best, they can sneak members into the government and vote in a friendly supporter into the Senshi council. At worst, they can bankrupt the entire country." Blastoise mused. The news was horrifying. Gardevoir still had one more question,
"What was stopping you from trying to take them out before?" Sceptile decided since he was telling everyone about the news, this shouldn't be a big deal.
"We were always trying to stop them but there wasn't a rush before. Without the Black Masks to keep them in check, however, the Phantom Corp has grown into a much bigger threat than before."
Gardevoir and Aggron's jaws dropped at the revelation. Gardevoir fell onto her knees in shock. She couldn't believe it. That this was her fault. She was the one who insisted on going. She was the one to bring the others. She was the one who landed the first strike on Pangoro. Sceptile squared down to her level and patted her shoulder,
"It's not your fault, you didn't know." Gardevoir looked up at him before standing back up.
At this point, Drapion chimed in,
"This information will remain secret. You will not tell anyone, not even your closest friends and family. The Phantom Corp doesn't tolerate those that know of it's existence. Now, you may feel the desire to help but DO. NOT. GET INVOLVED. Don't give them a reason to look in your direction
Blastoise was then struck with a terrible realization,
"Where Infernape and Lopunny?!" He demanded urgently. Garchomp answered,
"They went looking for the Phantom Corp." the others then realized why Blastoise was so scared.
"Jeez, relax guys. I'm sure they're fine." A voice called out, and they turned to see and blue bipedal Pokémon with a spike on his head. His yellow eyes were filled with relaxed energy as he lay on a desk. Garchomp grimaced at the frog,
"And how do you know that?" Toxicroak chuckled,
"Oh calm down, missy. Do you really think Donquixote would just kill two people asking around about the Phantom Corp?" He asked.
"Yes, he would!"
"...You right but do you think he'd kill the person who destroyed the biggest threat," said Toxicroak. Garchomp paused. Now that he put it like that, she had to admit that he was right
"Besides, we got a guy on the inside."