Chapter 20:
A Clash of Wills: The Ninja Vs the Hero
Rochfale Town
The very next morning, everybody was having breakfast at the Pokemon Center: Ash, Serena, Bonnie and Clemont on one table, and Professor Bamb'o, Vitor, Natalie, Alain and Mairin on the other.
Professor Bamb'o told them that Larkspur and his assistants already had breakfast, and left for Professor Cypress' laboratory to discuss something.
"Hey, Ash!" Alain raised his voice so Ash could hear him from his table. "Mairin and I plan to leave at noon. How about before we leave Rochfale, we have that rematch we couldn't have in Comet Port?"
"I'd love to, but I promised Serena that I'd help her train for her contest, which is tomorrow," Ash said, somewhat apologetically.
"It's okay, Ash, you can have that match against Alain if you want," Serena told him.
"Really?" Ash excitedly asked. He really enjoyed his previous match against the black-haired teen, and he was craving for more. "But what about-"
"I don't think it will take you so long that you won't be able to help me train later," Serena told him, before smiling softly. "Besides, I can see in your eyes that you're dying to battle Alain again."
"Thank you Serena! You're the best!" He beamed at her.
She giggled in return. "Well, I try."
Before the conversation could go any further, the doors of the Pokemon Center's cafeteria swung open, revealing a very shaken Professor Cypress, her agitated face betraying the bad news she was about to deliver before she could open her mouth. Walking behind her at a noticeably calmer pace were Professor Larkspur and his assistants.
"Ernest! Ernest!" Cypress practically yelled as she ran towards her fellow Professor, who, obviously sensing that there was something very wrong, quickly got up and gently grabbed the green haired woman by the shoulders.
"Breathe, Lily, breathe," Bamb'o said, the usual joviality of his voice gone, replaced by steely sobriety. "Now tell me what happened."
"T-The lab! Somebody broke into the lab last night and robbed us!" Lily exclaimed.
"What!?" many people shouted at once.
"Of course. The Pokemon Speech Translator would be something a lot of thieves would want to get their hands into," Clemont said.
"Actually, that's the weirdest part..." Cypress began, slowly regaining her bearings. "The PST hasn't been stolen. Neither were any of our other completed projects. The thief released all the Pokemon from the lab and took them away."
"So, your usual Pokemon thieves," Bonnie said, crossing her arms.
"Not as usual as you may think. You better come with me and watch the security footage," Cypress told them.
…
Professor Cypress' Lab
Ten minutes later, everybody was back in the lab. They were led to a room with multiple screens, which they assumed was a security room. A technician was playing a security video of the previous night. At first nothing happened, but then, at the 2:43 AM mark, something blew up a window, littering the ground with glass shards and pieces of wood and metal. Then, something or someone entered the building.
"Naturally, the first thing I did was call the Rangers, but they've been busy busting a Team Omega operation, so they'll take some time to come," Cypress explained.
"I'm afraid the video isn't very good," the technician sitting on the control panel said. "Cameras use night vision, so it won't be as good as a recording during the day."
"Huh?" Bonnie narrowed her eyes, and got closer to the screen. "Is that guy wearing a cape?"
The video changed to a hallway just as the intruder blitzed past it. Then to another, and another. They could see that the intruder was wearing what appeared to be some sort of jumpsuit, had their head covered under a paper bag, and they were wearing a cape that billowed as they moved. All in all, it looked like somebody wearing a cheap superhero costume.
"Well, that definitely rules Team Omega out," Clemont observed. "Their uniforms look nothing like that."
Then, the camera changed to the laboratory's holding pens, where all the Pokemon slept, and much to their shock, the intruder opened the steel door with a kick so powerful, they tore it from its hinges.
"WHOA! His costume might be cheap, but those kicks definitely aren't!" Natalie said, her eyes wide open in shock.
Then, the intruder began to pry open every door from the holding pens, letting the Pokemon out. Once he was done, he herded every Pokemon and led them out of the lab.
"Well, he does have the strength of many superheroes," Ash commented.
"Have you guys noticed that the intruder doesn't try to capture the Pokemon with either cages or pokeball? He almost expects them to follow him out of the lab," Bamb'o noted.
"Perhaps an activist who thinks that they're doing the Pokemon a favor by setting them free," Serena offered. "It doesn't explain the super strength, though."
"If that's the case, then the Pokemon can't be too far," Alain pointed out. "In fact, some of them might even try to get back to the lab."
At that moment, the door of the security room slided open, and one of Cypress' junior scientists entered.
"Professor Cypress! We found one of the stolen Pokemon!" the scientist said. "Apparently, it managed to evade the kidnapper and returned to us. It was found around the westernmost edge of the town."
"Told you so," Alain said, though he wasn't taking any sort of pleasure at being proved right. "Western part of the town, huh? That's where the thief must have gone."
"What's to the west of Rochfale Town?" Mairin asked.
"Nothing. At least nothing in close proximity. The closest town is more than fifty kilometers away," Bamb'o replied.
"It doesn't matter, the fact that we recovered one of our Pokemon gives us a huge lead to find the rest," Cypress said, her hopes renewed. "Ask about what happened with the PST!"
"We're already doing it, professor. Debbie is interrogating it as we speak," the scientist replied.
"Lead us to them," Cypress instructed.
A couple minutes later, the junior scientist led the group towards one of the smaller labs. There, a scientist with short blond hair –they deduced it was Debbie– was talking with a Pokemon they never saw before, one that looked like a small purple bat with huge ears, green eyes, and its wings wrapped around its body as if it was a cloak. Ash and Serena took out their Pokedex in order to scan this new Pokemon.
"Minyan, the Mischief Pokemon. Dark/Poison. Called the "tiny master of evil", it tries to cause discord but often ends up messing up and fleeing in embarrassment."
While the picture of Minyan displayed by the Pokedex had a malevolent expression, the real one being interrogated couldn't look any different; rather than evil or scheming, it looked scared and on edge.
"Ah, professor Cypress," Debbie said, getting up and walking towards her boss. "I just finished interrogating Minyan. It says that the thief was taking them to the south when it escaped."
"To the south?" Cypress repeated. "But... there's nothing to the south but a chain of mountains..."
"Well, if you think about it, it's a good place for a hideout," Clemont pointed out. "Remember that Team Omega base we helped bust out?"
"Yeah, it was built under a small mountain," Serena recalled.
"Guess that makes sense," Cypress said, before turning towards Ash and his friends. "You said you have experience in these kind of situations, don't you? In that case, help us find the thief's hideout and rescue our Pokemon."
Before Ash could reply, Debbie interrupted him.
"That wasn't all Minyan told me, professor," Debbie gravely said. "This might sound nonsensical, but Minyan claims the thief wasn't human."
"What?" Cypress asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, that would explain the strength," Clemont said, crossing his arms in deep thought. "But it looked human. Could it be a Pokemon?"
"Human or not, what that thief did with our Pokemon is unforgivable," Cypress energetically stated. "Everybody, let's go! We have several Pokemon to rescue!"
…
Route 6
Half an hour later, a group consisting of Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Alain, Mairin, the Moki twins, the three professors and Larkspur's assistants were following Professor Cypress through Route 6, also known as Pahar Hills. Professor Cypress was leading the group, taking them through a rocky path among several short hills that led to the south.
"Really? Alright, those are good news," Cypress said, as she tapped the earpiece she was wearing. She then turned towards the rest of the group. "One of my employees is studying a map of the area, and found that there's a cave not far away from here."
"The thief must be taking shelter there," Ash replied.
"Would the thief use such an obvious hideout?" Vitor questioned.
"No, but this area doesn't have much in terms of shelter. So it's either that cave, or somewhere else we aren't aware of," Bamb'o replied. "Let's hope it's the former."
No one contested the decision. The group continued walking for about fifteen minutes. From time to time, they would see some Pokemon looking at them hidden behind a rock, only for them to quickly scurry around when they were noticed.
"There's so much silence," Bonnie whispered, hugging herself. "I don't like it."
"If the thief is really hiding nearby, they might hear us coming and escape," Serena pointed out.
"If that's the case, then we'll hear them running away, and intercept them," Alain replied, as he started to look around. Wherever he looked, there were many steep slopes and large rocks scattered everywhere. "This terrain isn't really good for chases, and we have Flying-type Pokemon."
"There it is," Cypress said, pointing forward.
And indeed, after taking a turn, they could see the entrance of a fairly large cave. The group stopped, not sure of what to do. Everybody seemed to be on the same wavelength: entering there without knowing what was inside could have fatal results.
"I think it's my turn. Luxray, come out!" Clemont said, tossing a pokeball forward.
The capture device hit the ground and opened, releasing the Lumiose Gym Leader's strongest Pokemon, looking as stoic and ready to fight as ever.
"Luxray!" he cried.
"Luxray, see the cave in front of us?" Clemont asked. "We believe it might be used by a Pokemon thief as a shelter. Can you scan it and tell us if there are any Pokemon inside? Not just one or two, but many."
"Lux, luxray!" Luxray cried in agreement.
"Good idea, Clemont," Cypress said, as she walked towards him with the Pokemon Speech Translator in hand. "And with the PST, he'll be able to give us a detailed account of what he can see inside."
Luxray then took a couple steps towards the cave, and fixed his eyes on the entrance, which quickly gained a glowing red hue. The Gleam Eyes Pokemon focused his sight on the cave, and after a few seconds, he gave his verdict: "Lux, luxray, lux!"
"Did you see something?" Clemont asked, and Luxray nodded. Cypress moved the microphone of the PST close to his face. "Luxray, tell us exactly what you see."
"Lux, ray, luxray, lux," he began.
[There are many Pokemon in that cave. I have counted fourteen. Thirteen of them are huddled together against a wall. They appear to be scared. Another one is pacing back and forth in the cave.]
"We have fourteen Pokemon in our lab. If we subtract Minyan, and add the kidnapper, who appears to be a Pokemon... the numbers fit," Cypress said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and rescue those Pokemon!" Bonnie stated
But Luxray wasn't done. "Lux, luxray!" he said, sounding almost like a warning.
[Clemont, my instincts are warning me of a great danger inside that cave. I shall fight if you ask me, but I don't think I'll be able to match the foe waiting inside that cave.]
"Oh..." Clemont said in disappointment, as a sense of uneasiness settled in. They knew the thief was strong from what they saw in the security videos, but to make Luxray this upset? "Then... what are we going to do? We can't just abandon those Pokemon..."
"We won't," Alain said, taking a step forward. He then turned towards Ash. "Ash and I are the strongest trainers in this group. We'll head first and face the thief. Between his Greninja and my Mega Charizard X, it should be more than enough to deal with them."
"I think that's the best plan," Ash agreed, before looking at the rest of the group. "Everyone, try to keep some distance. Maybe you could try to rescue the kidnapped Pokemon while Alain and I fight the thief."
"Sounds like a good plan. If you can keep the thief away from the Pokemon, we can use that window of opportunity to take them back," Cypress said.
And thus, with their strongest Pokemon's respective pokeballs at the ready (and Pikachu still perched on Ash's shoulder) the Kalos league finalists ventured into the cave. It was a little dark at first, but they could see some light in the chamber at the end of the entrance tunnel. Natural light. It seemed that the cave had some holes that allowed sunlight to enter.
"Gar! Garli!"
And before them, angrily pacing around the chamber, was the Pokemon thief. Which, now that they could see him much better, was clearly an actual Pokemon. It had a humanoid shape, its body mostly green. Its head was brown, and shaped like a garlic. A cape of the same color fell down its back all the way to the floor.
Despite its somewhat silly appearance and small stature that reached Bonnie's height both Ash and Alain knew better than to underestimate that Pokemon by its appearance.
"Gar?" it asked, noticing the intruders. It immediately turned towards them, piercing them with a fierce glare, freezing them in place. "Garliki, gar, kid!"
"Ash. Prepare to fight," Alain cautioned. "This Pokemon doesn't appear to be very willing to reach an understanding with us."
Ash pulled his Pokedex with his free hand. "Let's see if the Pokedex can give us some information about it."
"Garlikid, the Hero Pokemon. Grass/Fighting. This Legendary Pokemon believes itself to be a savior of all Pokémonkind. It will pick fights with anyone it considers villainous," the Pokedex said.
"Legendary?" Bonnie's voice said from behind. "That little green guy is as strong as Squishy?"
"Squishy?" Natalie asked, looking at Bonnie a little confused.
"We'll explain you later," Serena quickly told her.
"A Garlikid. Of course. I can't believe I didn't recognize it when I saw it on the camera," Professor Cypress replied. "That Garlikid must have thought that our Pokemon were being held prisoner and decided to liberate them."
"Perhaps it mistook you and your people for those Team Omega thugs," Bamb'o supplied.
Hearing Cypress and Bamb'o, Ash thought that maybe the chance of solving this peacefully wasn't gone yet. He held his hands defensively –even if he kept Greninja's pokeball between his fingers– and made his case:
"Listen Garlikid, this was just a misunderstanding. Professor Cypress is a good person who treats her Pokemon kindly," Ash began, as he took a tentative step towards the angry Garlikid. He then nodded towards the Pokemon huddled together at the other side of the chamber. "Look, those Pokemon are scared and want to go back home. Why don't you let them leave, and we forget that this ever happened?"
Garlkid's response came in the form of an Energy Ball at Ash. Thankfully, the boy's reflexes were good enough to jump aside, dodging the attack.
"ASH!" Many people yelled at once.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped in front Ash, cheeks sparking with electricity as he glared at the Legendary Pokemon.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer! This Pokemon is both angry and dangerous. And unless you have Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving, this goes beyond your abilities!" Alain was quick to warn the rest of the group in the back. "Charizard, go!" Alain said, throwing his pokeball forward.
The capture device opened, and the Flame Pokemon emerged from a mass of light, hovering between his trainer and the Hero Pokemon, whom it immediately identified as the enemy.
Ash quickly jumped back to his feet, and tossed his pokeball as well. "Greninja, I choose you!"
The pokeball opened, releasing Ash's currently strongest Pokemon, who appeared next to Charizard, and adopted a fighting stance upon seeing Garlikid.
"Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Alain shouted.
"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Ash followed.
Flapping his wings to build momentum, Charizard let out a roar as it rocketed towards Garlikid, its right claw covered in green draconic energy. Meanwhile, Greninja dashed forward, trailing closely behind Alain's Pokemon, as his limbs began to glow with a white light. Naturally, Charizard reached Garlikid first, and delivered a swipe at the Hero Pokemon.
Garlikid, however, quickly proved why it's considered a legendary Pokemon, and at an almost imperceptible speed dodged the Dragon Claw, while sinking his own glowing fist into Charizard's gut, producing a thundering noise and knocking the air out of Alain's Pokemon.
"Charizard!" Alain cried.
It didn't end there. As soon as Greninja was ready to strike, Garlikid grabbed Charizard and used it as a living shield against Greninja's Aerial Ace. The Ninja Pokemon grimaced upon accidentally hitting his ally, making him recoil. And Garlikid took the opportunity to grab Charizard by the tail and slam it against Greninja, sending both Pokemon sprawling backwards in a messy ball of entangled limbs.
"Greninja, no!" Ash cried.
"Charizard, are you okay?" Alain asked in concern.
Thankfully, despite the damage taken, Greninja and Charizard were still in condition to fight. The two of them managed to untangle their limbs from each other, and jump back to their feet, facing once again the angry Garlikid.
"Gar, gar, garlikid!" Garlikid cried, as he angrily pointed at them with his boxing glove-shaped hand.
"Such power..." Ash could hear Larkspur said from behind. "Charizard and Greninja were barely a match for it."
"That's a Legendary Pokemon to you," Clemont said. "This isn't the first time we have seen such Pokemon in action. That Garlikid will take some serious firepower to bring down."
"Alain, Clemont is right. If we are to win, we need to go all out from the very beginning," Ash told his battle partner. "Or else Garlikid will make mincemeat out of our Pokemon."
Understanding what he meant, Alain nodded, and touched the Keystone on his bracelet. "Charizard, respond to my heart! Surpass evolution! Mega Evolve!"
Beams of light shot from both Alain's Keystone and Charizard's Mega Stone attached to its collar, flying towards each other. Both beams eventually clashed in the middle and merged into a single beam, linking trainer and Pokemon. A bright light washed over Charizard's body as it grew larger and slightly changed its shape. Once the light dimmed out, a black and blue Charizard with blue flames billowing out of its mouth stood in place of the orange one.
"Alright Greninja, our turn!" Ash said, as he crossed his arms in front of his face, ready to trigger the bond that linked them. "Let's show Garlikid how strong we are when we fight together!"
As Ash brought his arms outwards, Greninja was encased by a spiraling column of water. Just like Charizard before him, Greninja began to glow and change his shape, drinking the power the Battle bond supplied him. Once the transformation was complete, the watery cocoon condensed in the form of a four pointed shuriken attached to Greninja's back.
"G-Gar?" Garlikid asked, unconsciously taking a step back. It was obvious it was the first time the Hero Pokemon had seen such transformations. However, his shock wasn't big enough to surrender, as he didn't drop his guard.
"Alain, let's try to pace our attacks so our Pokemon don't end up accidentally hitting each other," Ash advised. "Or give Garlikid the chance to use them as living shields."
"Understood. Let's also attack from different directions as well," Alain said. "Charizard, hover into the air, and use Flamethrower!"
Charizard spread its wings as it jumped into the air, before taking a deep breath and releasing a stream of blue flames towards the caped Pokemon, the fire's intense heat causing ripples in the air. Garlikid didn't move; it merely stomped its foot, generating a row of rising stone pillars. The Stone Edge didn't reach Charizard, but even if the rock columns were left blackened and charred, they did stop the attack.
"Greninja, quick, Aerial Ace!" Ash said.
Greninja blurred past the stone columns, his arms and legs glowing white, and in no time closed the distance between himself and Garlikid, delivering several swipes and kicks towards the Hero Pokemon. Garlikid, however, managed to recover quickly, and began parrying and blocking those hits. He clenched one his fists, which was enveloped in a green swirling aura.
"Greninja, that's Drain Punch! Dodge it!" Ash urged.
The moment the vampiric fist came down, Greninja put some distance with a well-timed backflip. Garlikid didn't cease his attack, and continued to strike, now using the attack with both fists at once.
"Greninja, Double Team!"
"Gre!"
Multiple illusions of Greninja filled the chamber, giving Garlikid pause. Pause that didn't last long, as the Hero Pokemon began to attack the copies, dispelling one and going after another.
"Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Alain said.
Taking advantage of Garlikid's predicament, Charizard dived from above, both claws glowing with green energy. Garlikid managed to avoid the first swipe, but the second found its mark, smacking the Grass and Fighting-type Pokemon in the face.
"Now, Night Slash!" Ash commanded.
Charizard quickly flew upwards, leaving the path clear for Greninja, who was dashing forward, sword of darkness already on his hand. Garlikid was unable to block or dodge in time, falling victim to a vertical upwards slash that reached all the way to its face, knocking the Hero Pokemon backwards.
"Yes! Such a powerful strike!" Bonnie cheered from behind, pumping her fist. "If they keep it up like this, the garlic head will go down in no time!"
But Ash wasn't so optimistic. Especially after he saw a fiery red aura envelop Garlikid, as the Legendary Pokemon slowly rose back to its feet.
"Gar... gar... garli..." it began panting heavily. The red aura flared brightly, as Garlikid's black beady eyes looked like they were on fire, while he flexed his arms with his fists clenched. "GARLIIIIIIIII!"
"What... what's going on?" Serena asked.
"That... that looks like Justified," Professor Cypress said, adjusting her glasses. "When a Pokemon with that ability takes a hit from a Dark-type move, its attacking power soars."
"Are you telling me... Greninja just made it stronger with that attack!?" Bonnie asked in shock, unconsciously holding Dedenne protectively.
"That was a mistake," Serena agreed. "But I'm sure Ash and Alain will be able to beat it anyway."
Back to the battle, Garlikid went on the offensive again, his clenched fist swirling with bits of ice and chilly fog, ready to smash it against Greninja. Without having to be told, the ninja Pokemon jumped backwards just in time to avoid the Ice Punch. The attack slammed against the ground instead, and a spiky mass of ice exploded outwards, barely missing Greninja.
"Such power...!" Ash said in awe.
Garlikid didn't stop his attack, his other fist glowing with a swirly green aura. This time, Greninja didn't have time to dodge, and the Drain Punch slammed into the ninja frog's gut. Both Greninja and Ash bent forward in pain, as small orbs of green light flowed from Greninja into Garlikid, restoring some of the latter's vitality.
"Ash!" Alain shouted, and quickly checked on his battle partner. He then looked at his Pokemon and shouted: "Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Charizard flapped its wings again to gain altitude, and exhaled another stream of blue flames. Garlikid, meanwhile, cupped its hands together, forming a golden orb with greenish edges, before thrusting its hands towards Charizard, releasing a powerful beam of the same color. The Solar Beam and the Flamethrower clashed, and at first Charizard's attack appeared to push Garlikid's back, but it eventually stopped, and held firm. The two Pokemon ran out of energy to sustain their attacks, which faded into nothingness.
"Ash, are you okay?" Alain asked, helping Ash to stand up.
"Y-yes," he said, a hand still on his belly. Greninja had stopped nursing his gut, and appeared to be once again ready to battle. "Greninja can still fight!"
"Good, because I don't think Charizard alone can defeat that Pokemon," Alain admitted. "We're fighting together, and that little guy is forcing us onto the defensive."
"In that case, we'll have to make sure the roles are swapped," Ash said.
That moment, Garlikid stomped its foot again, another row of raising stone pillars, taller and thicker than the previous Stone Edge thanks to the Justified boost, rocketed towards Charizard.
"No chance to dodge this time around, but that's far from our only option!" Alain said, throwing a fist forward. "Charizard, cut through that Stone Edge with Steel Wing!"
Charizard roared and spread its wings, which began to glow with a silvery sheen, as it dashed towards the incoming Rock-type move. His gambit worked, and the Steel Wing cut through the Stone Edge like a knife through butter, quickly bridging the distance between them.
"Good! Now Thunder Punch!"
"Greninja, Ice Beam on the ground around Garlikid!" Ash commanded.
As Charizard reared one of its fists back, which crackled with yellow lighting, Garlikid prepared himself to avoid the Mega Evolved Pokemon's onslaught by jumping backwards. While Garlikid avoided the Thunder Punch, Greninja's Ice Beam covered the ground around the Legendary Pokemon in a sheet of ice. The result was that Garlikid slipped and lost its footing, falling on his back in a rather comical way. Charizard then landed forcefully in front of it with a thud.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain shouted.
Charizard exhaled a stream of blue fire for the third time in the battle, and for the first time, it found its mark. Garlikid screamed as it was engulfed by an inferno of sapphire flames.
"Yes! Well done, Alain!" Ash congratulated his battle partner.
But Ash's cheer was premature, as Garlikid ran out of the mass of blue flames like a green bullet, and smashed an icy fist on Charizard's face, covering its head in frost and knocking it backwards.
"Charizard!" Alain cried in worry.
Charizard's attack had caused some harm, given that Garlikid was covered with burn marks, and his cape had some holes surrounded by soothe. However, he still had enough energy to continue the battle. He formed another Ice Punch as he dashed towards Greninja this time around. However, Ash was prepared this time.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken as a shield!" Ash shouted.
Greninja nodded, grabbed the shuriken on his back and placed it in front of him a second before the ice covered fist barreled towards his face. The Ice Punch hit the Water Shuriken, not only freezing it instantly, but almost doubling it in size.
"G-Gar!?" Garlikid asked.
"Flamethrower!"
Yet another torrent of azure flames gave Greninja the opening he needed. As Garlikid jumped backwards to avoid being burned for the second time in a row, Greninja threw the frozen shuriken at the Hero Pokemon. The spinning ice star smashed against Garlikid, shattering into a thousand shards that glittered with the sunlight.
"Well done, Greninja!" Ash praised.
"Charizard, Thunder Punch!" Alain commanded.
Still reeling from the frozen shuriken, Garlikid didn't see Charizard coming, its closed fist surrounded by yellow electricity before it slammed into the face of the Hero Pokemon, sending him backwards even further.
"Now Aerial Ace!" Ash said.
"And Dragon Claw!" Alain followed.
Taking advantage of their building momentum, Greninja delivered a series of swipes and kicks with his glowing limbs, before jumping sideways, leaving an open path for Charizard, wings spread and flying in a straight line for Garlikid, claws blazing with green energy. The Dragon Claw slammed into Garlikid's chest, pushing him backwards a couple meters.
"Gaaaaaar..." Garlikid seethed, his eyes obscured by an odd shadow, as his body was once again outlined in a red light.
Alain paled, having seen that move multiple times. "Charizard, get ba-"
"GARLI-LI-LI-LI-LILIIIIIIIIIIII!" Garlikid screeched as it delivered a flurry of punches so fast, its arms were practically green blurs. It finished with a brutal right hook which send Charizard rocketing towards a nearby wall with such force it caused the entire chamber to quake, pebbles and sand falling from the ceiling.
"Charizard!" Alain cried, seeing his strongest Pokemon dropping to the ground, as the Mega Evolution faded, returning to its normal appearance.
"What... what the hell was that!?" Natalie cried.
"I believe it was a Counter," Bamb'o replied, managing to keep a calm demeanor despite the dire situation. "A move that takes all the power of the last physical move taken and returns it multiplied. And I'm inclined to believe that Counter had the power of both Greninja's Aerial Ace on top of Charizard's Dragon Claw."
Seeing that Charizard was done for, Garlikid directed a hateful glare at Greninja, who didn't flinch and slipped into a fighting stance. Then again, both the amphibian and his trainer knew deep down that their chances of beating the Legendary Pokemon without Charizard's help were close to zero.
Then again, in Ash's book, "close to zero" did not necessarily equal "zero".
"Garlikid! I don't care if you just defeated Alain's Charizard! I don't care if we have to face you on our own! Even if we're alone, we will keep fighting until those Pokemon you took away from Professor Cypress' lab are returned!" Ash hotly declared.
"Gaaaar..." Garlikid hissed, unmoved by Ash's impassioned speech, and took a step forward, ready to finish Greninja off.
Then, suddenly, a blast of ice hit Garlikid in the back of the head. Even if the damage done was minimal, the unexpectedness of the attack caught Garlikid completely flat footed. Fuming, Garlikid turned around to see who dared to attack it from behind.
"G-Gar?" the Hero Pokemon asked confusedly.
And much to its shock, standing there a few steps from the other Pokemon, was one of Cypress' Snopach, glaring at Garlikid with eyes full of resolve.
"Sno, snop!" the Tiny Tusk Pokemon cried.
"Gar, lik, liki!" Garlikid replied.
"Sno, sno!"
Then, one by one, the rest of Cypress Pokemon began to take a step forward, standing next to the first Snopach. Others instead placed themselves between Garlikid and Greninja.
"Gar? Garli?" Garlikid asked once again, anger fading into confusion as the Pokemon heallegedly had rescued turned against him and took the side of the humans.
"See, Garlikid?" Ash began, his voice sounding calmer, as his lips curved into a conciliatory smile. "You may think you were saving these Pokemon, but they are happy with Professor Cypress! I'm sure you ran into those Team Omega jerks that mistreat and abuse Pokemon, but not all humans are like that!"
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu added for emphasis.
"In fact, people like Cypress and the other Pokemon Professors work really hard to make sure human and Pokemon can coexist in harmony," Ash continued. "They're the last people who would hurt a Pokemon."
Garlikid looked at Ash, then at the group of small Pokemon around it, almost as if looking for a hint that it was some kind of big deception. Ash could see the confusion in the Pokemon growing, as if the concept of human treating Pokemon with kindness was completely alien to it.
But there was no deception. The Pokemon didn't want Garlikid's "rescue".
The caped Pokemon stood there, fidgeting in the same spot, debating with the inner turmoil caused by the evidence that its cause wasn't as righteous as he believed. In the end, Garlikid made a decision.
"Gar...likid?" the Legendary Pokemon asked, before turning around, and with a mighty leap, left the chamber through one of the large holes in the ceiling, disappearing from sight.
There was a moment of silence as everybody processed what just happened. Moment that was broken when Cypress' Pokemon, now that their captor was gone, quickly rushed back towards her. As the implication that the battle was finally over settled, tension quickly dispelled from the air. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief, as Greninja returned back to his normal form, his body language considerably relaxing.
"In the end, Garlikid wasn't defeated by force, but by the bond between humans and Pokemon," Bamb'o noted. "Quite poetic, don't you think so?"
"Poetic indeed," Larkspur agreed, as he adjusted his glasses.
"Let's hope that, wherever he goes nextthe Pokemon he saves do need rescuing," Serena pointed out.
After Ash and Alain returned their Pokemon to their pokeballs and thanked them for their battle against such a strong opponent, everybody got out of the cave and escorted the rescued Pokemon back to Rochfale Town, to their home in Professor Cypress' laboratory.
…
Professor Cypress' Laboratory
Two hours later, most of the group was back at Professor Cypress' laboratory. Alain had gone to the Pokemon Center in order to have his Charizard healed and Mairin had gone with him, while Professor Larkspur decided that it was time for him to leave given that the crisis had been averted –not that he did much to help avert it– and the Moki Town twins returned to the Pokemon Center as well. Now that Larkspur's helicopter wasn't on the battlefield, they wanted to use it in order to give Vitor some more training before the coming Contest.
Meanwhile, Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Professor Bamb'o were hearing about the status of the rescued Pokemon from Professor Cypress.
"My people checked the Pokemon. While the younger ones are a little shaken, all of them appear to be in good health and have no injuries or signs of being mistreated," Cypress told them, with no small amount of happyness in her voice.
"It's a relief to hear that," Clemont said.
"Given that that Garlikid guy fashioned himself a hero, he wouldn't have tried to harm those Pokemon," Serena reasoned.
"The fact that a Garlikid showed up at all it's such an incredible event," Bamb'o began. "Garlikid are like, super elusive. They live in areas away from human towns and cities, and in general tend to avoid contact with humans altogether. Despite the less than ideal circumstances, we've been lucky to not only see one close, but seeing him in action no less."
"No doubt it's thanks to Team Omega that this one showed up," Cypress said, as she took her glasses to clean them. "Let's hope that Garlikid doesn't target more scientists or innocent trainers."
"I like to think he realized he was in the wrong, and the next time he'll make sure to rescue Pokemon that truly need to be saved," Ash said.
"You're really sure about that, aren't you?" Bamb'o asked, chuckling at his unbound optimism.
"Well, if that wasn't the case, I don't think Garlikid would have left like that, right?" Ash asked back.
"Yeah. That was a very good speech you gave there, Ash," Serena said, smiling at him.
"Ow, come on, it wasn't that good," Ash bashfully replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It was! It encouraged the other Pokemon to speak up and stand up against Garlikid. If it wasn't for you... well, who knows what would have happened?" Bonnie asked.
"Indeed. Everybody in this laboratory, both human and Pokemon, are indebted to all of you. Especially you, Ash," Cypress said, as she turned around and walked towards a nearby table, where the PST prototype rested. "And I think I have the perfect reward for you."
And much to everybody's shock, she placed the device on Ash's hands.
"The PST?" he asked, looking at the small machine in his hands, before he tried to return it back to its creator. "I can't accept it! You and your team worked so hard on this, and there's no way-"
"Realx, Ash," Cypress said, giggling a little, as she pushed the PST back to him. "That's not the only one we have. Plus, if I'm being honest, I do have a selfish reason to hand you this."
"What?" Clemont asked.
"The PST works as expected so far, but the number of Pokemon we tested it on is very small. Thus, we need to make many more tests before it can be mass produced. You're a trainer that travels a lot, so you'll meet a lot of Pokemon in your journey to test the PST on. The PST is linked to our lab's servers, and it will feed us the data whenever you use it, data that we can use to improve it," the green haired professor explained.
"So in a way, we'd be like your field assistants, right?" Clemont summarized.
"More like beta testers," Cypress corrected. "Though, even after you have collected enough data, you can keep that PST if you wish so. Like I said before, consider it my thanks for helping us so much today."
"In that case... thanks a lot for this, Professor Cypress," Ash said, finally accepting the device.
"Yay! That means we can talk with our Pokemon all the time!" Bonnie cheered.
"Indeed. But make sure you treat it with care. We tried to make it as resistant as possible, but it's far from unbreakable," Cypress advised. "If it breaks or malfunctions, you won't be able to have it fixed unless you return all the way back here."
"We'll make sure such a thing won't be necessary," Serena reassured her.
"Say, now that's settled, how about we return to the Pokemon Center?" Ash suggested. "Today's intensity made me really hungry, and I could use some dinner."
"What doesn't make you hungry, Ash?" Serena teased.
"Pi, pika," Pikachu shook his head while patting Ash's.
…
Maskara Sea
As the sun set over Tandor, Larkspur's helicopter soared through the skies, above the small sea that separated West Tandor from its Eastern counterpart. Inside that helicopter were Larkspur and his assistants. The former had a laptop on his lap, watching once again the battle between Garlikid, Greninja, and Charizard.
Despite the cameras hidden inside his assistants' sunglasses being so tiny they were invisible to the naked eye, the resolution of the video was sublime.
"Who would have guessed that what I initially believed would be just a courtesy visit could be so productive," the older man chuckled as he watched Charizard blast Garlikid with a Flamethrower.
"Those three Pokemon are quite impressive," the teal haired assistant commented. "Each of them could fetch a really high price in the black market."
"Indeed, Alina. Though, while Garlikid and Charizard have nothing to offer beyond mere power, that Greninja..." Larkspur began, as he paused the video, showing Greninja ready to attack. "To be able to transform in a similar way to Mega Evolution but without a Keystone and Mega Stone... this is something that needs, no, deserves to be thoroughly studied."
"I assume that our next mission will be going after Ash and Alain's Pokemon, then?" the brunette woman asked.
"No Anika. I have a different plan for you and your sister," he said, closing down the laptop. "Given Garlikid's motivation, it won't be hard to use one of our bases to set up a trap. And once we have Garlikid under our control, taking down Ash and Alain will be child's play."
"Understood. I'll contact Zebos and tell him about this development as soon as we reach the base," Alina dutifully said.
"But what are we supposed to do then?" Anika insisted.
"You see, I had a chance to speak with the blond boy, Clemont, and he revealed to me a mostly interesting bit of information: they're currently building a new Power Plant next to where the old Epsilon Power Plant used to be. Not only will the restriction to access the island finally be lifted, but all the security will be focused on this new power plant as it finishes construction."
The two sisters' eyes were wide, and their mouths opened wide.
"That means..." Anika began.
Larkspur smirked wickedly. "That we'll be able to access the old Nuclear Power Plant Epsilon? Indeed. That will be your mission: infiltrate the place, and recover Project 092. Even after a whole decade, I know it's still down there, waiting for somebody bold enough to claim it.
"And with Project 092 back in our hands... Team Omega shall be unstoppable."
Author's Note: And with this chapter, we reach one of Uranium's most important milestones, which became even more important here: the confrontation with Garlikid!
In the game, you don't fight Garlikid directly at first (in fact, you never do), but he uses other Pokemon as if he were a trainer. But obviously that wasn't going to do here. Especially since, unlike the game, here we have people who are able to match him in terms of power.
And like in the game, Ash is rewarded with the PST for making Garlikid leave and rescuing the kidnapped Pokemon. Why Ash and not Alain, some of you might ask? Because it was thanks to Ash that the kidnapped Pokemon stood up to Garlikid and made him go away. And while in the game the PST is horribly underutilized, only used in a couple cutscenes, you can be sure that Ash and his friends will make a much more extensive use of such a wonderful gadget.
Now, let's go with the biggest revelation of this chapter. Many of you guessed that Larkspur would be connected to Team Omega, but none of you figured out to which extent, given that he's its very leader! Those of you who played the game know that Larkspur plays a huge role in the backstory, yet his role in the actual game is fairly minimal, so I'm changing that and giving him an expanded role befitting his importance. And while Larkspur only had a few generic goons in the game, here he has a whole villanous organization at his beck and call.
And said organization now has not just Ash but Alain as well on its sights. You can be sure this will become a very important factor in the future.
Thanks a lot to 61394, cricketlaxwolvesbandy, Fox McCloude, ShinyHunter145, Guest #1, hirowriter, Mi5ko and Viroro-kun for reviewing last chapter, and special thanks to Viroro-kun for his awesome job betareading this chapter.
Next time, Serena will attempt to win her third ribbon. Will she rise victorious, or will her winning streak come to an end?
Until then, don't forget to leave a review.