Chapter 8: Unseen Opportunities
Evening was falling on the sea-faring city of Alto Mare. The nocturnal Pokemon were beginning to stir, while the diurnal Pokemon began to bed down, and the human denizens of Alto Mare followed suit. Obscured by the waves, hidden away from the last prying eyes of sunlight, Team Phreatic's submarine remained bustling with life.
Shelly stood on deck alone, watching the darkening sky. Despite the calming sight, a feeling of foreboding cloaked the air around her. Brodie's mission report had returned, and it had been a resounding success: in fact, one could call it more than a success. But it worried Shelly. She had only read about the Doctor in incident reports. To have him there, on the submarine, in person? It was a time bomb waiting to go off, and Shelly could only hope that it wouldn't be when she and her team were around to witness it.
Shelly stood there, considering her options, as the arrival of the stars faded into twilight. Hailing from the horizon was a plume of smoke and the sound of roaring engines, and Shelly prepared for the anticipation of what was to come.
The jet touched down on deck, and within moments, it had swiftly adopted the form of a car. Brodie, as quickly as he had arrived, slammed the brake pedal, smiling cockily with a wink as he presented the car's other occupant.
"Returning from active duty, boss!"
Brodie made a mock salute, which Ditto mimicked on his shoulder. Shelly disregarded them, peering deeper into the vehicle. The face of Dr. Yung peered back, smiling as formally as if there was nothing wrong at all.
"Dr. Yung, I presume?" she asked with a hard expression.
Dr. Yung looked up at Shelly, his purple eyes sharp behind his glasses. He straightened his teal hair in an obvious attempt to appear humble.
"Indeed," he answered in a smooth voice. "And you must be Shelly. Former admin of Team Aqua, but now the founder and self-appointed head of the newly christened Team Phreatic."
Shelly shot Brodie a glare. He merely shrugged.
"Hey, I had to say something to garner faith with him."
"Faith. Right."
Without breaking eye contact, Shelly threw three round objects from her belt. In a single burst of light, her Pokemon assembled beside her. Carvanha drew close to the vehicle, Crawdaunt remained on guard, and Walrein stayed a loyal and protective shield as always. Neither Yung nor Brodie were perturbed, but the air had changed significantly.
"Ah, the old gang," said Brodie, a nostalgic whim in his eye. "Reminds me of the good old days."
"Silence, unless we might just revisit those times here and now," Shelly glared deeply at Dr. Yung. The man's smile only grew wider. "You will find I am neither as trusting or as gullible as my subordinate. You will remain here, under the watch of my Pokemon, unless you can convince me that you can be of benefit to Team Phreatic."
Dr. Yung adjusted his glasses. "Ah, but my dear Shelly…"
"Do not refer to me as such!" she said, irritation thick in her voice. "You will refer to me by name, and if you can convince me of your worthiness, you may refer to me as your boss."
"So I take it "boss lady" is off the table?" inquired Brodie sarcastically.
"Silence!"
Crawdaunt snapped a claw just below Brodie's chin. Brodie flinched, and despite a quick recovery of composure, had slunk back further into his seat.
"Shelly…, Dr. Yung shook his head. "Isn't the very reason that you sent your "subordinate" here to the ruin of my beloved Mirage Mansion because you were interested in my Mirage System?"
"Just because you are the one who developed that system doesn't mean you're automatically in my good graces.You may have invented the Mirage System, but that doesn't mean I trust you."
"But consider. What possible benefit could I gain from betraying your organization?" The moonlight reflected off Yung's glasses, only serving to further veil his face. "You and I can only gain from cooperation amongst each other, Shelly."
"How so?" asked Shelly. "I won't deny that your Mirage System would greatly increase our manpower, but I'm not willing to stake everything should I put my faith in someone who will only abuse it."
"Oh Shelly," said Dr. Yung, shaking his head in pity, much to Shelly's aggravation. "If you hope to run your organization successfully, you have got to learn to expand your horizon, open your mind further, and see every possible opportunity presented to you. Much has been laid before you which you do not see."
Shelly's eye twitched. "You are starting to aggravate me, doctor!" Carvanha flew past Yung's window, snapping its jaw. "You had better get to the point, or not only will I have you removed from my presence, I might just be tempted to have you keelhauled, like Team Aqua did in the old days!"
"My point Shelly, is that my presence here is more beneficial than just what my Mirage System can do for you," he lifted his head higher. Shelly could now fully see his face. "Don't you see, Shelly? I am a man of science. If there's anyone who could help you uncover and understand the secrets of the DMA, it's me."
Shelly scowled, but did not speak further. Dr. Yung took this as his invitation to continue undisturbed.
"...And you also fail to see the full benefits of what full analysis of the DMA could be for your organization. At the moment you merely seek it to procure funds for your organization, but the potential of such technology is so much greater, if you were able to see it."
"Team Aqua has tried to utilize the power of hydrokinesis before," Shelly argued. "It didn't work, and I refuse to integrate anything from my previous organization into my plans. You may see it as shortsighted, but I don't want Team Phreatic to suffer the same fate as Team Aqua, or Team Magma."
Dr. Yung dryly chuckled.
"Oh, on that I agree with you," he said, "After all, why take a chance on something that has proven inefficient in the past? But I wasn't referring to the DMA's ability to manipulate water. Your subordinate was kind enough to let me skim through the information stored in the hard drive of this impressive vehicle and I noticed something about the DMA that intrigues me greatly."
Shelly shot Brodie another dirty look.
"I refer to the fact that, when that Team Rocket agent gained control of the machine, she resurrected two deceased Pokemon to do her bidding," Dr. Yung continued.
"Yes, a Kabutops and an Aerodactyl," said Shelley with a nod. "But that is insignificant to the other capabilities of the DMA. After all, what good do two extra Pokemon do to aid us in the grander scheme of things, resurrected or otherwise?"
"Again, you fail to see what is right in front of you," said Dr. Yung. "Don't you see? That function can't be exclusive to those mere two Pokemon, especially since, from what I gathered from the information, they were originally enemies to Alto Mare. If we could come to not only understand the process, but amplify and improve it, the very ability to resurrect the dead could be obtained."
Shelly's eyes widened slightly, though her surprise quickly faded from her face. Dr. Yung, however, smiled faintly in the moonlight.
"I see the realization in your expression, Shelly. You comprehend the potential of such power and how it could benefit your organization. Not only would you have an infinite Pokemon army, but humans could be revived with such a method as well. Humans whose experience and skills could be put to increasing the potential of Team Phreatic."
Shelly's aggression thinned. Her Pokemon slowed in their defense.
"So what do you say? Is this not of interest to you?Take me on board, I will help you to not only obtain the DMA with my Mirage System, but I will analyze that miraculous machine and help you harness its full capabilities."
Shelly snapped back quickly. "I still have yet to be given proof that I can trust you."
"Come now, Shelly, how many times do I have to say it?" said Dr. Yung, though without the slightest change in expression. "You and I can only benefit from cooperation. Whatever I might gain through treachery pales in comparison to what I can gain from working with you openly and honestly. Especially if you promise to give me what I desire."
"And what might that be?" asked Shelly, unsurprised Dr. Yung would ask for a boon in return to his services.
"To be allowed to apply whatever is discovered from the DMA to my Mirage System," Dr. Yung declared proudly. "My Mirage System is everything to me, Shelly, just as Team Phreatic is to you. As long as working with you can assist me in bringing my Mirage System to full efficiency, my loyalty is guaranteed. And as a sign of good faith..." He reached into his lab coat and pulled out a data card, which he handed towards Shelly. "On here is not only a copy of all my research, but information on a certain location that you may deem interesting, if you pursue the course for the DMA I have suggested."
Shelly took the card and looked at it, weighing everything in her mind.
"Very well," she finally relented, stashing the disk in her pocket. "You may work with Team Phreatic for now."
"Splendid!" declared Dr. Yung, clapping his hands with an eager smile.
"However, I have one final condition," said Shelly, her expression hardening, though Dr. Yung's eagerness didn't diminish. "Whatever modification and improvements you apply to the Mirage System is to be used for the betterment of Team Phreatic for as long as you are working with us."
"Oh, I wouldn't have it any other way," Dr. Yung exited the vehicle, his demeanor relaxed and open. . "After all, any improvements I make to the Mirage System will have to be field tested, and I think an organization like yours will be just what is needed."
Shelly, still somewhat reluctant, merely motioned for Yung to follow as she proceeded to the entrance of Phreatic's submarine. Yung followed eagerly, Brodie and Ditto trailing close behind.
—
Out at sea, Ash found himself facing rigorous training every day from the Alpha Latios. More often than not he found himself sent flying, embedded into the cave walls, his indentions peppering the wall like Latios shaped polkadots. However, he was improving. The more he was struck with proper Pokemon moves the more he seemed to get the feel for them. It wasn't long before he managed to fire off a Luster Purge that didn't blow up in his face, but shot out of his mouth in a continuous stream.
He was overjoyed at his success at first, but soon found it was even more difficult to shut the move down than it had been starting it up. The flow of pink destructive energy continued to pour from Ash's mouth endlessly, no matter what he did. He couldn't even close his mouth, for the stream of energy kept his jaws forced apart. It was like he was trying to bite down on a river's rapid current.
Even his teacher, upon realizing his pupil had lost control of his move, found himself unable to stem the flow from Ash's mouth. His first attempt blew the Alpha away like a leaf in the wind. Once the Alpha Latios got his bearings back he saw Ash's Luster Purge was streaming over the surface of the ocean; which made up the floor of their home, streaked up the caverns stone walls, carving grooves in the rock, and came close to contacting with the residential areas of their home.
Where the families live.
Ash was trying diligently to get the beam under control, but with little success, so, acting fast, the Alpha Latios took on his Mega Evolution form and sped ahead of Ash's beam, where he met it with his own Luster Purge. The two beams collided in a standoff that shook the cavern, and for a time, Ash and the Alpha Latios were at a standstill, but Ash's beam actually began to gradually overwhelm the Alpha Latios's. Both of them grew expressions of horror, for neither of them were able to stop the beam, no matter what either of them did.
A red blur sped out from nowhere and impacted Ash. It wasn't so much of a tackle, for Ash barely budged. It was more akin to a hard embrace. The Alpha Latios couldn't hear anything other than the sound of the two Luster Purges colliding, but he could see that Latias was whispering something in Ash's ear, and whatever she was saying was somehow allowing him to steadily gain control, for Ash's Luster Purge was losing potency and the Alpha Latios was having less trouble leveling with it.
Eventually Ash's Luster Purge died away and the Alpha Latios cut his off before it could strike the younger Eon Duo. Ash swayed a bit, and Latias steadied him.
"Ash! Are you alright?!"
Ash only spared her a nod before he hovered out of her embrace and faced the Alpha Latios as he approached, the Alpha's Mega Evolution disengaged as he did so.
"I'm so sorry, Alpha!" he humbly apologizes, bowing his head remorsefully. "Once it started, I just…couldn't control it or stop it."
The Alpha Latios stared at him, not harshly, but in some emotion that Ash could only describe as concern. The Alpha turned, wordlessly motioning for Ash to follow. The training continued, and it wouldn't stop yet.
For days Ash and Latias remained under the tutelage of the Alpha Eons, their skills and battling prowess continuing to increase. One night they were bedding down in a small alcove similar to what the other Eons nested in; a temporary resting place lent to them whilst they stayed here training. Latias had snuggled up on Ash's right side, tucking her head in the crook of his neck, her eyes shut as she slumbered. Ash, however, was wide awake.
He had figured getting his Pokemon moves to function correctly would be the most difficult part of becoming an Eon, but he had been wrong. It has been easier to deal with the explosions in his face than the uncontrollable stream of energy, for at least then only he was at risk of harm.
He wished he had spent less time playing when he had been turned into a Pikachu, so long ago. If he had learned to control Pokemon moves back then, then this might not have been so difficult. Even now, Team Phreatic had their sights on the DMA. Out there in the Eons'dwelling, they had no way of knowing if and when Team Phreatic made their move. Getting stronger would be pointless if they came to discover Team Phreatic had obtained the DMA in their absence.
Ash sighed. He would speak to the Alphas in the morning. Perhaps they would be able to alleviate the burdens that weighed on his mind about Alto Mare.
He looked down, peering at the small form nestled below his neck. Out of all the subjects plaguing his mind, the one that concerned him most was the one that was so close to him. He could feel her breath, her heartbeat, and her body against his neck. Just being near her… he felt worried. Concerned. Protective, moreso than usual. And he didn't know why.
He yawned. He was beginning to grow tired, and the night was still only just beginning. As he set down for bed- properly, this time- he motioned down to his partner, nuzzling the top of her head. Though she did not wake, she cooed lightly in response. Ash closed his eyes, and both he and her fell to sleep with a smile.
—
In the meantime, Team Phreatic's submarine breached the surface of the ocean, the hatch opening once all the water had slid off the deck. A swarm of drones flooded out, similar in appearance to the one Team Phreatic had co-opted from Annie and Oakley, but with one slight difference. Rather than having a secondary propeller that could fold out into legs at the base, these drones instead had a small, dome shaped lens attached by a short, revolving mechanical arm. These drones flooded into the city of Alto Mare, once again slumbering in the dead of night, finding nooks and crannies to slink into, were they used the drill shaped proper at their tops to imbed themselves into solid surfaces. Once situated, they aimed their lenses out, and for whatever purpose, it wasn't good.