Interceptor's Wish

by Masterdude21

What started as a young man's search for his abducted mother spirals out of control. Soon, he is fighting a desperate war for survival against greater odds than a more generous God would have allowed. The enemy is everywhere and allies are far too few. With the entire region at stake, who can prevail when fate itself seems set against you? - Novelization of Pokemon Rejuvenation.

19. Island Siege

AN: I cannot believe I completely forgot to mention this before. Several people have aksed me about romance and the answer is yes, there will be romance! In fact, there's a reason this story is rated M for mature and it's not just the graphic displays of violence, cursing, mentions or usage of drugs or alcohol or…well, you get the gist.

But yeah. Romance!

Chapter 6: Nimpossible Predicament

Island Siege

~~~~~~~(I)~~~~~~~

---

Nastasia felt Madelis staring a hole in her forehead. She glanced up from her work, cocking a questioning eyebrow at her colleague.

"So the project at Blacksteeple was a bust," she said, sounding uncharacteristically mellow.

"Yes," Nastasia agreed, shifting her focus back to her laptop –

"Neved's not at his post."

"Madame X is really letting him have it for his devastating failure."

Madelis' brow furrowed in concern "She's not…going to…"

Seeing where she was going with that train of thought, Nastasia cut her off. "I managed to calm her down enough, so I hope not. Why? Are you worried about him?"

"No!" Madelis said. She raised her voice, but it lacked any form of conviction. "Why would I be worried about him? He…he asked me for my ID last time. Despicable…"

"Just making sure…" Nastasia muttered. Madelis had been acting strange ever since their retreat from Blacksteeple. Normally, she would have assumed it had something to do with Madame X's specific choice of words and aura, but something told her it was more than that. William had dealt her a serious blow to her ego during their latest fight. Losing a Pokemon battle to a hated foe was one thing, but losing a Pokemon battle to an actual Pokemon? It had to sting.

"Anyway, my Xen Executive intern should be here in about three seconds," Nastasia continued.

"Your...what?" Madelis said.

On cue, Ren came through the southern entry. He marched up to Nastasia's couch without sparing Madelis so much as a glance. "I got settled in like you asked me to," Ren said.

And Madelis lost it. "This guy is the new intern?" She screeched, taking a shaken step back. "Isn't this his friend?"

Ren shot Madelis the kind of look people usually reserved for dirt on their shoes.

"According to Ren, they are no longer friends," Nastasia calmly explained. "In fact, I believe he used the word "betrayed" before."

"Y-Yeah, that's right," Ren said. "I'm no longer affiliated with Will and the others."

Slowly, Madelis managed to replace her shocked expression with a sneer. "That's the best lie you could come up with?" She hissed.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion," Ren snapped, venom dripping from his every word. "Back off, ugly."

"UGLY?" Madelis repeated in shock.

Nastasia shot Ren a curious look. She could understand William's animosity for Madelis, but why Ren?

"I may be part of this whole thing now, but you're the reason why Melia had to run," Ren said with contempt. He turned his back to her. "I don't need to be friendly with you."

Huh. Given the peculiar nature of their organization, animosity between members was to be expected. Still, Nastasia hoped this would not become an issue in the future.

"B-But Melia is – "

"Madelis," Nastasia interrupted before Madelis could say something stupid. "We're going to need that Shadow Pokemon data. It's all ready at the backup lab we had installed, correct?"

"…Yes, it should still be here," Madelis replied. "Are you going?"

"Yes, with Ren. Just standby and don't cause trouble."

That was when the alert appeared on her screen. Nastasia saw it pop up, frowned, then double-checked to confirm that it was legit. "Wait…something weird is going on…"

"Huh?"

"Well would you look at that. Talk about a coincidence. We're moving out! Madelis, you come too."

It appeared that the hunt was on. Ren would have his trial by fire after all.

~~~~~~~(II)~~~~~~~

---

Terajuma Island

Driven by a terrible sense of foreboding that grew stronger with every minute that passed, Will ran ahead of Melia, flanked by Nidoking as he hurried through the forest.

Houndoom sprinted past him somewhere to his far left, bounding through the jungle with large, powerful jumps, his head craning back and forth as he searched for Nim. Overhead, far, far overhead, Pidgeot glided across the forest scanning the entirety of the beach with his powerful eyes. He could have spotted a Magikarp from miles away, Will was confident that he'd spot Nim the moment she reappeared.

If she reappeared.

"God, it's getting dark already," Melia panted as she struggled to keep up. "We don't have much time."

Will stopped when he recognized the forest entrance to Terajuma Beach. If the others hadn't found Nim in the meantime, that was the only place around Kakori Village left.

If Nim hadn't traveled to any of the other cities. If Nim hadn't wandered out into the sea. If Nim hadn't succumbed to her sickness and lay dying or dead in a ditch somewhere –

"Stop that," he said to himself. He couldn't think like that! Nim was strong, far stronger than most people. She'd make it. She wouldn't give up.

She'd be fine, if he could only just find her.

A shadow passed overhead. Branches snapped, twigs and leaves fluttered to the ground and Pidgeot broke through the canopy. He descended towards the ground in slow, graceful circles, before landing on the ground several meters away.

"Do you think he found Nim?" Melia asked.

Will met Pidgeot's gaze. "What did you see?"

Pidgeot craned his feathered head around, glancing in the direction of the beach, on the other side of the pier.

"Are you sure?"

Pidgeot turned his head back to Will. His sharp eyes were resolute and unblinking. As clear a message as any.

"Protect her if she's in danger," Will said. "Continue your overwatch if she's not."

As Pidgeot spread his great wings and took off again, a ranger emerged from the treeline. He shot a startled look at Nidoking, though he seemed to relax a bit when he saw Will and Melia. "You guys aren't planning on heading to Terajuma beach, are you?" He questioned.

"We are, why?" Melia said.

"We got reports of a strange person on the beach. We've cleared it for now, so I would advise rescheduling your trip."

"Oh no…" Melia said.

A deep, low howl shattered the silence of the night, and the ranger seemed to shrink in on himself. "God, what is that?" He said, looking around in alarm.

That would be trouble.

Houndoom wouldn't reveal himself like that if he didn't think the situation was truly dangerous.

"Nim!" Will shouted, increasing his pace as he ran towards the beach entrance. "Nim!"

That sinking feeling in his stomach grew worse with every step he took. It was a physical nausea, a terrible conviction that whatever he was about to find would be…would be…

Mom, please let her be alright…please let Nim be safe!

With Houndoom's alarmed howls to spur him on, Will burst from the forest and ran past a pair of rangers who were focused on something going on at the beach. Even as he passed them by, he heard them say something about a mysterious individual, Crawli, and something about leaving the island. They tried to stop him, but Nidoking rushed after Will on all fours, and the rangers hesitated long enough for him to slip past them.

There, on the beach, stood Crawli. And standing just several meters in front of him, facing the sea…

"Nim," Will breathed.

Crawli heard him and Melia approach. His eyes widened with alarm and he extended an arm to stop Will. "Wait, hang om, I've got a bad – "

Will shoved his arm aside and kept walking. "Nim, what's going on? Are you alright?"

She…didn't turn to look at him. With a distant, pained voice, she said, "I've tried my best…I've tried to leave this island, but I can't...something is keeping me here…I can't escape."

Will stared at her. He felt his heart hammering away in his throat. The hairs in the back of his neck stood on end. Every fiber of his being told him that something horrible was about to happen, but he couldn't see it.

"I understand how you feel, Nim," Melia said with impossible calmness as she approached Nim. "But we won't be staying for much longer. If something's bothering you, we can help."

"We are working on getting our lighthouses back up and running ASAP," Crawli said. He spoke calmly, but his body was a completely different matter. He was tensed up, ready to spring into motion in a split-second. "If there's anything we can do to help…"

Nim laughed. It sounded joyless and hopeless.. "You guys are so great…but I'm out of time. He always told me that this would happen – "

"Nim?"

"- that I would lose control. But – "

"Nim!"

" – she and I never listened. I'm so sorry."

As Nim spoke, a sudden gust of cold air blew out across the beach. A flurry of snowflakes buffeted Will's face.

"It's…snowing?" Melia said, holding out her hand to catch one of the flakes in her palm.

With a start, Will realized that this had happened before. On Blacksteeple, when the snow had suddenly turned into a sudden downpour. And before that, on Route 4, when it had started storming all of a sudden.

Had that been Nim's doing all along?

Nim suddenly clasped her hands in front of her stomach and nearly doubled over. She cried out in pain. "I can't hold them back any longer…" she whispered hoarsely. "I've grown weak…"

She wasn't going to make it. They needed to get her to a doctor and fast! "Crawli, call a medic or something!" Will said as he shot towards Nim, "Melia, help me get – "

But the second he reached for her, Nim whirled around and thrust a hand towards him. An enormous, invisible pillow slammed into his body and flung him off his feet. He landed in the sand, several meters away from her

"Will!"

Dark, shimmering shadows began bleeding into existence around her.

"Will…Melia…" Nim said in an anguished voice, her breathing reduced to labored gasps. "I can't…! Hold it all back! Any longer!"

And Will watched in horror as she reached out to him, dark, charcoal blotches appearing across her body, her clothes, her face – outlines of gray stains spreading across her body. It spread evenly across her body like an infection, claiming even her clothing. It turned her features…

Holy hell.

She was turning into stone.

"Please!" Nim begged, her voice quaking in terror. "You guys gotta run and forget me!"

Will's mind erupted in panic. He scrambled to his feet and flung himself at Nim again, even as Crawli took a hold of him and kept him back.

"No, no no no no!" Will yelled. "Nim! Nim!"

"You can't!" Crawli said, groaning with exertion as Will thrashed in his grasp. "Please! Melia, help me!"

"Please!" Nim cried out, her movements growing slow and jerky. "RUN!"

Then, something came over her and her face grew slack and calm. Her expression became unfocused, and her body moved with a purpose that didn't seem her own. She spread her arms wide like she always did when calling upon her power, then her body erupted into a swirling mass of dark energy, ripping itself apart into a tornado of black, horrible blackness that annihilated everything around it.

Even as Will watched in horror, the mass of unstable energy disgorged three black portals that stabilized themselves the second they hit the sand, coalescing into the shapes of people.

The mass of rampant energy dissipated in a shockwave of unstable blackness, which melted away into nothingness…

…revealing Nim standing in the same stance as when the violence started…petrified, gray and lifeless. A statue. Turned to stone before their very eyes.

The world grew silent and still as Will stared. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't speak. He thought he heard a faint buzzing in his ears.

She…she was gone? Just like that, without a chance?

Behind Nim, the three figures climbed back to their feet. It was Professor Jenner, Zetta and Geara. They were free…they were free…!

"Your plan worked," Zetta said, glancing out across the sea. "I'm impressed."

"Question is," Geara said, "Where are we?"

A numbness spread through Will's mind. Everything felt slow and detached. He saw two of his mortal foes walk around, taking in their newfound freedom, and all he could think was…why Nim? What had she done? Why did this happen to her?

She'd saved him. She'd saved him so many times. She'd just wanted friends.

And now she was gone?

"I've been to this beach numerous times," Professor Jenner said. His voice sounded like it came from underwater. They all sounded so far away. "This is definitely Terajuma beach."

"Terajuma? Geara snapped. "Since when did it snow here?"

"Nim!" Melia shrieked.

"She's…she's turned into stone," Crawli dully said, like he couldn't believe it either.

"Guys!" Melia snapped tensely. "Over there."

"M-Melia?" Jenner gasped. He emerged from behind the two Xen Admins when he heard her voice.

"D-Dad?" Melia whispered. "What…what are…what are you doing here?"

"I…"

Geara stepped towards Nim's frozen body. "So that's the name of this heap of garbage that imprisoned us. She was so stubborn. Didn't want to let loose."

Reality snapped back together.

"I convinced her to let us go," Geara said, grinning cruelly.

"You did this?" Melia gasped.

"Perhaps I did. Pressuring her was – "

Will felt everything settle within place. He looked at Geara. Heard him explain how he pressured Nim every opportunity he had. Nim had held the keys to their prison…and now they were free.

Free to do as they wanted.

Will took a shaky breath. With the pain came anger. With the anger came clarity. It was pure. It was simple.

They were back. Everything was about to start all over again. They had Nim. They would take Melia. He would die before he'd let that happen.

Will pointed at Geara and Nidoking flung himself at the little bastard.

He had to give it to him; Geara was fast and didn't hesitate. He got his own Pokemon out before Nidoking could tear him in half, and a massive Krookodile slammed into Nidoking mere feet away from Geara's face. The two Pokemon engaged each other in a savage fight, clawing and screeching.

"That's cute," Zetta said. "But we just got out of jail, and we're not going back."

Nidoking flung Krookodile aside with one arm, but Geara's Ground-type slammed his tail against the ground and a whirlwind of sand came in from the side, slamming into Nidoking's body before he could renew his attack on Geara.

"That's a coincidence," Melia said, her voice as cold as ice. "So did we."

As the storm of sand buffeted Nidoking's armored hide, he retaliate with Earth Power, sending a jagged line of spikes erupting towards Krookodile, who was forced to leap to Geara's side, wrap a scaly arm around his waist and then leap away again to prevent Nidoking from separating them.

"You bested me at Wispy Tower, but that won't happen again!" Geara snarled at Will. "Let's see how you fare without Miss Narcissa there to save you!"

Will barely heard him. He barely heard Zetta as he taunted Melia about second chances, barely heard him order Jenner to fight or Crawli declaring he'd be arresting all three of them.

Nothing mattered except getting Nim out of there.

Krookodile slugged Nidoking across the face, scorching him with another wave of face. Nidoking replied by angrily tossing his reptilian foe across the beach. He dropped to all fours again and pounded the sand, which began exploding all around the Krookodile.

Houndoom came sprinting from the bushes to the left, snarling. Geara barely had the time to send in another Pokemon before Houndoom blasted him with a torrent of flames. That damned Marowak again, rapidly swinging his shadowy club against the searing flames and blocking it.

"I remember you," Geara said through gritted teeth. "Gonna paint the sand with your blood!"

Houndoom's jaws parted and he unleashed a torrent of fire several feet wide and hot enough to turn sections of the beach to glass. Again, Marowak held his ground and defended against the flames. All the while, Houndoom came closer and closer, until he was within snapping range.

Marowak wasn't born yesterday however. His pivoted, striking Houndoom with the bony end of his club. Houndoom rolled with the blow, landed on his stomach and Snarled, to which Marowak didn't really have an answer. All he could do was stand his ground and take it.

Nidoking and Krookodile had worn each other down pretty badly. Will saw his chance, recalled Nidoking and sent out Blaziken instead.

"Krookodile! Use Earthquake!"

His tired Ground-type obliged and slammed his foot against the beach. He sent power through his limb into the ground and it began quaking dangerously. Just like Earth Power, the ground erupted everywhere and jagged pikes and pillars began erupting from the ground.

Under Will's orders, Blaziken leapt into the air, avoiding the Earthquake. She came down on Krookodile hard with a burning spike kick, knocking the Pokemon out.

"Clefable! Dazzling Gleam!" Geara ordered.

Meanwhile, Houndoom got Marowak into a position where it could no longer attack at all. His fire was all but useless and the onslaught of pulses of dark energy had rendered him too disoriented. Geara was forced to recall him and sent out Grimmsnarl instead.

It seemed Will wasn't the only one who had evolved his Pokemon in the meantime. How Geara had done so in Nim's alternate dimension, he had no idea, and he didn't care.

The massive, hulking Fairy-type enveloped himself with pink energy, which faded everywhere except for his fists. With that power, he lunged for Houndoom.

Tired from his fight with Marowak, Houndoom wasn't able to get out of range. Grimmsnarl's black hair suddenly shot out from its body and wrapped itself around Houndoom's neck, pulling him closer.

Grimmsnarl landed two powerful blows before Will was able to recall Houndoom. As Blaziken struggled to get close enough to Clefable to land a good hit, Will took note of the hail.

By your grace, Nim.

He sent out Froslass next and went to work. She instantly faded away in the heavy snowfall, and Geara didn't fall for the trap. Grimmsnarl stayed on its guard, its beady eyes gliding from the left to the right, carefully searching for the hidden Froslass.

"Keep using Dazzling Gleam!" Geara ordered. "Grimmsnarl! Use "

The wind picked up, carrying with it a faint, eerily-human laughter.

Froslass appeared right behind Clefable just as it was about to unleash its energy again.

"Clefable! Behind you!"

Clefable awkwardly spun around and Froslass took all the time in the world to exhale an Icy Wind directly into its eyes.

It…did not appreciate that. Clefable cried out, flung itself backwards and away from Froslass and began clawing at its face. Froslass giggled, surged aside to dodge a blind-fired blast of flames Clefable spat at her, then came around from the side and blew another Icy Wind into Clefable's exposed, pink ears.

Grimmsnarl began running towards his partner, but Blaziken stepped in-between it and Clefable. Though it had evolved into something larger and more powerful, so had Blaziken. And It apparently still remembered the beatdown she gave him as a Combusken.

Blinded and in pain, Clefable lashed out in every direction, throwing Fairy-type energy everywhere. Froslass wasn't inclined to show mercy. She catapulted herself backwards, then disappeared in the air again.

"Damnit Clefable, keep using Flamethrower! You have to thaw yourself out!" Geara ordered.

It didn't work out that way. Every time Clefable attempted to stay still long enough to form a Flamethrower in such a way that she could get rid of the frostbite that riddled her body, Froslass was there to make her pay for it.

"Losing after talking so big is making us look like fools, Geara," Zetta yelled.

Grimmsnarl's hair shot from its body like it had a mind of its own. Blaziken took the blow on the chin, thoroughly unimpressed. She set her body on fire and then began approaching Grimmsnarl, the flames that shot from her wrists growing larger and hotter.

"We're out of options!" Zetta yelled. "Win or lose, we're outnumbered here!"

Grimmsnarl came at Blaziken with a wild haymaker, before suddenly attacking from the other direction with the hair at the back of its body.

Blaziken blocked the haymaker with her forearm, drove the attacking knife-like jabs of hair back with a Blaze Kick and then struck a Fire Punch directly at Grimmsnarl's chin.

"You can't win!" Melia yelled. "Now surrender yourselves!"

Surrender? Like they had surrendered to Crescent and Narcissa?

"It was a rookie mistake," Jenner said, calmly recalling his Pokemon and stuffing his hands in his pocket. "Your enemies continued to grow as well while you were stuck in that dimension. That's just how the world works. It was foolish to believe that you held any leverage over them."

Froslass stopped playing with her food. She blasted Clefable's back with a gust of searing Ominous Wind, throwing her off her feet.

Where had imprisoning them led to?

My only friends in the entire world…but I can't even have that.

"You're the last person I wanna hear talk!" Zetta snarled at the Professor. "In fact, you lost way too easily!"

"He sure did," Crawli confirmed warily. "In fact, it felt like he barely put up a fight."

Where had mercy led them?

Will raised his hand. Kilometers above him, Pidgeot saw the sign.

Desperate and out of time, Geara staggered back to Zetta, recalling his Pokemon one by one. "Make sure the Professor doesn't escape," he said. "And stay close."

"You got it." Zetta threw himself at Jenner, snaking a wiry arm around his neck and violently dragging him to the ground. Jenner struggled and fought back, but Zetta was a big guy and Jenner didn't exactly know what he was doing.

With a look of pure outrage, Melia yelled, "Hapi!"

After a quick struggle, Zetta produced a knife and pressed it against Jenner's throat. Jenner instantly stopped resisting. "Not so fast, Melia. Wouldn't it be a shame if you lost good ol' daddy all over again?"

"You're despicable Zetta," Melia spat. "I don't know why I expected anything better from the likes of you!"

Will didn't need to look up, just like Pidgeot didn't need to break the sound barrier to turn Geara into a wet stain on the sand. Just a few more seconds -

"You shouldn't, Melia, just like you shouldn't forget to cover your six," Zetta darkly said.

A sudden gust of cold air was all the warning Will got before reality behind him split open and Giratina soared through. It nearly crashed into the beach as it flew overhead, arriving a literal second before Pidgeot could have struck Geara. Instead, Pidgeot slammed into Giratina's back with the kind of kinetic energy that would have smashed through a brick house, but Giratina's body didn't seem to conform to the laws of reality.

Giratina disappeared as fast as he came, taking with him Geara, Zetta, Jenner…and Nim.

"What?" Melia exclaimed.

"What was that thing?!" Crawli demanded.

Within seconds, Giratina found a different trajectory through whatever dimension he'd come from. He disappeared into a shadowy wound in reality.

They were gone.

Nim was gone.

Team Xen had taken her.

Will felt himself start to scream, but he grabbed that scream and coldly choked it to death. He felt the calmness in his head quiver and fall apart, giving way to rage and blinding fury. He throttled those, too. There would be time for that later. For what was to come, he needed to remain calm. He needed to remain cold.

"Dad!" Melia yelled. She ran to the edge of the beach, running after Giratina even though it was long gone. She only stopped when the water came to her ankles.

There, she sank through her knees and clutched her face with shaky hands. "Come back…" she sobbed.

Crawli knelt down next to her. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as Melia broke down crying. He looked up at Will. There was no mistaking the look of confusion…and helplessness.

Crawli, the Head Ranger, Gym Leader and de facto leader of Akuwa Town did not know what to do.

Will knew the feeling. The urge to slump down and surrender to that helplessness was overwhelming.

But he had to remain sharp. He had to remain focused.

"We'll get them back, Melia," Will said as he knelt down next to her as well.

"How…?" Melia whispered.

How…the answer to that question was both simple and painfully complicated. Team Xen had taken people from them. They'd have to take them back. "Crawli…how many men do you have?"

"Uh…we're about twenty rangers strong in Akuwa Town…I'd say we've got about a hundred and fifty capable men and women across Terajuma. That's including our reserves and our active-duty members, but…we're spread thin across Terajuma. We've lost contact with Kristiline Town, too." Crawli shook his head. "I'll have to take stock."

Pidgeot landed a few paces away. He didn't seem much worse for wear.

Geara, Zetta and Jenner…the enemy was growing strong, while every day, he felt like he and the people he loved were getting weaker.

And now Team Xen had taken Nim.

Will couldn't imagine what they were going to do to her.

He took another breath. His hands shook. "Melia…we can't stay here."

"Dad…" She whispered.

I'm sorry, Nim.

Will reached for Melia's shoulders. She felt so frail. "Come on," he said, gently pulling her back to her feet. "We can't stay here. We have to alert the others."

She looked up at him with anguish, her eyes stained with tears.

Will couldn't look at her. He averted his eyes, ignored the painful lurch in his stomach and then focused his attention on the road back to the house.

God, he felt so cold…

Back in Akuwa Town, most of the others had already convened back in the house. Aelita leapt from her seat when she saw Will and Melia enter, and for a single, terrible moment, she looked so hopeful, so assured that they had fixed things again.

But then reality set in. That hopeful, confident expression of hers fell the instant she saw their expressions. "No…" she whispered. "Oh no. Please…don't tell me…"

"Aelita…please take Melia upstairs," Will said. "I have to get the others."

"Nim - "

"Taken. By Team Xen."

"Damnit!" Aelita snapped. She kicked at her chair and sent it flying through the room. "Damnit! What happened, is she okay? Is she hurt? Are you guys hurt?"

"Aelita, please," Will said. He wasn't sure if he would be able to keep his calm if he stayed here. "Later."

He could only imagine the storm that had to be brewing behind Aelita's steely, purple eyes. She worked her jaw, then quickly moved to take Melia from him. "Come Melia, let's head upstairs. Are you hurt anywhere?"

Satisfied that Melia and Melia would be safe if they stuck together, Will headed out to gather the rest. Adam and Braixen at the docks. Saki and Val in the jungle. They all reacted with the same hopeful urgency Aelita had.

None of them vocalized it, but Will could see the disappointment in their eyes when he told them that he'd failed. That Team Xen was on the loose on the island, now, and they had a hostage to leverage as well.

Will didn't waste any words after that. He took the group back to the house. Crawli had gone back to the headquarters. It was likely he had a few protocols to enact. He had a couple of psychopathic lunatics and a rogue Legendary loose on his island, now. Did they even have a protocol for that?

With the group gathered at the dining table – Melia was still upstairs, and Aelita was with her - Will quickly explained what had happened.

They reacted much like he had. Outrage. Fury. A sense of hopelessness upon realizing that they had no way to track down their friend anymore

"You're kidding, right?" Val exclaimed. "They've got another Legendary Pokemon with them?"

"Who are these clowns, anyway?" Adam growled. "You dealt with them in the past before, right? You beat them before?"

"Yeah. Psychopaths, as far as I can tell. They're both threats we'll have to deal with," Will said. "Braixen, give me that map." He heard how harsh his voice sounded and quickly added. "Please."

"Sure!" Braixen hopped to her feet and handed him the rolled-up map of Terajuma Island he'd asked her to retrieve from the Ranger HQ. He rolled it out across the table.

"I can't believe Nim had been hiding that from us the entire time…" Val said, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is just crazy."

"It is what it is," Adam said. "For now, we'll have to assume that they might come after Kakori Village. If Geara thought he could burn down Goldenleaf Village with that Pokemon of his, he might try the same with Kakori Village."

"He'd be real cray to start beef with the entire ranger department," Saki said. "He's still one douche, right?"

"He won't need to start a thing," Aelita's voice came from the stairs. Will looked over his shoulder and saw her coming down again. "Just make a few passes and throw out some hard-hitting attacks. He could wreck half the village before anyone could hit back."

A heavy silence fell after Aelita's remark. For a moment, nobody seemed to know how to respond.

"How is she?" Will asked.

A pained look crossed her features. "She's been exhausted for a while. Seeing her father again like that, so clearly working with the enemy, must have been a mental knockout punch." She walked towards him and picked up a chair next to him. "What about you?"

He wasn't the one who had turned into stone. He wasn't the one who had been burdened with keeping Team Xen's Executives imprisoned into his freaking mindscape or whatever that was about.

"I'll live," he said and continued studying the map, taking note of the massive mountain in the middle of the region. If that one erupted, it would probably destroy the entire island chain - or at least a sizable portion. It was almost massive enough to contain an entire headquarters.

It seemed like the perfect place for Team Xen to bunker down and turn into a fortress. Goldenleaf's citizens hadn't realized that Xen had been building an entire base in their most sacred place, so what were the odds the people of Terajuma Island would miss something similar?

One likely spot to search.

Adam sighed. "Well, sounds like we've got our job cut out for us. Let's keep watch, just in case."

"Yeah? And have us lose our wits because of sleep deprivation?" Val shot back.

"How about we keep watch in shifts?" Braixen offered. "With Melia, there's seven of us. We do one hour each, twice, and we're set."

"Braixen, you're tiny and also a Pokemon," Saki said. "It'll take one Sucker Punch to knock ya out."

"Uhh…" Aelita groaned. "Painful memories."

"Fine, we'll keep watch in pairs," Val said. "We'll rotate out every half hour. Here, I'll write out a schedule…"

But as it turned out, there was no need to keep watch for the night. Giratina never came down to burn the village to the ground. Zetta never snuck inside to prepare a Rift Pokemon. The night was silent and still.

It just wasn't peaceful. The damned nightmares didn't stop. His mind tumbled through vivid images and horrifying scenes. Madame X. A sword. His mother, stumbling. Blood everywhere. Little shards of rib and bits of flesh torn free as Madame X readied herself for the next one.

Nim's whispers in his ears.

You should have listened,

Her her cold fingers clutching neck, pushing his head aside in an almost sensual manner for Madame X's sword to come down on his exposed neck -

WIll woke with a jolt, gasping for air as he did. He jerked his hands to the bleeding jagged hole in his throat - you're safe she's not here she can't hurt you there's no blood - and then pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. He lay there, breathing heavily, struggling to get himself back under control.

He still felt the cold steel carving into his neck. How the hell did his brain make that feel so realistic, so vivid?

"Will? Are you alright?" Melia's voice came from a few beds away. She looked at him with weary surprise.

He gripped the edges of his matras. "You're awake?" He said. A deflection. A non-answer. He couldn't let them see how frazzled his mind was. He had to be strong - or at the very least, he had to look strong.

"...Yeah. I…heard something fall. You uh…knocked something over?"

A quick look around revealed that the glass of water he'd taken with him after his last watch now lay on the floor. It hadn't just toppled either; it lay halfway across the room, in-between his bed and the one opposite of his - Saki was still sleeping soundly on it - and the water had gone everywhere.

Will took that detail in with a pounding heart. He'd never been a restless sleeper as far as he could remember. Had he…had he done that in his sleep?

Melia stared at the glass pointedly, before resting her gray eyes on him again. "Bad dreams?"

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Just a nightmare. Don't worry about it."

Melia looked at him like she knew exactly what was going through his mind. "If that's what you want."

What he really wanted was to sink through the floor in shame. Since he couldn't have that, he did the next best thing. He got up, hastily pulled a shirt over his head and plucked his pants from his chair. He bend over to pick up the glass - thankfully it hadn't shattered - and then flung a towel down to get rid of the spilled water.

He paused. He wanted to offer some sort of comfort to Melia. Tell her that things would be alright. That they'd get Nim and Jenner back and kick Team Xen off the island again. To somehow, in some way, spare her the agony of losing a parent herself.

…but he couldn't. He didn't even know why not. The intention was there, but…he didn't know. It didn't come to him.

Instead, Will headed downstairs. He silently passed by Adam, who was already putting together plates and cups for the others.

"Morning," Adam said.

"Morning," Will muttered back. He plucked the map from behind the large plant in the corner - he'd flung it there in frustration yesterday night - and rolled it out again.

One by one, the others got dressed and came downstairs too. Apart from some half-hearted greetings, nobody said a word.

Adam made coffee. Aelita handed out cups of tea. Will didn't see Valarie around.

Will started encircling likely spots on the map. Valor Mountain. The Weather Institute. Kristiline Town. What would be the best way to approach those sites? Infiltration or frontal assault? it had to be at night. Preferably at dusk. Early in the morning to catch as many of the bastards by surprise as possible.

He couldn't burn their locations to the ground yet. Not while Jenner still lived. He also didn't know what the heat would do to Nim's petrified body. With two hostages to leverage, Team Xen had the advantage.

"...can someone please say something?" Saki begged. "This is depressing…"

"Why did Geara and Zetta take Nim with them?" Aelita reacted. "That's the part I don't get."

Another hostage to use as a human shield. Another prisoner to torment. "A hostage," Wil said. Clearing out those bases would take a certain amount of finesse. If Team Xen learned he was attacking them, they might just cut Jenner's throat and dump his body somewhere. No, a full-frontal attack was right out.

Infiltration then.

"...I don't know," Melia said. "When Giratina came through to save them, it must have also picked up Nim along the way. She was in its trajectory, after all."

That made no sense. An accidental abduction? That just so happened to cripple the morale of the one group of enemies Xen had on this place?

Was fate really so cruel?

"What now?" Braixen unhappily said. "Surely they must've noticed that they had a straggler. What if they decide to dispose of her? I mean, they don't have any need for Nim' s body…"

Her body. Her body? "She's not dead!" Will snapped.

Braixen flinched. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," she said.

Tiredly, Will rubbed his eyes. "No, that's…I'm…"

Before he could even try to salvage that particular screwup, Val flung the door open and yelled, "Guys, we have a situation!"

"What's up Val?" Adam said.

"Something weird is going on at the Ranger HQ! I think you guys need to see it for yourselves!"

They all exchanged an uneasy look, before leaping to their feet and hurrying towards the Ranger HQ.

It wasn't hard to spot what was going on. The very first thing they saw upon barging inside was the receptionist arguing with an IT specialist about her systems being in haywire. Rangers hurried to and fro, yelling orders at each other as they frantically carried spare parts, screens and other electrical devices from one room to another.

The central platform, usually reserved as some sort of mess hall for the rangers there, was a beehive of activity. Civilians and ranger personnel alike engaged in hurried whispers and hushed conversations as Alex and Sam struggled to get the main screen working again.

Crawli was at the center of it all, issuing orders to several squad leaders as they hurried in to report in with the latest news and updates.

"What's going on?" Melia asked.

"Dunno," Crawli said, twiddling with controls of the interface. "The interface has been bugging out all morning…our channels don't work, all communication gear is acting up. People are reporting interference from radio's to their televisions. Now it's all staticy and - "

The screen, which had been filled with dark static up to that moment, suddenly changed, displaying a red bar at the bottom of the screen that read: "Incoming transmission".

Then, the voice spoke. It was a heavy, synthesized voice, impossible to identify. It could have been Neved. It could have been Madelis for all he knew.

"This is a Xen Initiative transmission. Please standby."

The screen slowly resolved itself into the shadow outlines of four familiar individuals.

"Citizens and people of Terajuma Island. This is a message from the elites of Team Xen. Listen well. We have arrived on Terajuma and we have built a stronghold on Valor Mountain. This was accomplished in just a few hours. Thirty days from this transmission, we will be seizing the entire island in the name of Team Xen. This will result in the total destruction of Terajuma Island."

Several people gasped in shock. Alex angrily crossed her arms, but Sam went pale as he stared at the screen.

"You may be asking yourself…how do we escape such a fate? There is but one option."

Whoever had hi-jacked the signal displayed six very familiar images on the screen. They seemed to be camera shots, or stills taken from a security monitor.

Melia was on the top. Below that, Will saw Adam, Aelita, Saki, a Lapras and then himself.

"We have placed a bounty on these six individuals for their transgressions at Blacksteeple Castle. The highest priority being our original target, Melia."

Her mugshot pulsated for a moment, like Team Xen had put this together as if it was a simple slideshow for a business meeting instead of a death-threat to literally thousands upon thousands of innocent people.

"The lowest being Adam Might, Aelita Rover, Saki Blakeory, Valarie and William. If these six individuals are offered to us, then the attack shall be called off. The fate of everyone on Terajuma Island will be secured."

Will's very first thought was that nobody would be stupid enough to believe promises made by a known terrorist organization. But then his thoughts went back to Sariah, and how easily her fears and grudges had led her to try and do unspeakable things.

Every single thought after that went something along the lines of "holy shit now everybody knows what we look like".

Team Xen had just robbed them of their greatest assets; their ability to keep a low profile and use their anonymity to go wherever they needed to.

Suddenly, he felt very vulnerable just standing there in that crowd. He carefully eyed the people around him - and damnit if the people didn't eye him and the others in return.

However…even with this looming threat, we understand that this information may not be enough to persuade you. To the group of individuals we mentioned prior, this is a message directly to you."

The screen flickered and changed. It displayed Nim. it showed her petrified body hanging on a chain, suspended in a cave of sorts.

It was like a punch in the gut. A part of him couldn't believe that Team Xen would do something like that.

"We have retrieved what remains of your precious friend, Nim. If you do not surrender yourself to us by the 30th night…not only will Terajuma fall, but Nim will share the same fate as well. What you and the people of Terajuma will do with this information…is entirely up to you. We will be waiting for you on Valor Mountain."

The screen flickered again. Nim's frozen body faded from the screen,

"Until then…think wisely. And tread carefully. Because Blacksteeple was only the beginning. Transmission over."

The audacity. The hubris. The vile, petty evil -

Will's head spun. They'd kill her. They'd kill Nim if they didn't surrender. They'd kill her.

"Crap," Adam hissed.

Slowly, the crowd began panicking. Even as Valarie complained about the fact that she was a Laprasi in their presentation, he heard the people around him losing their nerves.

"Team Xen is going to attack Terajuma Island?"

"We can't let that happen! Who are those six?"

"The Rangers will take care of this!"

"We can't handle something this huge!" One of the rangers yelled.

"An official attack by Team Xen?"

"Get real!"

Slowly, Will began reaching for the satchel containing his Poke Balls. This was a freaking mess, but one thing was absolutely certain. If Team Xen got their hands on his friends, they'd all die. If these people got it in their heads that throwing the six of them to the wolves would help them in any way…would they?

"Quiet!" Alex roared, and her voice reverberated throughout the entire building. "Calm down! Leader Crawli would like to speak!"

"Thank you, Alex," Crawli calmly said. "Everyone. Terajuma has entered a crisis. But not all hope is lost. Team Xen may be on the island, but we will do everything in our power to drive them out. However, as a result of this threat, we will be tightening up security around the island. In addition to this, we will have a curfew for those who cannot defend themselves. This is for the safety of everyone. More news on this situation will come as we learn more. Thank you."

"Everyone, return to your stations!" Alex then yelled. "Squad leaders on me! All non-commissioned personnel, prepare for combat! Notice to move is ten minutes!"

Will stared at the display. It had turned back to normal. So it was Valor Mountain after all? That was where they'd holed up?

…it was right in the north of Terajuma. He could fly there on Pidgeot under the cover of the night. Start his infiltration, discover where they kept Jenner and Nim.

"Melia, would you please meet me in my office?" Crawli said. "There's something I would like to discuss with you."

"Please, allow me to join as well," Valarie said. "I need to be in this conversation."

"Will should join as well!" Melia said.

Crawli, seeing that he was outnumbered, merely sighed. "I don't have time to argue. Quickly then."

While Alex began issuing orders to the various squad leaders, Crawli took Melia, Val and Will to his office. There, he closed the door behind them and took a moment to peer through his window. "This isn't good," he muttered, before closing the blinds.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Val replied. "What do we do about this?"

"Originally, I was just going to speak to Melia as she's a high priority target…but it's important you all hear about this." Crawli eased himself into his chair. "Somehow Zetta, Gearen and the Professor were able to get to the top of Valor Mountain. But that's the part that confuses me. That shouldn't be possible at the moment."

Will wasn't sure if Crawli had missed that particular memo, but a lot of impossible things tended to occur whenever Team Xen was involved. Getting to the top of a mountain with a freaking Giratian didn't even make it into his top five bullshit events.

"How come?" Valarie asked.

"Because they lack the relics," Crawli said, as if that explained everything.

"Ah," Val said, while Melia nodded as if that made sense to her.

Will raised an eyebrow at Crawli to let him know that he hadn't exactly been enlightened.

"Long ago, before Terajuma, the land around Valor Mountain was treacherous," Crawli explained. "When living in the open became too dangerous, the people of Valor would retreat within the mountain for shelter. Day and night they would prey to their God for protection, and one day the mountain answered. Three Relics were presented to the people; the Sky, Earth and Ocean Relics. Presenting these three objects to the mountain would allow entry into it. Because of this, these people revered the mountain as a God."

Another cultural monument appropriated and violated for Xen's grand design. What was it that these people wanted, anyway? What could drive an entire organization to such extreme lengths?

"We don't revere the mountain anymore," Crawli finished, "But…we keep the relics around as a tradition for newer trainers on Kakori. We call this the Terajuma Trial."

"Wait…don't tell me…?" Val said.

Crawli nodded grimly. "You cannot enter Valor Mountain without these Relics. And you cannot fly to the summit."

Will sharply inhaled. The sudden urge to slam his fist into something nearly overcame him. This…was this a joke? Team Xen had Nim as a hostage right there, just a few minutes of flying away, and he couldn't get to her?

"Probably not for a normal person, but they have a Legendary Pokemon on their side," Melia said. "They could make it happen."

Crawli nodded to himself. "I see. Then this is my proposal. Take part in the Terajuma Trial. Collect the three Relics and fight back." Will was halfway through the door when Crawli amended himself. "That is what I would like to say. But there are complications with this method as well."

It was never simple, was it?

"Complications?" Val said. "Like what?"

"The Ocean Relic is currently on Kristiline…but we've been having trouble with getting to and from there."

"Because of?"

"Because of An - " Suddenly, Crawli's phone began buzzing, and he cut himself off. "Excuse me." Crawli speaking, what's going on? What?! Okay, sit tight! I'm on my way!"

Melia shot Will an uneasy look.

Crawli leapt to his feet and pulled his jacket from his chair. "Sorry guys, there's a situation I need to handle at Jynnobi Pass. We can continue this another time, but you should gather your friends and come too! We'll need as many people as we can get!"

Without bothering to explain anything else, Crawli burst through the door and left, leaving the three of them with more questions than they'd started with.

Three Relics? So if Team Xen decided they wanted to head off any attempt to infiltrate Valor Mountain, they could just…seize or even destroy one of the relics and make it impossible?

"Jynnobi pass?" Valarie asked.

"It's a small town east of Mynori Sea. Will…it sounds like we need to get there, and quick! I can get there with Hapi, and you have Pidgeot. Val…I'm sorry, but - "

"I'll get there on my own, don't worry!" Valarie reassured her. "I've seen Will fight, I know he's got the firepower to keep you two safe until I get there. I'll take the others too. Shouldn't take us more than half ahour!"

"Thank you so much!" Melia said. "Alright, Will, ready?"

Will had nodded to her before he even realized what he was about to do. That realization slowly dawned on him when Melia led him back outside.

He'd never in his life ridden a Pokemon before. Tesla's Talonflame didn't count.

There was no doubt in his mind that Pidgeot could handle it, but could he?

An image of Nim's petrified body flashed before his eyes. Chained up, used as bait…all alone.

Anger and bitterness drove away his trepidation.

It didn't matter that he'd never flown on a Pokemon before. He had to, so he would. That was all there was to it.

"Hapi!" Melia said, sending Togekiss out again."With great speed!"

Togekiss flattened his oval body to the ground, patiently letting Melia hop on top of him. Then, Melia turned to look at Will, waiting for him to get ready.

Will followed her example and released Pidgeot from his Poke Ball. "Pidgeot…can you carry me?" He asked.

Pidgeot regarded him with the air of a regent who had just been served slob instead of a proper meal. The black markings around his eyes made the judgment all the sharper for it.

"Ask a stupid question…" Will muttered to himself. Pidgeot slowly folded his majestic wings against his chest and watched his trainer approach him. Will placed his hands against Pidgeot's muscled neck, hoping that he wouldn't hurt his friend. Carefully, he positioned himself behind Pidgeot's neck, wrapping his arms around his broad chest and running a hand across his glossy crest. "Follow Melia. She'll show the way."

"Oh!" Melia said. "This is your first time flying on your Pokemon, isn't it? There's not much to it if you just trust your partner. They know what they're doing. Isn't that right, Hapi?"

Hapi produced a happy little cooing noise, flapping his wings once as if to further prove her point.

Right. What she said. Not much to it.

…if he slipped and fell Pidgeot would likely never look at him again.

'Are you ready?" Melia then asked.

"Pidgeot, let's go!" Will called.

Pidgeot crouched and braced himself. His wings rushed upward and then drove down with enough wind and force to knock a grown man on his ass ten feet away.

The ground just dropped away. Will yelled with surprise as Pidgeot went from zero a million kilometers per hour in the span of two seconds. Wind buffeted his face and tore at his clothes and for a nerve-wrecking moment, he feared that he'd slip if he didn't hold on to Pidgeot with all of his strength.

But…it wasn't like that. With his arms swung around Pidgeot's thick neck, nestled against his feathers and his legs wrapped around Pidgeot's waist, it almost felt…he'd hesitate to call it natural, but it sure didn't feel weird.

Whatever fear he'd felt before takeoff was left behind in Pidgeot's wake. Elation and joy filled in the gaps when Will realized that he was flying - his Pokemon and him were flying!

Will laughed wildly. Underneath him, Kakori Village rapidly turned into a tiny little blotch amidst the jungle and the beaches. The surface of Aevium sprawled out beneath him, almost a thousand meters below. He saw Mynori Sea stretch out beneath him, a great canvas of glittering, shimmering blue dotted with tiny islands and rocks. Valor Mountain was a ghostly spire in the distance,

Melia and Hapi soon caught up to them. Hapi moved like he had done this a thousand times before. The picture of calmness, he flapped his wings and brought Melia closer, until mere meters separated her from Will.

Horizontally at least. Will didn't even want to think about the sheer drop that awaited him if he fell.

"How's it feel?" Melia shouted at him. Will barely heard her over the howling wind.

"Amazing!" He yelled strength that Pidgeot possessed was incredible. He only had to beat his wings a few times every minute to maintain his velocity.

Pidgeot cast a glance at Togekiss and Melia. Will got the sneaking suspicion that Pidgeot didn't think very highly of the little Fairy-type.

Melia grinned at him. Her golden hair billowed wildly behind her. "Right? Jynnobi pass is, like, twelve or so kilometers that way." She gestured towards the east, where Will could see a small carpet and what looked like a tiny clearing. He couldn't be sure; the distance was too great. "Think you can keep up?"

Togekiss suddenly banked to the left and plummeted to the sea, pressing his fluffy wings to his spherical body to pick up speed.

Keep up? Knowing Pidgeot, they would either leave Melia in their dust, or leave Melia in their dust. There could be no alternative.

"Come on!" Will said. "Let's show them what we got!"

Pidgeot pitched to the left, after Togekiss, and beat his wings with full force. His body shot forwards and the sudden G-force bit to the bone. He held on with everything he had and even then, he nearly slipped loose. He dug his hands deep into Pidgeot's feathers and squeezed his legs against Pidgeot's body with everything he had.

Adrenaline pumped through his body at full tilt. Will risked a sidelong glance and spotted Melia and Togekiss. Little Hapi was an experienced flier and knew what he was doing, but the amount of force Pidgeot's wings exerted was ridiculous. Within seconds, Pidgeot caught up to the pair.

The distance to Jynnobi Pass melted away beneath them. Melia spotted Pidgeot catching up and laughed gleefully. She bid Hapi to go faster and Hapi obliged. He strained his cloud-like wings and gained even more speed.

Pidgeot opened his beak and uttered a defiant shriek. At that point, Will sensed that Pidgeot could have gone far beyond what he was doing. Pidgeot could have thrown caution to the wind and surrendered himself to the drive and the freedom of being the undisputed king in the air. He could have gone faster and faster and faster, until the collective G-forces and wind pressure either tore Will free from Pidgeot's body, or tore him apart altogether.

That was the only true limit to their newfound freedom. They could go anywhere at any time, unbound by land or water, with only the frailty of the human body to hold them back.

As it was, Will felt the wind tear at his body, right at the edge of what he could tolerate. His fingers grew numb and his eyes were blurry with tears, but Pidgeot overtook Hapi like a racecar would overtake a pedestrian and nothing, absolutely nothing, could take away the exhilaration that brought with it.

Pidgeot shot towards the sea, which transitioned into a little beach and then into a small island settlement, smaller even than Sheridan Village. The distance and velocity involved made it hard to guess, but it was maybe four by five kilometers large.

Crawli wasn't there yet. They'd just crossed the twelve or so kilometers that separated them from Jynnobi Pass in mere minutes. Nothing could have caught up to them.

Will made it to Jynnobi Pass far before Melia did. Pidgeot tilted his wings forwards and caught the wind head-on, gradually decreasing his speed. He passed through the cloud coverage above Jynnobi Pass -

That was when Will saw them, and his entrails turned to ice.

"No…" He whispered. "Oh no,no…"

It couldn't be real. He had to be hallucinating, or seeing things wrong.

He wasn't, and he didn't.

There, on the sea between Mount Valor and Jynnobi Pass, was the largest collection of ships he had ever seen. Row after row of black, sleek Xen Battleships formed a literal barricade several hundred meters wide.

Will counted fourteen of the damned things.

Fourteen. Fourteen Xen Battleships, each of which could have carried a hundred of their grunts.

Pidgeot landed behind one of the buildings in the far north. Will let go before his partner had even come to full stop. Stumbling, with trembling legs and jittery arms, Will made his way up to the wall. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be.

But it was. Team Xen had come in force. A force that not even the combined forces of the entire Terajuma Island could withstand.

The distance between the Xen battleships and Jynnobi Pass was too great for Will to make out what he'd seen from the sky. But the pair of rangers who stood there, quietly whispering to each other as they stared out at sea with their binoculars, couldn't have missed it.

They didn't react as Will walked up the wall right next to them. They sure didn't acknowledge him. How could they? The people who had just threatened to destroy and kill everything and everyone they cared about, had just shown up with enough numbers and firepower to do just that.

It wasn't just a threat anymore. It was a promise, one that they would uphold.

The binoculars dropped from the hands of the leftmost ranger. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she took a few unsteady steps back. Her partner wordlessly reached out and took her hand.

Will couldn't blame them. He knelt down, scooped up the set of binoculars and took a closer look.

From the left to the right, lined up in two uneven rows, Team Xen had brought fourteen battleships to bear. Will spotted their members walking across the deck, engaging each other in practice matches, or just keeping watch with their Pokemon.

There were…so many of them.

Will stood there, observing the Xen battleships in silence even as Melia touched down behind him, running up the wall in horror.

"It can't be…" she said. "There's…so…many…"

Will handed her the binoculars.

Minutes went by in silence. Crawli touched down behind them in one of the ranger helicopters. He stepped out, together with Adam. "Did you see them?" He said. He looked pale and shaken.

"...it's hard to miss," Melia said. Her voice could have come across as calm, had it not trembled so heavily. "I saw them…from way up in the air."

"They really weren't kidding…" Crawli breathed out. He took his own binoculars and gestured for the two silent rangers to move over. "That's a lot of Xen ships…"

Will tried to think of something - anything - to combat this new threat. Anything at all.

An approach from the sky would get them shot down. They were likely to have sonar, so an approach from underwater would be suicide. Infiltration…assault…subterfuge…nothing of that would work.

Team Xen had them outranged, outgunned, outnumbered…outsmarted.

Outplayed.

…he wasn't going to be able to save Nim, was he? Even if she was still alive in there…even if Team Xen wouldn't murder her if he came close to her…he wouldn't be able to get close to her.

Crawli softly issued orders to his rangers through his radio. Some of the other rangers of Jynnobi Pass came to report in.

A few minutes later, Valarie arrived by sea, together with Saki, Braixen and Aelita. They too couldn't believe what they were up against.

They too changed their tune when they saw the physical evidence of the odds Team Xen had stacked up against them.

"Oh man…that's a lot of boats…" Saki muttered while looking through the binoculars. "I mean, I could kick AT LEAST six asses before I went down, but…"

"I think there's a lot more asses on that ship than six, Saki," Braixen pointed out.

Aelita wordlessly shook her head. "It's only been half a day…how'd they form that many ships so quickly?"

For the first time since he arrived there, Adam spoke up. "That part's easy to figure out, I think. Team Xen must have already had a presence on the island. Whether that was known or not, is another story."

"There's only one place I could think of that could maybe hold something like that," Crawli said after a moment of silent contemplation. "There's an island east of here that's suddenly been surrounded by bad weather and whirlpools…we haven't been able to thoroughly search it because our ships aren't able to handle the rough waters. Perhaps a few modifications are in order…"

Now that got Saki's interest. "Modifications you say? Ayy badabing badaboom, I do it for you. Don't even worry 'bout it."

Confused at her...colorful choice of words, Crawli turned to look at Adam for confirmation. "Pardon?"

"What's hard to understan'?" Saki continued, looking at the man like he was an especially dim-witted child. "You got the ship, I got the modifications. You show me where? Yes? You pay me? Ah fuggedaboutit."

With those choice words, Saki promptly turned and walked off.

"She wants you to follow her, by the way," Braixen said as she watched her trainer go.

"Goodness…" Crawli sighed. "Alright, well I guess I'll follow her. That energy of hers is something else…not sure if I can keep up with it." He laughed nervously.

"You'll get used to it," Adam said

"...you know what? Something tells me he won't get used to it…" Melia muttered when Crawli left.

Braixen nodded in confirmation. "Saki can be an acquired taste…taking that into account, I guess I should go make sure Saki doesn't bite his head off. Ciao~."

Will turned his attention back to the blockade ahead. In thirty days, Team Xen would attack. They'd kill everyone in their way. How many people in Akuwa Town alone? Five-thousand? More? Kristiline Town, Jynnobi Pass? Thousands more?

But how could they possibly stop such a force? If there was a way, Will sure didn't see it.

"I am the highest priority target…" He heard Melia muse. "At this point…I think…I think I should just surrender myself to them."

"What?" Valarie shouted.

Unhappily, Melia said, "I have a strong feeling that if I surrender, this will all end. I'm…I'm willing to make that sacrifice if it means everyone gets out unharmed."

She meant it. Oh god, she meant it. She would be willing to subject herself to uncertain horror if it meant saving these people. If it meant saving Nim and her father.

…Will could understand where she was coming from. Had he not acted in the same way? Putting himself in harm's way to protect innocent people? That was how this whole thing had started. When he decided that his own wellbeing was less important than Melia's freedom and happiness, even though he'd barely known her.

"But what about you?" Adam exclaimed. "You count towards that, too!"

Melia was banking a lot on the honor of a genocidal terrorist organization. Nothing they had seen from Team Xen indicated they were capable of mercy, much less willing to show it.

"Melia…" Will said. She turned to look at him, her expression pained and uncertain. "If you do that…they have no more reason to hold back. They'll have won, and then they'll murder everyone regardless."

He could have slapped her in the face and it would have shocked her less. "B-But - you don't know that!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Valarie said. She grabbed a hold of Melia's shoulders and pulled her closer. "Will's fought these assholes for months now. I think he knows how they tick! Besides; surrendering yourself would be a spit in the face to Will's mother."

And there it was. The one realization that he hadn't dared vocalize. His mom had sacrificed herself for his safety…together with that of Melia's, and everybody else on the ship. She'd died thinking she'd saved everyone.

"Her sacrifice was just as much for Will as it was for you, and the rest of us too!" Val angrily continued.

Adam placed a heavy hand on Will's shoulder and carefully, almost too gently for a man of his size, pushed him aside, letting him face down Melia himself. "To just disregard her wish would be foolish and supremely disrespectful. I don't wanna hear anything about this again, y'hear?"

"Agreed!" Valarie snapped.

Words couldn't express the depth of Will's gratitude towards them. They had spoken the words that Melia needed to hear, but that he would have been unable to utter himself.

Tears welled up in Melia's eyes. "Y-You guys are a hundred percent correct…I'm…so sorry I even suggested such a thing. I…" she took a breath, struggling to compose herself. "I just want my friends to be okay. That's all."

Will hesitated, then placed his hand on Melia's shoulder. "I know. We'll…find a way. Don't lose hope."

Melia reached up to her shoulder and placed her hand on his. "Thank you…"

Valarie stomped back to the stairs. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm ready to head back home…"

"Same," Adam said, back to his old, nonplussed self. "But that's not really saying much, coming from me."

They weren't giving up. The two experienced gym leaders saw what the enemy had waiting for them and they didn't give up hope.

Maybe he'd been looking at this the wrong way? Asking the wrong questions? This wasn't about the specifics of what Team Xen could and would do if they won. This was about how they could make sure Team Xen never won at all.

"...Will, do you…do you think we can do this?" Aelita asked. With the others gone, it was just the three of them again. "I know we have to, but can we?"

Melia looked at him.

"...that's not the right question," Will said.

Aelita's uncertainness turned into puzzlement and annoyance. "Argh! You're sounding like the Eldest right now!"

And Melia cracked a little smile.

"It's not 'can we'. It's 'how can we'," Will explained.

"I see putting your head in the clouds gave you all sorts of wisdom," Aelita grumbled. "So…how can we do this?"

…that, Will didn't know. "That's what we should figure out."

"We shouldn't be standing out here, anyway," Melia then said. "Come on…let's head back home. Think things through."

It was only back at the house that Will realized that, just because Val and Adam hadn't given up, didn't mean they weren't just as lost as he was. Adam sat down on the couch in the bottom right corner and proceeded to stare vacantly into the distance. Valarie anxiously paced back and forth in front of the bookcases while Melia stared out of the window, lost in her thoughts once again.

In that heavy silence, Will took a moment to try and order his thoughts. There was just so much going on so fast, he couldn't keep track of it all. Whenever he thought he got a handle on things, something else would fall apart and his thoughts would just spin out of his grasp again.

"Somehow, this has gotten even more perilous than Blacksteeple Castle," Valarie cursed.

"At least we could escape Blacksteeple Castle…" Adam murmured. "This is something we can't just avoid…"

Val shot him a dirty look. "Adam, you always know how to hit us with the harsh truth…"

Meanwhile, Aelita finished up whatever she was doing in the kitchen block. "Okay, chamomile tea's all finished! According to Sam, they're supposed to help alleviate stress. Melia?"

But Melia didn't respond. She just stared out of the window, her expression all vacant.

"I'll pass. No offense to you Aelita, but I generally don't trust drinks made with local weeds and herbs," Valarie said dismissively.

"Not a fan of tea," Adam simply said.

"Oh…" Aelita said, her expression crestfallen. "That's…okay, I guess."

The disappointment in her voice was more painful than the last batch of herbal tea Will had suffered through. . "Sure, I'll bite," he quickly said.

"Yay! There you go! I knew someone would appreciate the healthy benefits of self-made herbal tea!"

If Will were to perish, all of his earthly would go to Mosely…

He sat down at the table and Aelita plopped down right next to him. "You know, I was kidding before, but I really do miss the Eldest's guidance. She always knew what to do. I wonder what she would say in this situation…"

Silently, Will in agreement. He took a sip of Aelita's self-made tea. It tasted bitter, but it was scathing hot, which was all that mattered to him.

"You know…seeing you ride Pidgeot like that made me realize I can try the same with Staraptor," Aelita continued. "Maybe…maybe we can visit Sheridan…we could ask around. Alert people to this threat. Aevium has to have an army right?"

"If it does, it didn't use them very well," Will replied. He hadn't seen a single soldier or even a National Guard unit yet."We can't go to Sheridan. You'd just be painting a target on their back."

Aelita winced. "Damnit, you're right…those monsters wouldn't think twice about hurting our loved ones just out of spite."

"Yeah…"

Keta had seemed convinced that Will could do this. He'd chosen his last words very carefully. A man like him would not waste what little time he had left with false reassurances.

Keta had known something that they didn't.

And that meant that their fight wasn't a foregone conclusion. There was a way to win, there existed a path to victory.

He just needed to find it.

"Hey, Melia?" Will said.

No reaction.

Aelita raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think she's ignoring you."

Will got to his feet and walked up to Melia. He joined her at the window. "Melia? Whatcha thinking about?"

No reaction.

"Um…Melia?"

"Hmm…"

Drastic times called for drastic measures.

Will cleared his throat and then shouted, "April Berry Moose Cake!"

And Melia nearly jumped a foot in the air. "Huh? What? April Moose Turnover what?"

"Someone was lost in thought," Aelita said.

"Oh? Huh? Sorry, I was lost in thought…"

"You doing okay?" Aelita asked.

Melia hesitated. "No. I was thinking about this entire situation, and mostly just about Nim. Things were going so well…too well, honestly. Us arriving on Terajuma in the way that we did…this must be some sort of trial."

"Trial?" Aelita asked.

A trial…sorta suggested someone was testing them. If so, Will had some choice words for whoever that was.

Do you think everything that's happening is because of a specific reason?

He recalled Nim's words with vivid clarity and he stood by his words. If an outside intelligence was guiding these events, they were cruel and unkind.

No, it was far likelier that they were just truly, unbelievably, horribly unlucky.

"What happened to Nim wasn't normal," Melia continued. "To turn into stone like that…I've never seen it before nor have I heard of such a phenomenon. I know I've said this many times, but…what are we doing to do? I just…don't know anymore."

Will tapped the table with his index and middle finger. "We know where Team Xen is. We know what they want."

"So?" Melia said. "What can we do?"

"We fight damnit!" Will hotly said, loudly enough to shake Valarie and Adam out of their thoughts.

Will half expected his words to upset Melia, but instead her expression hardened and she nodded along. "Yes…I agree. I refuse to just let go. I won't sit around and wait for Team Xen to go on their rampage. You're right Will! We fight back! We save our friend and drive Team Xen out!" She cast her gaze across the room, meeting the eyes of Aelita, Val and Adam each in turn. "I'm sure none of us is willing to sit around and wait either?"

"No way," Will said.

"Hell no!" Adam thundered. "I'm not letting any of this go without a fight!"

"Same!" Val exclaimed. "I'm not letting them hurt Nim either!"

"Yeah! If it weren't for Nim, we would be three flat pancakes at Blacksteeple! She came through for us, and now I think it's time we repay the favor!"

"Then let's do it," Melia said. "Let's take the Terajuma Trial! We have thirty days, we can do it!"

"Hell yeah, I'm all for it!" Val snapped, slamming her first on the table. "Thinking about Nim being their captive makes me feel so disgusted…I'm determined to become stronger and save her!"

Melia smiled. "I'll let Crawli know then. We can begin our journey tomorrow morning. Let's settle the score between us and Team Xen for once and for all!"

~~~~~~~(III)~~~~~~~

---

In a majestic spire towering above a frozen kingdom, two lone figures watched as the events unfolded on the island. One was dressed in a classic black and white maid dress, with a white bow tied around her back. Her long, cyan hair was tied into a long ponytail and fell in a fringe on one side of her face, covering one of her cold, blue eyes.

The other, a woman with black hair that framed her pale visage with bangs swooping to the side of her hair. She too wore a maiden dress, this one with a red apron and collar, ending in a black and frilled skirt with a red bow around her back.

"Very curious, isn't it, Lady Angie?" She said as she gazed upon the black portal her mistress had created. "These newcomers seem to be connected to those goons out on the coast.'"

Lady Angie sat reclined in a massive, oak chair, staring at the sight. She had planted her elbow on the armest and rested her head atop her fist, giving off an impression of disinterest. "These teens…they are the ones who emerged spontaneously by the shipyard? Their sudden presence intrigues me."

"It seems they have decided to take on the Terajuma Trial," her maid said. "Which means, eventually, they'll make their way here."

"I see…Perhaps it's fate, then. Lord Arceus is blessing us with an opportunity. Cera, observe them more thoroughly. I wish to know more about them."

Her maid bowed. "Very well, Lady Angie. I shall begin my reconnaissance at once." She began to take her leave, but Lady Angie stirred on her throne.

"Oh…"

And Cera spun around. "Lady Angie?"

Lady Angie stared into the blackened portal with newfound interest. "Looks like our little friends won't have a smooth first trial after all…the Xen Initiative is on their way to the Sky Relic as well. Who will be the victor? Time will tell."

Bolstered by the knowledge that once more, blood would soak the soil of their kingdom, the Lady of the tower sent her servant into the fray.

Strife. War. Suffering. So beautiful. Before soon, the coldness of death would be upon them once more.

~~~~~~~(IV)~~~~~~~

September 2nd

Kakori Village

Aelita was an early riser by habit. Aside from the simple health benefits that came with getting up early in the morning, she just didn't like staying in bed that long. Straying busy was the best way to spend the day, because hard work meant that the moments of tranquility and relaxation were that much more earned, felt that much more satisfying.

Her basic routine was waking up early around six - long live the biological clock! - and go for a run. Then, she'd grab a shower and start working. Before, that meant helping the Eldest run the inn, doing chores around the village that the elderly residents couldn't manage by themselves anymore and maintaining the arena.

Sometimes they needed her help with certain rituals and customs. Sometimes they had to deal with wild Pokemon. She helped take care of the hungry, knew how to nurse back the wounded and sometimes, she'd have to knock the sense back into the upset or the aggressive.

Traveling with Will meant that her routine had taken a bit of a kerfuffle. He got up when she did, but Aelita felt that it wasn't fair to force him to wake up at six in the morning every day. He struggled to scrape together enough hours of sleep as it was, already. So, most mornings she either waited till seven or until Will woke up by himself.

Normally, she'd pull him along for some morning cardio followed by breakfast and then they went on their way. They'd exercise in the afternoon; body strengthening exercises that usually involved burning muscles and aching limbs. Pullups in the trees, pushups and situps in the sand. Sometimes they got lucky and found some heavier logs for things like squatting and improvised chest-presses. Then, they'd grab some lunch and continue on their way.

This had been their routine and it worked. From Sheridan to Goldenleaf, from Goldenleaf to Route 4.

From Route 4 to Akuwa Town .

Things…hadn't been the same since.

She didn't like to dwell on what happened in Akuwa Town. She supposed, in some twisted way, there had been a routine for her there, too. She ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in her cell. Sometimes, she got to walk through the hallways - under heavy supervision of course - and a few times, she'd even gotten to see the garden.

Several times, Neved had sent for his guards to drag her from her cell to his little torture cell. He'd ask her questions she didn't know the answers to. Questions about a life she'd never known existed, demanding information about names she'd never heard before.

Whenever she couldn't answer his questions, he'd hurt her.

In a way, Aelita supposed that she'd been lucky. Neved had stuck to electrocuting her. Horrible, painful, humiliating - but it hadn't left damage. She was a tough girl, and she'd gone through every kind of injury in her youth. She'd broken her bones, torn her muscles, twisted and sprained things - all of them painful experiences that had only made her stronger.

Neved, a pathetic, wretched little man, hadn't come close to breaking her.

Aelita was all but certain that his ordeal hadn't broken Will, either.

So why were things so different now?

The morning after Team Xen had parked their stupid blockade in front of Valor Mountain, Aelita woke up at thirteen past six. A quick look around the room confirmed that she was the first one up. She put on her jogging clothes and went for a run around the village. Just an hour, nothing too crazy. She made sure to be back at the house during the final minutes. Half an hour one way, half an hour back.

She returned to the house to find that Val and Melia had just left. According to Adam, they were headed to Crawli to talk to him about the Terajuma Trial.

"If things went well, they should be back any minute now," Adam said.

"And if they don't?" Aelita asked. She reached for the towel she'd put there last night and quickly rubbed the worst of the sweat from her face and neck.

"Then starting the trial isn't going to be very easy," Adam said. "We don't know where these relics are."

That…actually sounded like a problem. Will seemed to have a bit of a problem obeying authority figures. If Crawli forbade them from partaking in the trial, she just knew that Will would go 'screw it ' and tear the island apart, looking for those relics. He might even find them, too, but at the cost of causing - and finding - a whole lot of problems.

"Here's to hoping then," Aelita said. She hopped into the bathroom, peeled her clothes off and then took a quick, refreshing shower. She enjoyed the cool water for about fifteen minutes, then dried herself off, put on a fresh set of clothes and got downstairs.

Val and Melia just returned from their trip to Crawli.

"Hey guys!" Aelita said. "And? How'd it go?"

"Well…it took us a while, but we got through to him," Melia said. "The Sky Relic is hidden at the Great Terajuma Falls within the jungle. Crawli wouldn't tell us where to find the others until we've found this one."

Oof. Well, that meant they wouldn't be able to split up and find those relics all at once. Maybe that was for the better. If that asshole Geara popped up out of nowhere with Giratina again, fending him off would be a big challenge.

"Well, I'm going to go freshen up," Melia said. "See you soon!"

Aelita watched her go. Emma, Will's hooded Mystery Girl…Melia's death had hurt him deeply. His uncharacteristic fear of reuniting with what should have been a good friend in Venam had proven without a doubt that he blamed himself for what had happened. If Venam's account of Maria's mansion was in any way accurate - Will still clamped up tighter than a Clamperl whenever the subject came up - he blamed himself for that, too.

…he blamed himself for a lot of things. Aelita didn't think that was healthy.

Personally, Aelita was just so glad that Melia was now back. She seemed to have a way with Will, too. Like she had a handle on him. Things hadn't been going very well for him…and though she tried her hardest, she had the feeling that she wasn't getting through to Will very well.

Maybe Melia could change that?

Not five minutes after the rest of the group returned from their talk with Crawli, Will wandered downstairs.

Wandered, not walked, because he had this really distant look on his face. Aelita got the impression that his mind was somewhere far away.

"Morning Will!" She said. "I hope you're ready for action. We've got news!"

"Morning," he quietly said. He blinked a couple of times, then ran a hand across his face. He groaned quietly. "Yeah. morning. News?"

"Yeah," Valarie said. She took one look at Will and promptly made the decision to dumb it down a bit. "Long story short, we've got our first objective; the Sky Relic, hidden in the Great Terajuma Falls within the jungle.'

"You, Melia and I are going to take care of that one," Aelita added.

"Hmm." He sat down. "What about you two?"

"We're going down to the Captain's dock, make sure he and the others are still okay," Adam said.

"Yeah. So…we're gonna do that now," Val said. Aelita caught a glimpse of something wicked in Valarie's eyes. "Good luck finding the Sky Relic, guys!"

Together with Adam, the pair left.

Aelita couldn't put her finger on it. "Heh, why do I get the feeling we just got ditched?"

"No idea," Will said. He put some water on the boil and grabbed an apple.

"So what are you thinking about then? You seemed deep in your thoughts when you came down?"

"Eh." Will shrugged. He produced a knife, plucked the toaster from underneath the sink and reached for the bread. "...socks."

Aelita wasn't sure she heard him correctly. "Socks? As in, the things you put on your feet?"

"Yeah. I bought jungle socks. For in the jungle. But I also bought these jungle boots." He pointed down at his feet, and Aelita saw that he'd put on a pair of sturdy-looking, brown-leather boots. "Not sure if it's a good idea to break them in at the same time."

Aelita knew a thing or two about breaking in new hiking boots, but she knew next to nothing about the jungle climate. "Hmm…maybe take a pair of spare shoes with you, just in case?"

"Good point."

Aelita heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. After a moment, Melia came within view…and she'd changed. She'd tied her long hair into a ponytail that reached halfway down her spine. Her new shirt was shorter, showing off more of her bare arms. Her black skirt was smooth, but looked better suited for rough terrain with multiple pockets. She'd gone for black leggings and grey boots with white rims.

"Sorry for the wait," she said. "I needed a quick shower before we headed out."

"Oh!" Aelita said. "You changed up your hair!"

"Oh yeah!" Melia replied, looking relieved that they'd noticed it. She reached for her ponytail letting it fall over her shoulders to show that she'd tied it back with a red ribbon. "I'm actually not too fond of having long hair, but I was also too afraid to cut it. So I just kinda put it in a tail and called it a day."

"It looks great!" Aelita replied. "Much better for navigating the jungle, too!"

Will was staring. He looked rather helpless. Maybe he needed someone's help to pick his jaw up from the floor again?

So Aelita poked him in the ribs with her elbow and he stammered out, "I-It's a tail!"

Ladies and gentlemen: Will.

Melia just chuckled. "That is what they call it, yeah. You guys ready to go?"

Crawli's people had prepared a jeep for them to drive them as close to the location of the Sky Relic as possible. They stopped at the start of a large wooden rope bridge.

"This is as far as I can go!" The driver told them. "The site is across that bridge, further to the north. Just follow the markings like Crawli told you! Good luck!"

The deep Terajuma Jungle was a dense forest with lots of ground to cover.

"Let's see…the Sky Relic we're looking for is at the Great Terajuma Falls," Melia said as she looked around. She drew her gaze across the large river that ran beneath the bridge, deeper into the jungle. "The falls are hidden behind a cave, so we should start looking for something like that."

"Gotcha!" Aelita said. "I see a lot of different routes, though. Which one should we take?"

"...let's split up," Will offered. "Cover more ground in less time."

"...I don't like that," Aelita replied. "What if Team Xen attacks one of us while we're separated?"

Will shot her a sharp look. "What if Team Xen steals that relic while we're together."

Well. Touche.

"We should be fine for now by splitting up," Melia said. "Rangers are everywhere, and Team Xen did give us thirty days. I don't think they'll want to risk increasing resistance by launching attacks already."

"Fine," Aelita conceded. "We'll split up, but at the first sign of trouble, we'll regroup!"

"That's fine by me," Melia said. "Good luck everyone!"

Like that, the three of them spread out across the jungle. The place was humid and hot as hell, but Aelita didn't mind. She was used to performing hard work in harsh conditions. After all. the heat of summer or the cold chill of winter never meant that the work could stop!

Despite that, progress through the jungle was kind of slow. Every now and then Aelita would stumble upon a man-made path that allowed more freedom in her movements. She spotted more bridges, ,a couple of structures and every now and then, a clearing.

The jungle was unlike any forest she'd ever set food in. The foliage was heavy and thick, she heard Pokemon moving and crying all around her and a faint, wet mist permeated the air. The ground was damp and soggy. Maybe Will had been on to something with the jungle boots…

She continued crossing the jungle northwards for another twenty minutes before she saw a flash of lightning up ahead, soon followed by the deafening clap of thunder. Seconds later, the noise of an intense battle began ripping through the jungle and all the little Bug-types around her began fleeing.

"Ah crap!" Aelita hissed. She picked up the pace and began running towards the sounds of battle. She saw flashes of light in the distance - angry, red streams of fire and more bolts of lightning. Branches shattered and trees fell.

An explosion tore through the ground.

Aelita ran as fast as she could in the thick foliage of the jungle. Slowly, the minutes trickled by as she got closer and closer…and then the sounds of the battle suddenly stopped.

And that was positively more disturbing than the battle itself.

She didn't hear screaming or shouts or any orders. She didn't hear Melia or Will, didn't hear any familiar Pokemon cries. There was just nothing -

Another clap of thunder and a second, brighter flash of light. A yellow bolt arced through the air almost right above her, disappearing into the sky above Terajuma Jungle.

"What?" She muttered. "What was that?"

Up ahead, she came across a clearing in the jungle. It wasn't very large; maybe a few dozen meters actress. It was littered with burning tree stumps, burning shrubs and scorched grass. Great clouds of steam and dust hung in the air, and the whole place smelled singed.

And Will stood right in the middle of the clearing, gazing up at a small hole in the canopy above. The edges of the leaves there still smoldered.

"Will!" Aelita exclaimed. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

He didn't look hurt. He stood there, his arms calmly by his side, gazing into the sky as if he were observing the weather. His expression was utterly calm.

Nidoking stood by his side, panting. His hide was scorched and pocketed with burn marks, but otherwise, he too didn't appear badly hurt.

Wordlessly, Will nodded.

"What happened? Did someone attack you?"

"...I think someone just tested me," Will said.

Moments later, Melia appeared in the tree line on the other side, her Zoroark at her side. "I heard fighting! Did something happen?"

"A local Pokemon," Will said. "Dropped out of the sky and challenged me."

"...a local Pokemon…" Melia said. "Perhaps…an Island Guardian?"

"Did you win?" Aelita said.

Will shot her a dry look, then glanced at Nidoking.

Nidoking did as Nidoking would and roared. Aelita felt her bones vibrate. "Right, of course you did," she laughed. "Well done Nidoking!"

Nidoking uttered a satisfied little barking noise and it was just the cutest little sound coming from the biggest ball of aggression and violence.

"There's the Nidoran I once knew," Melia said. "I think we're getting close to the trial site now. Crawli showed me some pictures. It should be a straight shot from here!"

"We lose sight of you for maybe half an hour and you level part of the jungle," Aelita said a couple of minutes later. "Somehow, I'm not even surprised."

"Does make you wonder, doesn't it?" Melia said, walking a few meters ahead of them. "Why would it pick Will?"

"I mean…" Will spread his arms. "Why wouldn't it?"

They laughed. "Yeah, you are the biggest magnet for trouble I've ever seen," Aelita said.

"You do have the tendency to get into trouble a lot," Melia agreed. "Come, we're nearly there!"

After another hundred or so meters, the jungle opened up in front of them. It transitioned into another section the rangers had managed to tame; a wide-open area surrounding a large mountain that stretched up into the sky. A cable-car connected its peak with a station all the way back in Kakori Village.

"Phew, surely we've gotta be close now?" Aelita said.

"Uhh…" Melia said, looking around. "Oh right! I can't believe I forgot about this? See that bridge there?"

Aelita did. It connected the lower parts of a pair of hills, each of which had their own entrance carved into the side. "Yeah!"

"Those planks of wood with the green markings on them…they're there to guide trial goers. The way to the falls must be over that bridge!"

"Awesome! Let's go then!" Aelita said.

"Not much longer guys!"

Up the hills, past a cave entrance and across a small river they went. Melia took them into the cave, revealing that the rightmost hill was actually hollow on the inside!

"Wow!" Aelita said, taking in the bizarre and unexpected sight. A few oil lamps illuminated the bottom side of the cave. It looked like an elevator was supposed to bring them to the upper side…but there was a problem.

"Um…" Aelita started.

"Why is the lift gone?" Melia asked. She pressed the button several times, but no luck. Nothing happened. "I can't even call it…"

Will walked past them and peered up into the shaft. "It's way up there," he observed.

"Well, shoot."

Will stretched his arms above his head, as if he could pull the lift's platform down if he just tried hard enough. "Can't reach."

"What if you jumped?" Aelita offered.

Will did."Still can't reach."

"Well, you gave it your all…"

"Is this the only way?" Will asked.

"I can't imagine it?" Melia said, looking contemplative for a moment. "I dunno."

"Maybe if we wait?" Aelita suggested.

"I'd agree, but the button to call the lift isn't working," Melia replied, pressing the button a few more times to prove her point. "So if it's up there, it's most likely just stuck."

Aelita sighed. "Wooo…."

"How badly does Crawli care about property damage?" Will said.

Melia shook her head. "Nah-uh. Don't even think about it Will. The Trial is more than just proving your strength. It's about proving you can live on this island and thrive. It's about showing the respect, caution and humility needed to survive. Besides…I figured the same thing and I guess the platform would just become inoperable. Then we'd have made the rangers upset and we'd still be stuck here."

"So what do we do?" Aelita said.

Melia thought about it. "There was another cave entrance on the other side of the bridge. Maybe we could get up there? Bridge the gap with our Pokemon?"

"Let's try it!"

Back to the bridge they went. Aelita looked around her as she followed Melia and Will, taking in the beautiful sights of the jungle and the mountains. She couldn't wait for -

Melia froze. So did Will.

A second later, Aelita saw why. On the far side of the bridge, flanked by a pair of grunts, stood Neved.

Almost subconsciously, Aelita took a step back. Uncertainty welled up within her chest, and all of a sudden finding the Sky Relic was nowhere near as important as surviving the coming moments.

"Well, look who it is," Neved said with a sly smirk. With his hands in his pockets, he appeared like the picture of tranquility. His thugs, however, were on edge. They looked ready to throw down - one errant twitch or sudden move would escalate into a violent, three-on-three brawl.

"Neved?" Melia breathed. She stared at the man like she couldn't believe what she was seeing, like this was the last thing she'd expected.

And Will…went very still.

"Good to see you again, "Emma"," Neved continued with that horrible, smug manner.

Melia regarded him with cold, cold eyes. "It's Melia. Get over it already," she said, disdain dripping from her every word.

Neved didn't respond to that. Instead, he began walking forwards, his hands still in his pockets. "You know, I could just attack now and take advantage of that bounty. Seeing you lose to Madame X showed me that you all falter when your hope is shaken just a bit."

A shiver ran through Will's body. A little twitch that Aelita knew on an instinctive level had nothing to do with fear. His breathing changed. Still calm, but different. More pronounced; like he'd just started doing it manually.

"Just try to fight us, Neved," Melia said, her voice filled with confidence. "See what happens. We won't back down."

Neved huffed. "Relax, I have no intention of fighting you at this point of time. I have other things that are of concern to tend to."

The fingers on Will's right hand curled inwards. He stepped towards Neved -

And Melia clasped her hand on his shoulder. "Don't," she hissed at him.

No way she could have physically stopped Will if he decided to lose it here. The gesture was meant to ground him, keep him level for just long enough. A conflict right now was the last thing anyone needed. They had a relic to get, and they couldn't let Team Xen slow them down.

That being said…Aelita wasn't sure if it was working. She saw the muscles in Will's body slowly coil up like those of a predator ready to pounce. His eyes were locked onto Neved's face.

"He's not…" Will said in a very, very small voice.

"Put a leash on your dog, Emma," Neved said with a cruel smirk.

"Are you scared of what will happen if I don't?"

"Not particularly. You have nobody left to sacrifice."

Aelita saw red. "And you have nobody to defend your worthless carcass!" She snarled.

The tension rose. She could feel it. It was building towards something that would only benefit Neved.

"You vile, hypocritical man," Melia spat. Her fingers trembled. "What are you even talking about? What are you after?"

"On top of Mount Terajuma there's a place called the Weather Institute. They have something we need. So we're going to pay them a little visit."

Melia gasped. "You wouldn't!"

His smirk grew into a full smile. "We would. We - "

Aelita saw the exact moment Will lost himself. Something in his gaze went vacant, and he lowered his head a fraction. "You're not taking anyone else," he said hoarsely, like he was out of breath.

And all hell broke loose.

Will ripped himself free of Melia and the next second, he and the grunts sent out their Pokemon. Neved turned and bolted.

"Neved!" Will yelled and he took off after the Xen Admin with no regard for his own safety. It happened so fast, Aelita barely had the time to register what was going on. The grunts went on the offensive, and by the time Aelita could even think of sending out Staraptor to help out, Blaziken had kicked a Gastrodon over the bridge's edge, pivoted and blanketed a Sableye with flames. Sableye covered itself with its arms, protecting it against the searing flames that set half the bridge on fire, but Blaziken caught it with a Blaze Kick that sent it plummeting off the bridge as well.

"Will!" Melia yelled. "Stop!"

He didn't even hear her.

Aelita saw the flames spread out across the bridge and across its ropes. They had seconds.

"Melia! Run!" Aelita said. She shoved Melia ahead - that shocked her into motion good enough - and they ran across the bridge as the fire began consuming it entirely. The pair of grunts Neved had taken with him ran for their lives; with their Pokemon defeated, their boss on the move and their opponents very upset, they simply ran as well.

"Will! Come back!" Aelita shouted.

But Will moved with a purpose. He ducked into the cave on the leftmost hill and disappeared from sight.

That place could have been filled with Team Xen grunts! Neved could have taken a a small army with him, or more Admins, or even another squad of those Death Wings -

"Damnit," Aelita yelled. "Will! Wait!"

They ran after him. Aelita heard the sounds of combat coming from the cave entrance as she and Melia gave chase. Flashes of light, cries of pain and animalistic shrieks. Neved had stationed more of his people down at the cave to guard the elevator...for all the good it did him.

Aelita saw a couple of Xen grunts lying on the ground. One of them clutched a leg that had been broken so badly that she could see the jagged shard of his bone poking out through his flesh. The second one, a woman was oncunscious, blood streaking from her nose and a gash in her forehead. The third Xen grunt lay half-buried underneath a collapsed pile of rocks. She...wasn't sure if he still moved.

Finally, they found at him at the bottom of the elevator. He stood there, staring up the two support struts that held up the other elevator, repeatedly pressing the button for it to come down again.

"Will!" Melia shouted. "What were you thinking running off like that?"

"Yeah, that's a hell of a stunt to pull," Aelita added. "You burned the bridge and everything!"

Blaziken stood by his side, her arms crossed over her chest. She kept a watchful eye on her surroundings. Knowing her own Blaziken's body language by heart, it didn't seem like Will's Blaziken seemed to really have an opinion about what he was doing. If she did, she kept it to herself.

"They took Nim," Will said. He didn't turn to face them. He just kept his eyes on the elevator as it slowly descended, creaking and heaving on aging mechanisms. "The took her."

"We know," Melia said. She and Aelita exchanged an easy look. "Will, I know what you're going through. This isn't the way."

He shot her a glare over his shoulder. Again, his expression was all blank and yet there was an intensity in his eyes, something wild and unpredictable. It was there for a second before Will seemed to realize just who he was really looking at, but Aelita hadn't missed it.

It scared her a bit.

The muscles around his mouth tightened. "He's here, we can end this right now."

"How will that help us get Nim back?" Melia challenged him. "What if this does work out, and you kill Neved, and they just kill her to get back at you?"

"There could be a thousand of their people on those ships," Will said. "If we beat them, and let them go, they'll regroup and get back. Knowing more and more of our tactics."

"So what's your solution then?" Aelita said hotly. "If there are a thousand Team Xen grunts, do we murder them all? Every single one of them?"

Something like anguish flickered in his eyes. "That's what they would have done to Sheridan, Aelita."

"Exactyl!" Aelita yelled. "That's what they would have done! That's what separates them from us!"

Melia continued. "I know what he did. But killing Neved isn't the answer, Will. Team Xen will only strike back to get vengeance, and they will be crueler than before."

"Yeah. They'll find a way to take it out on the people here," Aelita added.

The elevator stopped at the bottom. Melia looked at it pointedly, then back to Will,all but challenging him to make his decision. It was cruel, and painful, but this had to happen.

Will ran a tired, shaky hand through his hair. "So we let him go?" He whispered. "After what he's done? Let him walk?"

"...we take him with us," Melia firmly said. "Take a prisoner of our own."

"Oh!" Aelita said. That was brilliant! Maybe they'd even get the other Admins to engage in a prisoner trade, return Nim in exchange for Neved! "Yeah! Give them a taste of their own medicine! If they want their asshole back, they'll have to give us Nim back! Maybe even Professor Jenner!"

"...Fine," Will murmured. "Okay. We'll do that."

Aelita hopped onto the elevator. Melia was a genius! Maybe they'd be able to get something really good out of this mess!

Will made to join her on the elevator, but Melia took his arm. "Will…he wants to hurt you," she urged him. "He wants you to become angry and make mistakes. You can't let him hurt you. You can't."

He didn't meet her eyes, opting instead to stare at the floor. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

Something solidified in his posture. When he stepped on the elevator with Melia, the tension seeped from his body. It looked like he was back…for the moment.

Neved and his thugs had a big lead and he was doing everything he could to slow the three of them down. Team Xen grunts had infiltrated the mountain and they weren't afraid to fight dirty. One of them had hidden herself behind a mossy boulder at the edge of a pond, just waiting for the first victim to come wandering by.

"Lookie here! The priority target!" She yelled and her two Pokemon sprang their trap.

Fortunately for them - and really, really unfortunately for Team Xen - Will had had too many run-ins with them to fall for that one. So when the grunt whirled around the boulder and ordered her Pokemon to capture Melia and Will, she didn't quite get the sucker punch she wanted.

Her Carnivine slammed face-first into Houndoom, while Arbok had to contend with Aelita's Hawlucha. A single well-placed Flamethrower handled Carnivine, after which Houndoom and Hawlucha easily knocked out Arbok.

"Why are you attacking the Weather Institute!" Melia demanded.

"The Weather Institute?" She woman said, frowning. "I don't know anything about that. I'm not saying a thing!"

"Whatever, these guys are just stalling for time," Aeltia said, gently pulling Melia along. "Let's keep going!"

Melia shot a stern look at the Xen woman. "Don't let us catch you following us!"

The woman chuckled darkly. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Break your legs and then throw you down the mountain," Aelita growled. She hesitated, then added, "And then we'll break your arms too!"

And as far as threats went, she thought that one was pretty good. Nothing too visceral, nothing too specific.

They took a second elevator up, which led them to an area somewhere below Mount Terajuma's peak. There, they crossed the bridge that the locals had dubbed "Lover's Bridge" according to Melia, which led them to the area right below the Weather Institute.

"Oh gosh, trouble at three o'clock," Melia warned.

More Team Xen grunts. One of them blocked the way down. "They must already be at the summit…" Aelita guessed.

"Exactly! We have to hurry!"

They scaled the rough path up the mountain, thankfully not encountering any further threats. No, it was far likelier that the majority of their grunts had already spread out across the Institute itself, ready to repel any would-be rescuers.

They finally made it to the summit. There, Aelita got her first glimpse at what looked a really cool, futuristic building. All tinted glass and round angles and cool scanning doodads and devices. It was a real shame she had to find it under these circumstances.

She tried the door, but it was locked tight. "Uh, it's not opening."

"Team Xen must have barricaded it," Melia said.

"I so happen to have a key," Will said. "Nidoking!"

One fell swing of Nidoking's mighty tail busted the doors from their hinges. They landed heavily on the ground in the middle of the visitor's hall. Sunlight streamed in through the fresh new opening, revealing that the majority of the building had been completely powered down. The place was dark, and what little civilians Aelita saw were cowering in the corner.

"E-Excuse me!" The receptionist called out. "H-Hello and w-welcome to the Weather I-Institute!"

Concerned, Melia hurried towards the counter. "Ma'am, are you okay? Team Xen's here, aren't they?"

Hearing those words, the woman broke down sobbing. "Please, help the Director…they barged in, shut off communications and then ran upstairs…we can't contact Crawli and the Pokemon Rangers because of the outage!"

"Hey, no need to cry," Aelita comforted her. "We're here to help."

"Team Xen will pay for this!" Melia said, bristling at the mere notion of the terror Team Xen had caused here. "We're not leaving without making sure of that"!

Damn right!

Luckily, Team Xen hadn't hurt anyone. They had just stationed their people around every corner, readying more ambushing and stalling tactics.

One of those grunts sprang from her cover when Will was about to head upstairs. "The spotlight shines on me! The Weather Institute greets you!" She yelled,

More fighting, more stalling. Melia, Aelita and Will were more than a match for the Pokemon these people carried on them, but every move they landed, every bit of damage dealt meant that the three of them would be that much more vulnerable.

Aelita's Staraptor easily handled the grunt's Absol, while Nidoking handled her Froslass.

But there were, always more.

"Today it's cloudy with a chance of pain!" Another Grunt yelled as he openly confronted them at the next floor. "Get out of our way!"

Luckily, his forecast was only partially right. His single Morpeko stood no chance against them and when the guy tried to physically bar their way, Aelita sent him to the floor with a single low kick to his knee. Something tore or collapsed in his knee and he went down screaming.

"That's for Sheridan Village, you jerk!" Aelita cussed him out.

Melia stared at her with open wonder. "Wow, that took like, no effort at all!"

"I told you Aelita was cool," Will said, and it was all Aelita could do not to start blushing.

They continued through the Weather Institute, coming across more stupid stalling tactics as well as…some more puzzling tactics.

"Oh yes!" One of the Team Xen grunts yelled as he turned the camera to a pair of his colleagues posing against a green screen. "You two were born for the camera! Let's keep this going!"

"Are they…striking an X pose?" Melia asked.

"Don't question it," Will said. "Nearly at the top."

One final Xen member tried to stop them, sending out a Scyther…and a Scizor.

Memories of Akuwa Town came flooding back to Aelita. An outrage she had very rarely felt before overcame her.

No way would she ever let anyone hurt Will again. No way!

"Blaziken!" She yelled. "Don't let that Scizor get off a single attack!"

With a steely expression, Will changed tactics on the fly and Houndoom banked sharply to the right, getting out of her Blaziken's way as he shifted targets to the Scyther.

Two well-trained, experienced Fire-types were overkill, but Aelita didn't care. She had Blaziken pound that Scissor with Fire Punch until it wasn't able to defend itself anymore, and the Xen grunt was forced to recall him.

"Stay down!" Aelita snarled at him. "If you get any funny ideas, your buddies will get to scrape you off the floor!"

This one didn't offer her any backtalk or sinister laughs. Funny how that went.

Melia gave her a funny look, but she didn't comment. Together, they moved on to the final floor.

There, together with three of his flunkies, Neved waited for them.

"Hey! Neved!" Melia shouted. She sent out Azumarill, who joined Houndoom and Hawlucha in staring down Neved's escort. "We caught up with you! No more messing around! What are you doing here?"

"Finally," Neved said. "I thought you three weren't going to make it after all. You three, handle these morons while I finish up things here."

"Yes sir!"

"Are you kidding," Aelita growled. "You are such a coward! Fine!"

In these cramped quarters, with little room to maneuver. Fighting-types reigned supreme. Neved's little posse hadn't come prepared for two Blaziken's to wreck their day. With Melia's Zoroark helping, tripping the enemy's Pokemon up with well-placed Dark Pulses, they easily tore their way through Team Xen. They did break one of the walls when Will's Blaziken threw Aerodactyl through it, but hey. Collateral damage and stuff.

"Ah, you've beaten them!" Neved said without even a hint of disappointment, like he'd only expected this. "Congratulations!"

"You're next," Melia snapped. "Zoroark! Make sure he's not getting anywhere!"

Her Zoroark darted towards Neved - who strangely didn't seem to bother sending out his own Pokemon - and seized him by the front of his shirt. Like Will's Blaziken before, Zoroark picked the man up and then threw him to the ground, pinning him on the ground.

Aelita kept a watchful eye on the three flunkies, ready to have her Pokemon break some limbs should they get uppity.

"What do you want with the Weather Institute anyway!" Melia demanded.

Will walked up to him and then squatted down beside him. He ran his eyes across Neved's body, his expression detached and blank. Since he didn't try to pull Neved's skull from his head or something equally violent, Aelita guessed that he'd successfully reigned himself in.

Yay for small victories…

And Neved…smirked. "Absolutely nothing."

Melia blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"

One of the grunts began laughing sadistically. "We fooled you!"

"Huh?" Aelita sputtered.

"Deception," Neved said. "Such a powerful tool when used correctly." He eyed them with a satisfied smirk. "There's nothing of interest in this place. This was nothing more than a diversion to waste your time while Zetta acquires the Sky Relic."

What?

"H-Huh?" Melia said weakly. "How…how do you know about the Sky Relic?"

"Knowledge is power. To know is to equip oneself with the power to survive," Neved said, putting such an emphasis on that last word that Aelita wouldn't have blamed Will had he knocked Neved's teeth from his pompeous, arrogant mouth. "I've known about the Relics for quite some time - from before I was part of the Initiative. I figured you all would try and rebel against our demands by gathering these Relics and fighting us head on." He laughed. "Hope is a fragile thing."

"You know what else is fragile?" Aelita yelled. "All the freaking bones in your body! Congrats, you got the Relic, but now we've got a building full of your own people! Was it worth it?"

"Ah, you still hold hope?" Neved taunted her. "If that is the hope that fuels rebellion, then I have all the more reason to want to snuff it out. Deception!" He turned his cruel, dark eyes to Melia. "How does it taste, Emma?"

Melia didn't respond.

Will leaned in closer. "What do you want Melia for?" He asked, with the sort of calm, measured voice usually found in the eye of a storm. "Why her?"

Neved glared at him. "You think you hold power over me, boy? I've taken your measure at Blacksteeple. I know, at heart, you are weak."

"What are you people truly after? Why go through all this effort?"

"If you think interrogating me will yield you your information, you are even more of a child than I thought," Neved continued.

Aelita saw Will blink. Another little shiver ran through his body. If that was the only sign of his inner turmoil, she thought he kept a pretty good lid on things…but then she saw the his right fists was clenched into a white-knuckled fist, trembling.

"Why is Melia your highest priority?" Will tried again, his voice still impossibly calm.

"I think I have said my piece."

Aelita scoffed. "Come on Will, let's take his filth back to Crawli's Headquarters. And if he resists, I'll be happy to take over from Zoroark."

"I'd love to see that," Melia quietly said. "Zoroark, bring - "

Neved uttered another short, barking laugh. "Oh, the privilege of fooling the naive…you believed you held the upper hand. To that I say…adieu."

The shadows around him lengthened, the light overhead flickered and dimmed. Neved's outlines became total darkness…and then he was gone.

Teleported away.

"What?" Aelita sputtered. It took her a second to process what had just happened. "What?"

"Crap!" One of the Xen grunts yelped. "He left us!"

"He's gone…" Melia said. She hung her head.

"That's not fair!" Aelita shouted. "We had him! We had him!"

There went their bargaining chip…

Will stared at the spot Neved had just occupied a second ago. He slowly looked around, as if he couldn't believe it either. Then, he just…sighed.