Journey

Death of Duty

Part 4: A Fuschian Safari

Soul

Darkness hides all. — Unknown Hoenn Trainer

"Harding," I said, tapping on my comm unit as Artemis cleared the last of the trees. The savanna stretched out before me and the sea sparkled on the horizon. I glanced down at the small camp below, finally comfortable to break radio silence with the rest of Zapdos squad in sight. "I'm coming in. I've got a guest with me, so I need everyone to stay calm."

I glanced back at the colossal bug floating ethereally behind me. I waved for her attention and pointed down at the camp below. She nodded and her venomoth began to descend.

I pulled Artemis into a steep dive, overtaking her and guiding her in to the edge of the camp. We landed in a flutter of wings as Janine gracefully touched down behind us.

Harding was waiting at the edge of the camp, McCulloch standing implacably at her side. Harding's expression was hard and grim, a harsh contrast with McCulloch's affable grin.

"Private," Harding said, greeting me with a nod. She looked over at Janine and I saw judgement in her eyes. "This is your guest, I presume?"

I nodded emphatically as Janine slipped off her venomoth and looked impatiently at the senior Rangers. "Yes, ma'am. This is Janine of the Anzu clan, one of Koga's rival clans among the fourteen families that rule Fuchsia." I turned, waving the young shinobi forward. "She has some intel that you need to hear."

Harding's gaze shifted ever so slightly, falling on Janine. I could see the judgement in her eyes and hoped that the captain was in an agreeable mood.

Janine, for her part, hardly missed a beat. She stepped forward, bowing her head curtly in a show of respect. "Hello, ma'am. My condolences and apologies for the losses that you've suffered. My father seems to have deceived your superior and your men have paid the price."

Harding glanced at me, raising an eyebrow.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping that Harding wouldn't object to my next words. "Janine is Koga's daughter," I said quickly. "She was cheated of her inheritance and she wants our help to get it back."

Harding looked back at Janine, scowl seeming to deepen with every passing moment. She didn't like surprises, and the presumptive heir to Fuchsia falling into her lap was a big one. She cleared her throat, studying Janine for any sign of weakness. "And what would you give us in return?"

"A reliable ally against Rocket," Janine replied. She smirked, knowing that the Ranger captain had very few realistic paths to completing the mission. Janine knew that we had to rescue Surge. She knew that we could not do it alone. She knew that we needed her. "And one less place for Rocket to hide once I am in power. I have no love for scum who traffick the pokemon in my backyard."

Harding nodded slightly and I saw her frown soften slightly. "You have something to tell me?"

Janine planted her feet, crossing both arms behind her back. "You're walking towards a trap. My father means to draw you into a trap with assurances from Ranger Command. He wants to hit you when you think you're safe and end your search for Rocket quietly."

"How can you be sure?" Harding asked. "Ranger Command wouldn't arrange the deaths of service members."

Janine frowned. "I know because it's what I would do if I were in my father's position." She cocked her head to the side. "He taught me everything he knew, trained me to be his replacement my whole life. He owns Fuchsia, down to the last man." She frowned, knowing she was bearing devastating news to the Captain. "Those Rangers are not on your side."

Harding nodded, stoic as ever. Her expression did not change, not even a single crack showing in her impenetrable façade. "We have to rescue Surge, if nothing else. He can bring this to the League, take this up to Lance himself."

Janine nodded, knowing that she had Harding in a place no options. She had to make a move no matter what, and Janine held all of the cards. "Surge is being held inside the Ayõ clan compound outside of Fuchsia proper. You'll need a distraction to empty the compound and give you even a fighting chance at sneaking a few men inside."

Harding cocked her head to the side. "That sounds like a big distraction," she started.

"You would need something large enough to warrant a full deployment of the Clans and the Rangers. Something that threatened the safety of Fuchsia itself."

I saw Harding's expression changed as she contemplated the implications of Janine's claim. "Say that I agree to stage a distraction," she started. "What would that look like?"

Janine smirked mischievously. "I have the perfect horde of mutations in mind."

Harding's face fell and her eyes widened. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

I shook my head ominously. "No," I said. "You really won't."

"There's a large herd of Rocket's test subjects not far south of here. I want you to drive them towards Fuchsia and force my father to gather his strength and meet them in the field."

Harding scowled, slowly turning to look at me. "This is what you bring me?" she asked coldly. "This isn't an option, Marcus. The number of people that we'd be directly risking with this plan is unacceptable."

"I know that," I replied. "That's why I brought the decision to you. This is above my rank. I can't make this call."

Janine raised a hand. "If I may, I believe that Fucshia is more than capable of defending this attack, particularly if we are to drive the herd towards a particularly rough part of the terrain. I know a place that would force the creatures through a treacherous path down a steep cliffside over the coastal plain. The terrain is ideal for a mobile defence."

Harding looked at McCulloch. "Is there anywhere that could work?"

He smoothed his goatee quietly, contemplating the idea. "There are some rapid elevation changes to the west of the city. It's possible that there's a place we could stage this, but I don't know enough about the terrain personally."

"I do know the terrain," Janine replied. "I was raised here. I know my father, I know where he will place the defence." She folded her arms once more. "If we are to do this, then we must move quickly. My father's men will notice my presence here if they haven't already. We have precious little time before the opportunity passes and Surge is moved to a new location and you lose him." She stepped closer, her voice growing desperate. "Please, I beg you. This is the only way to rescue your friends and stop Rocket in its tracks."

Harding scowled, her expression mixed. She shook her head slowly as she looked between McCulloch and myself. "I can't believe that I'm saying this." She folded her arms across her chest and glanced over at McCulloch. "Break camp," she ordered. "If she's here, then then we are out of time. We need to move now."

I crouched over the spike on Artemis' neck, glancing over at Harding. Her fearow quivered slightly, tense and waiting for a signal to take off. Janine and Captain Harding waited patiently, Janine clad in spare Ranger fatigues. She had a cap pulled over her head, hiding most of her purple hair underneath.

The radio suddenly crackled to life, breaking the silence. "Fuchsia Command, this is Sergeant Ian McCulloch with Zapdos squad. We're under attack by a horde of mutated pokemon, over."

There was a small delay, then the radio crackled back in response. "Confirm again, Ranger McCulloch, over."

"I repeat, we are under attack and en route south. The herd shows no sign of slowing. It numbers in the hundreds, command. We can't even slow them down." He paused for a small moment. "We have multiple casualties and have been separated from our commanding officer, requesting immediate assistance, over."

"Confirm location, Ranger McCulloch, over."

"Grid six, sector twelve. We are moving south and will likely spill onto the coastal plain by the end of the day. We will not be able to steer them off our tail if this chase continues, over."

There was a longer delay, leaving the three of us in silence for over a minute. "Roger that," the voice replied. "Continue due south and await further commands." There was a small pause again. "Help is on the way, Rangers. Stay safe, over."

Harding clicked off the radio. "Alright, let's move."

Her fearow took off the top of the cliff, rising back up and keeping just north of the edge of the cliffside. Artemis and I followed a dozen meters behind her, keeping doubly sure that we skimmed just above the ground to keep ourselves out of view. We followed the cliffs to the east, checking for movement every hour or so. It wasn't until we had already flown three hours towards Fuchsia that we spotted a half dozen convoys of trucks racing to the west. They soared along the flat coastal plain, at least thirty to forty trucks in all. They drove in small groups, flyers racing ahead to provide advance support to McCulloch and the rest of Zapdos squad.

"They bought it," I said, returning Artemis to her ball. With Fuchsia mounting a response, we had to stay out of sight. Harding turned and did the same with her fearow. "We should hunker down until they've passed."

"Agreed," Harding said. She crept back from the edge of the cliff, retreating into the copse of trees atop the cliff as she gazed down at the convoy racing to help McCulloch. "Keep out of sight. It won't do for us to be noticed before we make our move."

I retreated to the trees with Harding, sitting against a tree and groaning slightly. My body was sore, but my mind was exhausted. It had been a violent slog, a brutal baptism into the ranks. Friends that I'd made over the past few months were gone, like they had hardly even existed in the first place. Sleep had been hard enough to come by, with the terrifying radio message haunting me every time I had closed my eyes.

I looked over at the Captain, realizing that she'd dealt with this experience before. I didn't know if it was appropriate, but I needed to talk to someone. "You holding up alright, Captain?"

Harding scowled as she leaned against the tree behind her. I saw her silent groan as she lowered herself to the floor, watched the twinge in her left knee and the unconscious wince that she probably didn't even know she'd made. "I'm fine, Marcus." She glanced up at me. "I'm the one that should be asking you that. You've had to do more than a rookie should ever be asked to. I'm impressed."

I offered my best smile. I didn't feel impressive, but a compliment from a superior officer had a way of easing your concerns.

"Did you tell her about how I almost killed you in your underwear?" Janine asked with a mischevious smirk. "Seemed very impressive to me."

Harding shook her head, ignoring Janine. "I'm serious," she said. "You've had a nightmare of a mission. Taking down that dragon, that radio call, then getting separated from the squad?" She smiled softly. "You've done well, Marcus."

I frowned. "It doesn't feel like it. First Wertz, then squad three, and then Reyes…" my voice trailed off and my gaze fell to the ground. "I don't know how you can say that's a job well done."

Harding frowned. "You're too hard on yourself, kid. You didn't kill Wertz. You didn't kill Reyes. Hell, you damn near actually caught him." She shook her head and sat forward slightly. "Most of Zapdos squad are hardened soldiers. Members are usually selected after over a dozen missions and require a commendation from high command. You skipped the required service time because Surge likes you and thought you could handle yourself, so maybe you didn't get this lesson." She paused, studying my pained expression. "Rangers die. It's a part of the service. Everyone here knew the risks. Everyone here knew what could possibly happen. Every single one of them would not hesitate to give their life in pursuit of the mission."

I felt something snap inside of me. "I don't want to die," I said, my fists tightening. "I just wanted to stop more people from getting hurt by Rocket." A shade of Wertz clutching at her throat flashed in my mind. "I made friends, real friends…" Lori was splayed out in front of us, body long cold. "I've watched them die," I said as Reyes' bandolier snapped and he plummeted through the trees. "So much death, and for what? What was it all even for?" I threw my hands in the air in frustration and stared blankly at the ground.

A melancholic smile crossed my captain's face. "I've watched friends that I've known for years die. It never gets easier, Rook. That's the burden a Ranger bears. We fight and die so that the ones we love don't have to." She glanced over at Janine as the shinobi looked away. "It's a burden that I'm glad to bear." Her smile faded and I saw only concern. "Sometimes, people aren't cut out for this."

"I can handle it," I said suddenly. "I'm a Ranger."

Harding smiled sweetly. "You don't have to be," she said. "I can talk to Surge after the mission. We can review your fitness for Ranger duty and you can make a decision then. As I recall, fitness for duty is determined by your commanding officer."

"But-" I started, but she silenced me with a glare.

"Look, kid. I've seen a lot of people wash out of Ranger duty. It's never been a black mark on those people. This is a tough job. It takes a certain person to look death in the face as often as we do and come out the other side."

I sighed as I felt my frustration reaching a boil. It wouldn't do me any good to lose my cool, only cast doubt on my continued membership of Zapdos Squad. I got to my feet, mumbling a hurried apology as I walked away from the pair of women.

I didn't go far, simply walking until I was out of earshot. I was still hidden in the trees atop the cliff, with a perfect view of the convoys kicking up a dust storm behind them. I sat against a tree, closing my eyes and calming my breathing as I listened to a Ranger's boots crunching along the plateau behind me.

"What was that really about?" Harding asked. She didn't waste time. Straight to the point, no bullshit to her at all.

"The pokemon," I said. "What happens to my pokemon if I die?"

She frowned and crouched in front of me. "Why are you thinking about that?" she asked.

I glanced up and met her gaze for my real question. I pulled the broken bandolier out of my pack, looking mournfully down at the four balls on it. "And Reyes'?"

I saw her expression falter and her eyes harden suddenly. I'd struck a nerve, something that I hadn't expected. "Corporal Reyes' pokemon will be remanded to Ranger custody and reassigned to other Rangers." Her voice was stiff, almost robotic in nature. "Their new trainers are selected on an as-needed basis, meaning that most deceased trainers see their teams spend years in long-term storage."

I took a breath, calm clarity taking over. I pulled back the belt and slipped it back into my bag, noticing that she made no move to take it from me. "I don't like that," I said. "My team is my family. I caught them all. I trained them all myself."

"You and everyone else," she said bitterly. "A Ranger gives that up when they join. You become a part of something bigger than just yourself." She shook her head. "It's a sacrifice that not everyone is capable of. That's why I offered you an out."

"I don't need an out," I said quickly. "I'm a Ranger."

She smiled sadly again and put a hand on my shoulder. "Marcus, you're a good kid. You've got a good heart and you're a decent trainer. But you aren't a Ranger." She crouched down to my level, smiling softly. "You're young. You're still just a kid. Go live your dream. Be a trainer, not a martyr."

I looked up at her, trying to control my breathing. "I can't quit," I said meekly. "I finally have something that I can be proud of, something I can show my father and be proud of."

She smirked. "Parent trouble?" she asked.

I let my scowl spread as I stared down at the ground. "He never supported me training, thought that pokemon were just a waste of time. And then, after my sis disappeared... I just thought that joining the Rangers…" I glanced up at her. "I thought it would be something that I could show my father and be proud of. Something that would show him I could make some change in the world. That being a trainer was something good." I shrugged. "But I don't know anymore. People are dying, my friends are dying. I've killed a man today and I hardly spared it a second thought. I don't know how any of this is going to end and I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what it's turning me into. I'm afraid of watching more of my family die."

Harding nodded knowingly. She sat in dirt beside me, just smiling out at the sea. "Rangers are a family, kid. If you're set on being a Ranger, then I'm sure we could work something out." She turned her head to face me again. "Do me a favour though."

I raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

Her smile died and a serious scowl crossed her face. "This is gonna be a high-risk operation. I won't sugar coat things. There's a good chance that we can't rescue Surge and this is all for naught."

"Great pep-talk," I interjected.

"Don't get yourself killed," she continued unperturbed. "Don't be a martyr." Her scowl softened and I saw the smile tugging at the sides of her mouth. "Stay alive and we can have a long talk about your future with the Rangers after the mission."

I nodded solemnly. "I'll do my best," I said.

Harding smiled. A real smile, one that I could tell was genuine by the look in her eyes. "That's all we ask, kid. That's all we ask."

We took off as soon as the dust clouds began to recede to the west. Harding led me along the cliffs again, flying another ten to fifteen miles before touching down on the edge of the cliff.

I guided Artemis down beside her. My aerodactyl was heaving ragged breaths and her wingbeats were growing sloppy. She was growing rapidly and getting stronger in the air every day, but she still had a ways to go until I would be satisfied with her endurance. Still, I was proud. She was performing admirably, even if she'd be too tired for any significant battling once we arrived at our destination.

Janine pointed at the faint glow on the coast. "There's Fuchsia," she said. Her arm followed the coast west, moving until she was pointing out at a rocky crag that extended out to the ocean. "Which means my father's compound is right there."

Harding pulled a set of binoculars from her pack and raised them up to her eyes. "I see it," she said. "Can't tell if there's any movement from this distance."

"Seven or eight trainers at a maximum. There may also be some non-combatants, so check your targets." Janine pulled her cap off, letting her purple hair fall free. "Surge will be in the holding cells, which are underneath the main hall." She pulled off the jacket and pants, revealing her tight-cut robes. "There may be other prisoners as well." She turned to face us, pulling her hood up over her head. "Follow my lead and stay close."

She raised a ball, releasing her venomoth onto the cliff beside her. She mounted her pokemon as Harding and I did the same. We shared a glance at each other, and then flung ourselves from the cliff. Harding soared ahead, pressed nearly flat against her fearow's back. I tucked myself against the spike on Artemis' back, whizzing past Janine on her venomoth.

Harding pulled out of her dive under a hundred feet to the ground. She rocketed away from the cliff as Artemis pulled out of her dive and soared after the captain. We skimmed over the open plains with speed, Janine lagging behind us.

We touched down on the outskirts of the forest, taking the last few miles on foot. We needed the element of surprise, and Artemis was anything but stealthy. I sent Luna and Vector ahead, to scout the road ahead with Raxus.

We followed the road, not coming across a single guard. The checkpoints sat empty and no patrols crossed our path. The forest seemed strangely silent, but Luna could sense nothing when asked to search telepathically. We couldn't even find any wild pokemon on the route in, something that baffled me to no end.

We reached the walled compound just as the sun began to set. Harding had given McCulloch her long-range radio so we were out of contact and in the dark about the battle that had no doubt already started to the west. We could do nothing but continue the mission.

Janine crept up to the gatehouse, peering cautiously around the corner. She glanced back at Harding and I. "It's empty," she hissed. "On me." She turned and cracked the door open ever so slightly.

Harding returned her pokemon and slipped through after her. I followed a step behind them, my pokemon returned to their balls and my rifle at the ready. The gatehouse was empty, screens darkened and lights shut.

"Did they actually send everyone?" I asked suspiciously.

Janine shook her head. "They wouldn't have. There's got to be someone still in the security station, or something…" she glanced over at the map of the complex dominating the rear wall of the gatehouse. She studied it for a moment, before tapping on a room on the opposite side of the complex. "Security room is here. You could watch the entire compound on the cameras from there if there's anybody here, they'll be there."

"Where are the holding cells?" Harding asked, approaching the map.

Janine tapped on the large rectangular structure in the centre of the complex. "Under this building."

Harding lifted Raxus' ball and looked over at me. "Rook, on me."

"Wait," Janine protested. "We have to make sure that this isn't a trick first."

"No," Harding said, turning to Janine. "We're here to rescue Surge. Every moment spent here is a risk. We split up, we can hit both the holding cells and the security station at the same time." She pointed at the gatehouse. "We regroup here once we're clear of the hall."

"It's a risk," Janine said. "One we can't afford to take if this is a trap."

Harding cracked her knuckles and glanced over at me. "Everything about this has been a risk. There's no way to change that now." She released Raxus beside her. "Move fast and move quiet. Only break radio silence in the event of an emergency."

Janine nodded, glancing out the door at the darkened inner courtyard. The compound was dark, all the lights shut off. She slipped through the door, practically disappearing into the night.

Harding and I followed her out into the courtyard, losing sight of the shinobi in moments. I tried to track her movement, but it was a hopeless gesture. "Lost her," I whispered as I shrank back into cover beside the captain.

Harding snorted quietly. "You were never going to be able to follow her in the dark."

I shrugged. "Was worth a shot. I don't entirely trust her motive."

The captain shook her head. "If anything, I trust her motive implicitly. Personal gain is a powerful motivator." She popped up, surveying the courtyard. "Stay on my ass," she hissed. "Move quickly."

She vaulted over the barrier, dashing quickly across the darkened courtyard. I followed her, sweeping the buildings with my rifle as I ran. The pale light of the moon was brighter than I expected, and we were clearly visible in the open. I hit the wall beside Harding, watching carefully for any signs of movement.

"I don't like this," she whispered. "Where are the guards? Why are all the lights out?" She grumbled and cracked the door to the hall open. "This is all too easy."

I crept into the hall after her. The building was dark, just like the gatehouse had been. She stopped dead, crouching against the inside of the door. "Get Luna out, do a mental scan."

I raised my ninetales' ball and released her beside me. The flash of light illuminated the room for a moment and I held my breath hoping that it hadn't been noticed. A long few moments passed with heavy silence as the only answer. I let out the breath, satisfied that we hadn't been noticed. "Find Surge," I ordered.

She nodded to me, eyes flaring with light. Her tails seemed to float out behind her aimlessly. There was a long, eerie moment where the only light in the room was from Luna's glowing eyes. Then my ninetales let the light die and I felt my vision swimming.

Luna took me into her memory, sharing the experience with me easier than she had before. I didn't dwell on it, though I let my pride be known to my starter.

Luna again was a supernova of light, reaching out into the darkness. A pair of smaller lights shining at Luna's side represented Harding and I. Another cluster of lights seemingly below us were the only visible points of life in the compound.

"I think I have them," I said, pulling myself back from the shared memory. "At least half a dozen people in a chamber below the main hall."

"Anything else at all?" Harding asked.

I shook my head. "It's like the complex is completely dead aside from that. No sign of Janine either."

Harding faltered. "That's concerning," she said bluntly. She glanced into the dark, hand hovering over her ball belt. "Assume hostiles are present. This is too easy. We're walking right into a trap."

"What's our next step?" I asked. I drew my sidearm and pulled back the slide, making sure it was ready to fire.

She grimaced as she opened the door to the main hall. "We spring the trap." She slipped through the open door, keeping low as she crept along the wall.

Luna and I followed her through the darkness, keeping low to the ground. I checked every corner as we went, half expecting to spring an ambush at every step. Nobody greeted us though, and the hall was strangely quiet.

Harding led us up to the raised dias at the head of the room. She pulled back a curtain against the wall, revealing the hidden stairwell leading down. "They must be down there," she said. "If there's anybody in here, they're down there with Surge."

A loud screech of pain and a thunderous crash drew our attention. Raxus bounced into the room, hissing furiously. She righted herself, tearing deep furrows in the wooden floor with her claws.

A thick purple serpent slithered into the room, hissing and flaring its hood at Raxus. Luna leapt to Raxus' side, tails floating with psychic power.

"Go," Harding ordered. "This is a distraction. Get to Surge!" She turned, shouting orders to Raxus as the arbok snapped its bladed tail like a whip.

"On me!" I shouted, beckoning to Luna as I made for the stairs. Harding was buying me time, something Surge now had none of. If there was anyone in that room with him, they could start executing prisoners.

I bounded down the stairs in three steps, bashing down the door with my shoulder. I rolled with the momentum, coming up and glancing around the room.

Eight prisoners were strung up, hanging by their wrists from chains suspended from the ceiling. Each of them were gagged. Surge was in the middle, suspended limply with his head hanging.

Something hit me hard from the side, tossing me like a rag doll across the room and sending my rifle clattering away. I hit the floor and bounced, rolling to a halt against the wall.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" A man's voice taunted. "Did you think you'd just be allowed to walk in here with no resistance at all?"

I rolled over and clambered to my feet. A thin, wiry man stood in the doorway. He had a dark, simplistic outfit with a stylized crimson R emblazoned on the chest. His victreebell stood in front of him, vines at the ready.

I grimaced as my hand dropped to my sidearm. "I was wondering when you'd show up," I said. "Was beginning to think I wouldn't get a chance to kick you out of Fuchsia myself."

A high pitched whine filled the room. The man covered his ears, spinning around to look for the source. His victreebell was smarter, leaping out of the way as a telekinetic snap ripped across the room. The man sailed across the basement, smashing through the wall at the end of the room.

"No fire!" I shouted, remembering the disaster at the Game Corner. I didn't know if there was another way out of this basement, and there were prisoners involved.

Luna didn't even need the order, psychic power ripping across the room and seizing the victreebell. It raised the grass type off the ground and slammed it back down onto the floor.

The Rocket popped back out of the hole, vaulting through with another ball drawn. I brought up the sidearm and fired three times on reflex. The first two bullets slammed into the wooden wall and showered him with splinters. The third found its mark. He fell back suddenly, the wall behind him painted red.

A cone of purple spores erupted from the victreebell, painting Luna's face with the poisonous dust. She dropped the grass-type, hacking and coughing wildly. I clamped my sleeve over my mouth, backpedaling away from the cloud of poison powder.

The victreebell sensed weakness despite the loss of its trainer, vines whipping towards me as I beat a hasty retreat. My hand dropped to my belt, releasing Vector in front of me.

"Horn attack!" I shouted.

My heracross' wings snapped out and I realized that I'd made a terrible mistake. He usually used his wings to boost his mobility, adding speed and helping him corner with a surprising amount of agility. However, in a small room like this it would kick up one hell of a windstorm. A windstorm that would scatter the poison powder the victreebell had just spewed.

"No wings!" I roared, too late to stop the lungful of purple dust that I sucked in. I doubled over, clamping my sleeve back over my mouth.

Vector hit the victreebell centre mass, tossing it over him with a flick of his mighty horn. The grass-type slammed off the ceiling, bouncing to a halt several feet behind my heracross.

"Close combat!" I ordered, moving so that the victreebell was on the other side of Vector.

My heracross remembered to stow his wings this time, bounding forwards clumsily. He slammed a fist into the victreebell's gut, whining as the pokemon wrapped a vine around his arm.

Flashbacks of Ronin entangling Vector's limbs ran in my mind. I turned to Luna. "Tear it off him. Finish it!"

Luna's eyes flared with violet light. She lifted the pokemon again, snapping the vines wrapping eagerly around Vector with a quick jerk. She raised the victreeball slowly, watching it flail with stubby little vines. Then Luna's eyes flashed and she smashed it back down over and over until the victreebell was limp. She lifted the pokemon one last time, throwing it through the gaping hole in the wall that its trainer had made.

"Keep an eye out," I ordered. Luna padded over to the hole, growling tentatively as I returned Vector and released Acolyte beside me.

Harding bounded down the stairs, her hair crazed and unkempt. "Rook!" she said in a surprised tone. "You're alright." She glanced at the hole in the wall. "The trap?" She asked.

I nodded grimly. The Rocket's blood still painting the wall behind him in my mind. "Sprung," I replied coldly. "Let's get out of here before someone shows up to investigate."

She approached Surge, pointing up at the chains holding him to the ceiling. Raxus leapt up, swiping at the chains with a flash of his claw.

Acolyte followed me over to the first captive, intuiting what he was needed for. I ordered him to tear the chains from the ceiling as I supported the first prisoner beside Surge. She was a slender woman, with wiry muscles that had to have been built through hard exercise. She slumped against me in exhaustion, grunting thanks as I took the weight off of her wrists and Acolyte smashed the chain.

Surge slumped against the captain as I caught the captive and laid her up against the wall. I pulled out her gag and dug into my bag. I pulled out the corked bottle of clear liquid. "This is a cocktail of antivenom and high-grade antibiotics." I swigged back a sip, savouring the cooling sensation running down my burning throat and handed it to the woman. "Split that amongst yourselves. I don't know how many spores you all breathed in, but that will help." I watched her take a small sip before moving to the next prisoner.

"Harding," I heard Surge say, sounding somewhat confused as he came to. "What are you doing here?"

I moved to the next prisoner, a shinobi with bloodied robes. I pointed up at the chains again as I supported the man from below. Acolyte wound his bone club in the chain and tore them free with one smooth movement.

"Rescuing you," Harding replied curtly. "Did you think we'd leave you behind?"

Surge coughed, ragged breaths struggling free of his heaving chest. "Koga..." he started. "Betrayed us, working with Rocket."

I moved to the next prisoner, a Ranger whose face was swollen and contorted in pain. I supported his weight while Acolyte freed my colleague. I had no clue who this Ranger was, but he didn't deserve this.

"We know," Harding said. "we have to move," she said. "Where are your pokemon?"

Surge shrugged as I freed the next prisoner. "Maybe with Koga, maybe in a safe somewhere." I heard Surge struggling to his feet as I freed the fifth captive. "How did you get here?" Surge asked. "Koga told me he'd killed you all. Picked you all off out in the Safari Zone."

Harding grimaced. "He tried," she retorted. "I guess you trained us well."

I let down the sixth prisoner and turned towards the last.

"The rest of Zapdos?" Surge asked. "Any casualties?"

"Wertz, Reyes and all of Squad three," she replied. "They didn't make it." She slipped one of Surge's arms over her shoulder, supporting his weight. "We gotta get out of here. Before Koga comes back."

I'd never seen the massive man so hobbled, and the concept of such unbearable pain terrified me. I turned towards the last captive, supporting his legs as Acolyte reached up with his club. Acolyte snapped the chain easily, dropping the man onto my shoulder.

I let the man down against the wall, finally retrieving my rifle from the floor. I sidled up beside Harding, keeping my voice low. "Captain, we can't carry this many prisoners. Artemis can probably hardly even carry me out of here right now."

"The chopper," Surge grunted stubbornly. He seemed to stand a little straighter, tossing the captain's arm off him. "I can fly it out."

Harding glanced at me, then back at Surge. "Alright, but if you need me to take over then I am. I'm not having you crash because you're beat to shit."

Surge shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to escape death, darling."

I turned to the captives, raising my voice slightly. "Alright everyone, we're moving. Support one of the others if you are able, but do not endanger yourself for any unnecessary reason. Above all, stay behind us. We'll lead you all to the helipad for extraction."

Harding patted me on the shoulder. "Good job, Rook. I'll take lead." Raxus slipped up the stairs and out of sight as I stepped back.

I herded the captives up the stairs after them. Four of them were capable of standing on their own strength, two needed the help of another and the beaten Ranger wasn't even conscious. I helped the remaining pair sling the disabled Ranger between them and took up the rear with Acolyte and Luna.

We moved as quickly as our injured rescuees would allow, and not half as quietly as I felt comfortable with. I kept my eyes on the shadows as we moved through the main hall. Scars marred the once grand room, deep claw marks gouging into the wood. Several places were sizzling with a deep purple liquid, a terrible stench rising off the puddles of venom.

Harding moved quickly and with purpose, leading us directly to the main doors. She didn't spare the corpse at the end of the hall a second look. I followed her without a second thought, ignoring the vivisected serpent that Raxus proudly stepped over.

Surge took cover beside her, crouching against the wall. "Helipad should be roughly fifty feet out, on the right."

I slid into cover beside Harding, glancing over at Luna as she followed me. "Make sure the coast is clear," I ordered. The Rockets had fooled her senses once already, so I wasn't entirely confident in the results of the scan.

Luna's eyes flared for a brief moment, before the light faded and she nodded at me. I caught the doubt in her eyes, but it was gone before I could remark on it.

I glanced back at Harding. "Be ready for anything," I said. "Those Rockets fooled Luna once already."

She nodded, moving for the door. She swung it open, slipping through with Surge at her back. I slipped through third, waiting half a moment for Raxus to follow her trainer.

I charged out after them, Acolyte and Luna herding the rest of the group behind us. I made it three steps before I skidded to a halt.

We were surrounded. At least twelve men that I could see, all of them armed with slim blades that glinted brightly in the faint light of the moon. Koga, head of the Ayõ Clan and Leader of the Fuchsia Gym, stood in our path. He drew his own blade with a lithe fluidity that belied his size. I could see more movement in the buildings behind them, no doubt gunmen waiting to cut us down.

His dark purple robes seemed to burst with muscle, yet his movement seemed graceful for a man of his physique. He was tall and stocky, built with muscle that had seen a lifetime of training. Perhaps Surge could have taken him on in a fair fight, but he was in no shape to fight.

Harding and I moved as one, raising our firearms and stepping in front of the prisoners. I felt my heart drop as I counted the number of men that were arrayed against us. We were trapped and outgunned, with no real hope of victory.

Luna growled and Acolyte stepped into place behind me, Raxus taking his place at Harding's side. I saw her hand drop to her ball belt, resting nervously on the last ball.

"I would advise against that, Captain." Koga stepped forward, his blade raised. "It will only prolong your suffering."

Harding cocked her head to the side. "Good thing I never took advice well." She tossed her ball into the air, releasing the only true brawler on her team. Harding's fourth pokemon was her ace, a monster in the most literal sense of the word. I'd only ever seen her once before, when Harding had deployed her as an intimidation tactic against some poachers.

A titanic serpent rose into the sky, stretching up to her full size. Steel plates ground against each other, screeching loudly over the rumbling earth. Titania had been deployed.

Captain Harding's steelix was the most physically imposing pokemon in the entire Ranger Corps. She outclassed Lieutenant Rhodes of Viridian Command's rhydon in defensive prowess, and easily dwarfed Major Byram of Cinnabar Command's machamp in pure strength. She was a true physical bastion, capable of standing against onslaughts that could decimate my entire team.

Koga scowled and I felt my heart skip several beats. His gaze was cold and cruel, boring into Harding with ruthless malice. "Your ruse has been foiled. Your friends are dead in battle, and for what? A fleeting chance at delaying the inevitable? You were never going to be allowed to leave Fuchsia." He shook his head solemnly. "You were doomed before you even left Vermillion. Rocket allowed your pathetic little manhunt for a time, but you've become a thorn in our side that I can no longer abide by." Koga smirked and raised his blade to level with us. "Now die, like the vermin that you are."

A terrible stench filled the air, rotting corpses mixing with month old manure and invading my brain. I gagged on the stench and fought back the urge to empty the paltry contents of my stomach. Then I saw them. They rose above the twelve shinobi, more than thirty or forty of the floating gas cans looming ominously over the main hall.

"Bathe them in fire," Koga ordered, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice.

Titania moved fast, but the horde of koffing and weezing were so many that she couldn't possibly hope to stop them all.

It seemed as if the sun itself was igniting above the compound. Dozens of flamethrowers rained down, splashing against Titania's steel carapace and superheating the metal serpent. Stray flames leapt past her, painting the front of Koga's main hall with flames. One jet of flame snuck through a gap in Titania's coils, catching a pair of the prisoners with the fire.

I pressed myself against Titania, turning to Harding. Her steelix groaned as the flames licked at her side, but we were trapped. More flames licked at the front of the building, scorching the wooden façade and igniting the banners hanging from the hall.

Another one of the prisoners shrieked as flamethrowers began to spew from the koffing that were starting to creep around Titania. Our cover was rapidly losing its effectiveness and Titania could hardly hope to withstand the molten assault for much longer.

"Luna," I started, shouting over the roar of flame. "Draw their fire!"

She tensed up for a moment before leaping atop Titania. The horde of wheezing and koffing adjusted their aim for the sudden new target, doing exactly what I had hoped they would. I knew that Luna had the ability to absorb flame from the environment around her and repurpose that energy into her own fire type attacks.

We'd begun experimenting with it at the Ranger compound in Vermilion after accidentally discovering the ability against Reyes and Aro. However, I was not sure she would be able withstand that much power at once. Our tests had been limited compared to this.

I felt the heat intensify above me, and could hear panicked shouting from the other side of the steelix. "Get back inside!" I roared, turning to Surge and the captives. "Acolyte, get them inside!"

He herded them towards the door as I turned to Harding. She nodded at me and turned as the inferno above us spluttered out and died. We dashed out together, seizing on the slight opening that Luna had created for us. The captain was roaring orders to her pokemon, Raxus already leaping forward and Titania shrinking back as the maelstrom of flame finally abated.

"Fire spin!" I roared, watching Luna dash towards Koga. She was glowing red-hot, stray flames clawing their way out of her maw. She'd absorbed so much fire that her paw prints left burning divots with each step. I could see the heat shimmering off of her and even from this distance could feel my skin burning.

I saw a winged shadow swoop down towards Luna and felt the mental pressure of the bug's presence. I turned and shielded my face as my starter tossed back her head and loosed a spinning inferno of scarlet fire. I watched her tails flare and her eyes light up as she projected the tornado of flame upwards.

The venomoth was descending on her, silver dust already shimmering off of her extended wings. I could feel the air bending under the psychic pressure and could see the ripples of reality bending. The fire spin engulfed the bug entirely, spinning columns of flame swirling around the courtyard and tearing into the swarm of floating pokemon.

I heard screaming and felt the tornado of fire lick at the back of my neck as I curled into a ball on the ground. I heard what sounded like a row of firecrackers popping off and felt the earth rumble beneath me.

An explosion at my feet sparked me into action. I scrambled on my hands and knees, crawling away from the chaotic rhythm of explosions behind me. I had no clue where anybody was, no clue where my pokemon were. Smoke and flame filled the air and more explosions rocked the compound.

I heard a terrifying crack and groan of straining wood and looked up at the front wall of Koga's main hall. It was burning, flames already chewing up the wooden beams of the building. I could hardly see through the smoke and flame spinning overhead, but a small gap cleared for a half a moment. I saw a wheezing listing to the side as it floated desperately away from the fire.

It hit the hall and I felt a trio of deafening explosions shake the whole world. A huge section of the front wall was thrown inwards by the force of the blast. Parts of the side walls crumbled and a large section of the roof dipped dangerously towards me. The front wall groaned and I watched in abject terror as the burning building began to collapse towards me.

Someone threw themselves into the dirt beside me, curling into my side as Titania's metal body coiled over us. A thunderous impact slammed down onto the steelix, shaking loose a shower of dirt and dust into my face.

I rolled to my side, hacking up a lung of dust and smoke. Harding was there beside me, eyes looking around wildly. Her handgun was gone and her hair was singed black. "You're absolutely insane," she started, coughing wildly. "I take it back, you're a Ranger at heart. Nobody else would dare to pull off something so insane." She thumped on Titania's side twice, drawing a rumble from the massive serpent.

Her steelix rose back to her full height, dropping the debris covering her coils into the dirt. One side of the serpent was still glowing slightly from the heat. I saw Harding's eyes linger on the sagging parts of Titania's jaw and thought for a moment I saw tears. Then the captain's eyes hardened and she looked out at the carnage.

The courtyard was bombed to near ruin. Half the buildings ringing the formerly pristine courtyard were burning, the other half were pockmarked with smoking craters. The ground itself was an uneven minefield, dozens of holes blasted deep into the earth. I found one of Koga's men laying in tatters and averted my eyes, unable to stomach the sight of him.

My heart sank as I found Luna, laying up against a ruined building. Her chest was still heaving and I could see her still struggling to move. One of her legs was splayed out at a strange angle and I knew that it was broken. I raised her ball without a second thought, returning her before she could get hurt even worse. I had no clue what kind of punishment she had actually taken, but I wasn't taking the risk. She was hardly moving and that was all the excuse I needed. I raised Vector's ball as Koga clambered to his feet.

He glared at me with murderous intent. I saw the smoking husk of the venomoth behind him, wings burnt down to nothing from the force of the fire spin. I didn't know where his blade was, but I doubted that he'd need it. He raised a pair of balls, releasing his muk and his ariados onto the field. "You are going to die for that," he said. He waved off his men, who I only just realized were regaining their footing. "I raised her from an egg myself. I have trained her for nigh on fifteen years…" he trailed off, murderous glare directly on me.

I tossed Vector's ball and released him in front of me as Raxus stepped in front of Harding. Her persian was still strong and lithe, growling low and angry. Titania rumbled behind us, shaking the earth. I didn't know where Acolyte was, but I figured the odds were close to even enough as long as none of his men intervened.

Harding drew her Ranger's blade, taking control of the interaction. "This ends now, Koga. This has gone far enough."

He shook his head. "Not anymore." He drew a second small blade from the short scabbard on his belt. "You've taken something from me," he turned his gaze to me. "I'm going to show you what that's really like."

He took a step towards us, his pokemon starting to charge. He stumbled suddenly, clutching at his neck. Koga dropped to his knees, choking and hacking up a lung as he struggled for air. Both his muk and ariados turned, looking at their trainer with confusion and concern.

One of his men burst out at us. "What have you done?" he shouted.

Titania rumbled and glared down at the man, who shrunk back in fear. "Nothing," Harding said. "It wasn't us!"

She glanced at me, a knowing look on her face. She looked over at the figure standing on the side of the battlefield, a blowpipe hanging in her hand. "It was her," she said, a tinge of relief slipping into her voice.

Janine walked with purpose, ignoring the outbursts of her father's men. She slipped the blowpipe back into a loop on her belt, drawing a short blade of her own. "I am here, father. Here to claim the place that you denied me."

Koga fell back on his knees, weakly holding up an arm in resistance. He gurgled a faint response as blood leaked slowly from the edge of his mouth. A long feathered dart was embedded deep in his throat, his other hand clamped desperately over the dart.

"I challenge you, Koga of Clan Ayõ, for leadership of the fourteen families." She stopped not more than ten feet from Koga's surprised pokemon. They looked down at her curiously, watching the familiar girl defy their master. "You attempted to kill your own flesh and blood. You sold our city to a pack of rabid thugs. You have dishonoured Fuchsia and your clan beyond reproach. What say you to these charges?"

Koga looked up at her, the life fading from his face. "What are you doing?" he choked out, raw disbelief colouring his pained words.

Janine lowered her hood, looking her father dead in the face. "What you taught me to do," she said, fighting back the emotion in her voice. "Go for the kill."

"No," he gurgled. He looked up at his pokemon, begging with his eyes. Then the light faded in them and he toppled backwards.

There was silence for a long moment. Janine stood there impassively, looking down at the body. Koga's pokemon shifted, his ariados bowing his head to Janine. The muk beside it copied the gesture. Koga's men started to approach her and I tensed up for a moment, preparing to order Vector into action. Harding shot me a sideways glance, silencing me before I could speak.

The first man to reach her drew his blade and dropped down to one knee, offering the blade up to her. I could not hear his words, but the reverent tone was clear as day. Each of the other men dropped as they approached, their blades bare and raised to their new leader.

"Will you bear witness to what happened here?" I heard Janine ask.

The men nodded in unison.

Janine turned to us, sheathing her short blade. "It's over," she said in a weary tone. I could see the pain in her face, much as she tried to hide it. She was hurting inside, torn apart by the terrible deed she had just committed. "Fuchsia is mine."

It was not a happy ceremony, which was to be expected. The somber tone of the funeral preceding Janine's official coronation coloured the mood of the day, and the gloomy, overcast weather did nothing to help. Nobody seemed overly enthused by Janine's speech to the gathered clans, which I surmised might have been because of our presence.

Janine had invited Zapdos Squad to join the ceremony, in a first in Fuchsian history. No outsiders had ever been allowed at the ceremony in all of Fuchsia's history. From the furious glares and tense atmosphere, I could tell that it was not a particularly popular decision. Even if only four of us had been fit enough to attend, it was four more than were welcome.

Janine's speech wrapped up with a long-winded promise to bring Fuchsia into the modern world as a force for good, rather than continue to allow evil to foster in their ranks. There was a small smattering of applause, more than I had actually anticipated for what had been a rather dull speech. Janine nodded in thanks before disappearing into the Anzu compound with the woman that we had rescued alongside Surge.

Harding marched us out first, into the Ranger truck waiting for us. We boarded without a word, not giving the watching Clans anything to judge us by.

I sat back on the bench in the back of the truck as the engine roared to life. My throat burned with every breath and I fought the urge to hack out my lungs. I pulled out my water, drinking heavily from the bottle until the burning sensation eased. The poison dust had taken a toll on me, one that was proving stubborn to heal.

It was almost an hour's drive back to the hospital in Fuchsia proper. We passed the scenery in in almost complete silence, only small talk from McCulloch breaking the silence. I stared blankly out the truck, watching the untamed coastal plain slip into rural roads, and then into suburban communities as we arrived in Fuchsia proper.

I rose along with McCulloch when we arrived, following him into the hospital without a word. I turned off from the group, heading down towards the pokemon ward.

I opened the door to the observation room, slipping in and glancing nervously down at my Ninetales on the bed. Her chest was rising slowly, faintly breathing in her deep slumber.

"Mr. Wright," said the doctor as he opened the door. He stepped in, glancing down at his clipboard. "Good to see you again. She's a tough girl."

"Any progress?" I asked.

The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid that her condition hasn't changed much, if at all. Her body is still fighting the poison, and multiple concussive blasts at short range can cause a multitude of problems in a pokemon's nervous system on a good day." He folded his arms. "Her broken leg is healing well, and the contusions along her sides are seemingly showing signs of shrinking, but we won't know more until she wakes up."

I turned, putting my hand up on the observation room's glass. "When do you think that'll be, doc?"

He shrugged, and I caught the exasperated expression. "You know my estimates, Mr Wright. I'll have the staff notify you if anything changes."

I nodded solemnly. "Thanks," I said quietly.

"How's your breathing been?" he asked, changing the subject away from my starter. "You told the nurse that you breathed in a large amount of the poison as well." He lowered his clipboard. "Have you been prescribed anything to help with the tissue damage?"

I shook my head. "It's been a busy week," I said.

"Here," he continued, scrawling at the pad of post-it notes on his board. He tore the note off and handed it to me. "Take that to one of the nurses at the desk in the Ranger ward. They'll be able to give you a steroid cocktail that'll help your throat heal." He smirked. "Tastes like shit though, so fair warning."

I nodded, taking the paper. "Thank you, Doctor Braun."

He nodded and turned to leave, leaving me alone in the room.

I sat down in the chair, the same one I had spent almost an entire week sitting in. I smiled softly, watching Luna's chest rise and fall slowly. She was still alive. She was still alive and that was what mattered.

Janine arrived some point before sunrise. Harding appeared in the doorway alongside her, waking me with a quiet knock. I followed them out, pausing for a long moment to watch Luna breathe deeply.

She led me through the hospital, into a conference room that had been hastily rearranged to accommodate Surge on his hospital bed. The other standing members of Zapdos Squad, Surge, and Janine were already waiting when Harding and I walked into the room.

"Good," Surge said. "That's everyone who'll be joining us."

Janine nodded, laying down a massive binder that she produced from the floor. "I had my attendants draw up this report. It details everything Rocket has touched coming through Fuchsia."

Surge looked up from his bed. "Harding, McCulloch, get to work."

The two Rangers got up, walking over and poring over the binder as Janine stepped aside. "Everything from drugs, to guns, to exotic pokemon they captured in the Safari Zone." She frowned and looked over at Surge. "They shipped almost everything off once you arrived, so we don't have their cargo itself." Her frown softened and she broke into a smirk. "But we do have shipping locations, travel logs, personnel lists… Everything we need to dismantle every part of Rocket's operation."

McCulloch glanced up at the table. "It looks legit to me," he said. "There's addresses all across Kanto and as far as Johto and the Sevii Isles."

Surge shifted on his bed, swinging his legs off the side. "Then we have new leads." He slipped off the bed, wheezing slightly. "Somebody get me a sat-phone."

Harding rose from the report, tossing her phone over to him before looking back down at the ledger. Surge flipped open the phone, dialing a number by memory.

"Marcus," Janine said, walking around the table to my side. "Would I be able to borrow you for a few moments?"

I glanced around, realizing that nobody was paying me any attention. I nodded quietly and followed her from the room. She led me up to the roof, away from all the bustling noise of the hospital. It was truly quiet for the first time in a week. No beeping machines, no muffled voices.

Janine sat on the edge of the roof, looking down at the sleepy city with an unreadable expression.

"Is it everything you hoped for?" I asked, taking a seat beside her.

"No," she said. She sighed and looked up at me. "It's more than I anticipated." She shrugged and offered a weak smile. "Though, I suppose that I did ask for it."

I turned back to look out at Fuchsia. The city was starting to stir in the early morning, the faint light of the sun lending some life to the sleepy streets. "Was it worth it?" I asked.

"No," she said with a scowl. "But this isn't why I brought you up here." Her hand went into her robes and pulled out a small pink heart. "I wanted to give you this."

I took the little heart in my hand, admiring the vibrant pink stone. "The soul badge," I said calmly. I glanced up at her. "I didn't earn this."

"Yes you did," she replied. "For services rendered to the new Leader of Fuchsia, and the valiant defeat of her previous Gym Leader, I see fit to grant you the soul badge." She smiled honestly at me. "You risked your life and the lives of your pokemon in a situation that I put you in. I won't have the time to hold any league matches for a while, and I figured that you'd done more than enough to prove yourself worthy of this badge."

I stared dumbstruck down at the stone. I closed my hand, savouring the moment. Five badges. Only three more, then I was eligible to compete in the Indigo Conference. "Thank you," I said. "I don't know what to do to thank you."

She smirked. "I have an idea," she said. "I've already cleared it with Surge, if you're interested. It'll last as long as you're laid up in Fuchsia for."

I slipped out my badge case and opened it. I put the pink heart into the custom fitted slot, beside Erika's rainbow badge. "What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"I'm sure that you saw the cold reception you got at my ceremony."

I nodded. "The clans clearly didn't want us there," I said. "If looks could kill, the four of us wouldn't have walked out of there alive."

She sighed and I saw the frustration in her face. "Then you see my problem," she said. "The clans don't trust the Rangers, they never have. Koga kept you at an arm's length. They won't unless I can force them to work with your organization." She looked back out at the city, almost seeming to expect me to refuse her proposal before she even asked. "I need a liaison to work with me, preferably someone off of Zapdos Squad itself. There are still plenty of Rocket black sites around Fuchsia and pulling in a Ranger to help would do plenty to foster goodwill between Fuchsia and the Rangers."

"And you want me?" I asked. "I don't know if I have the kind of experience you're looking for."

"You were my third choice," Janine said, a wry smile on her face. "I wanted either Harding or McCulloch, but both of them turned me down."

I smirked at the feigned slight. "Nice to know that I'm needed," I said with a grin.

Janine smiled easily back at me. "So?" she asked. "What do you say?"

I nodded, turning to look out at Fuchsia with her. The early morning sun painted the city a warm gold that brought a smile to my face. "I'd be honoured to help."

"Koga was not supposed to die," the short man said. "This failure is yours as much as his. Fuchsia is lost to us now, along with everything she brought. Funds, weapons, fresh recruits, all lost to Surge."

The tall man shook his head. "I'm afraid that while this is a loss, it is not total. Archer and Gideon have escaped with the remaining Project Catalyst prototypes. With the data they gathered in the Safari Zone, I am confident that they will be operational within the month."

"That matters very little if the Ranger Corps unearths how far our reach extends. They, and by extension Surge, are one of the few forces that could challenge our plans." The short man shook his head. "You have been careless and the cost has yet to come due."

"Perhaps we could stave off the payment?" the tall man suggested. "Give them Kanto to save Johto?"

There was silence for a long moment. "It could work. Though, our operations around Lavender remain essential."

"Then I will ensure they are spared the Rangers' gaze."

Silence again.

"And the other boy? The one that joined the Rangers? He was working with the boys in Celadon as well, and then again he surfaces in Fuchsia."

The tall man shook his head. "Irrelevant. He is adrift on an ocean of our own making. He will fall, Gideon will see to that."

"I hope you're right," the short man replied. "Else your plans will fall to pieces, just like the prisoner said it would."

The tall man got to his feet. "Perhaps," he said as he departed the small, windowless room. "But I do not believe that it will. After all, it is our plan. We've never failed before."

"True enough," the short man said as the doors closed and left him in solitude once more. "But you don't know those boys like I do."

Pokédex Entry #208 – Steelix

There are only a few known living specimen, most of those hidden deep under the Argent Mountains. The few captured steelix have proven to have immense dietary requirements that have bankrupted several of these would be trainers.

These pokemon are capable of withstanding a tremendous amount of heat and pressure. They were originally theorized to inhabit the earth's core before their true habitat was found.

It is thought that these pokemon are the result of onix that have eaten through particularly metal rich mineral deposits. However, no record of an evolution have ever been found.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101

Indigo Ranger Corps, Special Task Group, "Zapdos" Squad,

Private First-Class SN# 109-512-6591, Marcus Wright, current team:

Luna, Ninetales

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross

Curie, Chansey

Artemis, Aerodactyl