Journey

Death of Duty

Part 5: War on the Water

Fire

When war comes, it brings death. — Unknown Soldier

The Poison Fang was rocking dangerously on the waves. The vessel was mostly shielded from the wrath of the sea by Five Island itself, but I could tell that the bridge crew was still nervous. Especially with Janine still trying to order them under way.

"Look, m'lady," replied the Captain for what had to be the twentieth time. "We cannot embark while the waves are this large. We would be sunk before we even got halfway to One Island."

Janine scowled. "I didn't ask why not. I told you to make it happen."

The Captain's eyes flitted to me, then to the pair of shinobi flanking Janine before settling back on her. "Lady Anzu, we cannot risk the Fang. This vessel is the most advanced in our possession. The rest of Fuchsia's navy is old, slow and fragile. While the Fang is very capable, we can ill-afford a replacement and I will not order her needless destruction."

"Then give me a solution," she spat. "Give me a way to fight this battle."

"We could fly," I said suddenly. "How many flyers do we have?"

"Twelve," Janine replied, swivelling and looking at me. "Ten who are capable of reaching One Island. Maybe one or two of them could carry an extra person that far."

"Artemis can't," I said. "Not that far at least."

Riley raised his hand. "Eleven if you count me. My flygon can carry at least two people," he said. "If you'll have me, of course."

Janine nodded and looked between the newcomer and myself. "Even with you, that's not enough," she said. "Fifteen trainers against an army? Plus whatever monstrosities that madman has cooked up?"

I shrugged, it didn't matter the odds. We had to stop Gideon. "Better than allowing Rocket to capture Moltres without a fight. We'll have some help from the lab, Bill and Celio have pledged their help as well." I looked out at the sea. "We need to do something."

Janine snapped over towards a member of the bridge crew. "Are we in missile range?"

The crewman turned in his seat, going over the specs on his screen. "Our long range missiles should be in range, depending on air currents. Strike would arrive ten minutes after launch."

She turned away, contemplating the options. "Marcus," she said as she glanced up at me. "You seem to come out of impossible situations more than most. What would you do?"

I grimaced at the question. Maybe that was true, but I'd lost both Pride and Vector in supposed victories. I didn't feel like I was qualified to give any advice at all. "I'd send us ahead of the strike, have us guide in the missile launch." I shrugged, wracking my brain for a better idea. "It might work, maybe level the odds enough to give us a fighting chance."

She frowned and I knew she didn't like it. I offered her nothing but a gamble, one with even worse odds than the one she had taken to seize Fucshia. "Then we move now," she ordered. She walked over to the comm station and keyed on the ship's intercom. "All shinobi flight capable should make ready for battle. We launch in fifteen."

She dropped the microphone and glanced around at the bridge crew. "Blow the labs and bring everyone back to the ship. Remain in radio contact and prepare to disembark if the sea calms."

The Captain nodded. "We'll be ready."

Janine turned to Riley and I. "You two, with me to the infirmary. We need everyone ready to fight the moment we get there."

I nodded as I felt a sense of calm come over me. Yet again, I was rushing towards battles beyond my wildest imagination. The threat of death was becoming normal. I let my mind clear, let all the needless worries drop away. I couldn't afford them. I couldn't afford distractions. Vector's broken body swam to the forefront of my mind, providing one all the same.

Riley and I silently followed Janine through the ship. We reached the infirmary in two minutes. My pokemon were sprayed down with a few of the Fang's full restores, Riley's pokemon treated similarly. I glanced over at Janine as her pokemon were given the same treatment.

She was crouched over Leopold's bed, a potion in hand and he voice low. I couldn't catch her words but I knew what she was asking him. He reached out, taking the potion as Janine gently undid the bandages wrapped around his head.

I turned away and strode over to the supply cabinets. Janine may have chosen to be with me, but she needed her people. She needed Fuchsians at her side, not foreign Rangers. I clenched my fists. Lady Anzu's final words rang in my mind as my promise hung heavily on my heart.

I grabbed a pair of full restores, tossing one of them to Riley. "For Oberon," I said. "We'll need that flygon when we arrive.

He caught it, stuffing the bottle into his pack. "Do we have a chance?" He asked. "The odds aren't great."

I smirked, showing off a false confidence. "We've gotten out of worse jams," I said. "Fight hard and fight smart. Rocket might have us outnumbered, but each of us is worth at least two of them. We can do this."

Riley nodded grimly as Janine got to her feet. There were six or seven of us still in the infirmary. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. We had followed her this far. There was no backing out now.

The flight was far simpler than I had been expecting. The waves were massive, fifty foot swells that reached hungrily up towards our aerial formation. But the skies were clear and nothing bothered us on our trip back to One Island. We could see our destination almost from the moment we departed.

Mount Ember rose from the water, a steady stream of black smoke billowing from its peak. A steel grey tube was lodged halfway up the volcano, the bottom of the sub broken on the volcanic rock.

Riley's massive flygon veered towards Janine and I. He cupped a hand around his mouth and shouted over the roar of the ocean. "They beached the sub!" he shouted.

"Probably got caught on a wave!" Janine replied. "Means this is it!"

"No escape this time," I said with finality.

We swung south after spotting the Rocket forces constructing some sort of metal array on the volcano's peak. Janine took us in low, landing near the base of the mountain on the west side. The waves were breaking on the far side of Mount Ember, giving some small refuge for the few dozen wooden skiffs and schooners sitting in the shallows.

Bill and Celio were waiting for us, along with a few of the lab staff and one of the islanders. More men and women were assembling on the small volcanic beach, a few small boats ferrying people ashore.

Bill pressed a pair of pokeballs into my hands as I approached. "I haven't let them out, but the Fuchian staff said she was in perfect health."

I tapped the button on the familiar, dented pokeball. "Luna," I said with a breathless grin. "You're alright!"

She planted her feet as she materialized and I felt her mind touch mine. A joyous laugh echoed out of my mouth as she exclaimed a happy reply. She pressed into me and enveloped me in several of her warm, furry tails.

"I'm happy to see you too, girl." I said, scratching her affectionately on the neck. I stood up, still beaming down at her. "But we've got a job to do."

Bill pointed at the second ball, his expression smug and proud. He'd clearly succeeded in the task I'd put before him. "I've reprogrammed the porygon that Surge had in containment for you. It looked like Rocket had added some bootleg code to Silph's original porygon and made some crude changes."

I tapped the ball and the murderous porygon that had tried to kill me in Celadon appeared. It wasn't like I remembered it though. The hard, sharp angles were replaced by sleek, smooth curves. It wasn't glitching or spasming, just sitting there regarding me with curiosity.

"When I designed the original porygon for Silph, it was rushed out the door to meet investor deadlines. I wasn't done." He looked over at the digital pokemon and smiled knowingly. "They wanted a living computer, one that would blindly follow any directive coded into it. I protested that it was the stuff of every bad sci-fi trope, but the company forced me to drop it and put out the product the investors had paid for."

I looked over the porygon, admiring the changes. "I'm guessing that you gave it and upgrade of sorts?"

He nodded. "The original blindly followed orders. This 'porygon2' has its own moral code that is constantly learning and growing." He stood back smugly. "Two, say hello."

The porygon bowed its head towards me, chirping and whistling.

Bill handed me a headset fashioned from an old phone. A haphazard antenna was wired to the speaker, an aging power pack strapped to the other ear. "It's a little unwieldy, but it was the best I could do on such short notice."

I took the contraption and slipped it on, flicking the switch on the battery. "It's amazing, Bill."

I pointed at the headset as I turned my head to face the digital pokemon.

"Greetings, Marcus-trainer. I am Two, a sentient computer program built at Silph Company." The porygon seemed to hang its head. "I apologize for attacking you, though my actions were not my own."

"That's alright, Two," I replied. "Glad to have you on our side now."

Janine stepped between Bill and I, a look of annoyed impatience on her face. "If you two are done, we have an army to fight."

"Right," Bill said mareepishly. He pulled the elder islander forward. "The waves were threatening to swamp the entire island. We were taking shelter from the waves when their sub arrived."

"It rode along a wave. It shook the mountain with its impact," said the elder. "It defiles our Ember with its presence, their foul abominations prowling her slopes."

"More fusions?" I asked cautiously, glancing at Bill.

He nodded solemnly. "And an army of Rockets."

"My people are not fighters, but we have a few who wish to help." The elder gestured to a scant few trainers among them gathering on the beach. I saw a few others with no pokemon of their own gathering among the group. "We will help you drive off these outlanders."

Janine nodded "We appreciate it," she said. "Looks like we're going to need the help."

"After what your Ranger did to help with our food, it's the least our people can do." He looked over at me, a grateful smile on his face. "We repay our debts."

"Either way, we're in tough." Janine scowled. She turned away, looking up the mountain at the billowing smoke above. "Rocket got here first. They've had a chance to dig in and establish defensive positions." She shook her head and turned back to the rest of us. "This won't be an easy fight."

Nobody answered, a silent chill coming over our group.

"Then we'd best get started," I said, breaking the silence. "Before Gideon finishes whatever it is that he's trying to do with Moltres."

Quiet murmurs spread through the group of islanders. Moltres was practically a god to them. Gideon's plan would make a mockery of it.

"Agreed," said Janine. She glanced around at the group of fighters, shinobi and islanders alike. Maybe twenty-five to thirty combatants in all. It wasn't much, but it would have to be enough. "Let's move!"

I had never climbed a mountain before, much less a volcano that was being battered by tidal waves the entire time. It was a hard climb as the mountain sloped upwards at a steep angle. There were a few places that went almost straight vertical for a few feet. I could feel Mount Ember rumbling underfoot at times as she protested the ocean's wrath. It was a hard climb up the steep slopes of the volcano, but not one of us faltered. We had no choice.

I kept putting hand over foot, climbing towards the smoke rising above us. My hand found a flat, open ledge and I hauled myself up onto the outcropping with a surge of strength.

A crushing bewear hug wrapped around me, the Rocket grunt pushing me off balance. I thrashed with everything I had in a desperate attempt to land on the ledge. We went down in a tangle of limbs, my arms still trapped at my sides.

I bucked violently and smashed the Rocket face first into the cliff face. He only redoubled his efforts to throttle the life from me, blood spurting from his now broken nose. His hands wound their way around my throat as the man shifted, trapping my arms under his knees.

I bucked again, freeing my left arm and reaching for my sidearm. He adjusted and slammed my hand into the ground, sending the pistol clattering away off the cliff. I tore my other arm free and swung my fist, striking a glancing blow off the man's shoulder. He lifted me off the ground slightly, intent on slamming my head back down on the rock. I saw the cold, unfeeling look in his eyes and I knew that I had lost.

Janine's blade impaled the Rocket from above. He went slack, fear welling up behind his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but failed, only a foamy bubble of blood spluttering out. Then he slumped over me as his strength failed and I felt Janine pull the grunt off of me.

"More of them!" she shouted. "Coming down the path."

I rolled onto my stomach and forced myself up to a knee. "Something's wrong," I coughed through my aching throat. "Janine, something is wrong."

A group of three Rocket grunts were slouching towards us, incoherent groans filling the air.

"They're not-"

Brutus was out in a flash of red, surging up the narrow footpath. The three Rockets went tumbling over the ledge with hardly a sound. They just flailed awkwardly as they fell, dashing against the rocks below.

"Janine, there's something wrong."

She pulled me to my feet. "Doesn't matter," she said. Leopold was pulling himself up, Riley a few feet behind him. "We keep moving."

I knelt over the grunt that Janine had impaled, watching as he tapped desperately at his temple. His eyes were racing and I could see strange light burning behind his eyes. The light died as soon as it had started, the Rocket grunt simply laying still as his breaths slowed.

Bill appeared a few moments later, studying the man. He pulled back an eyelid, pointing at a twitching metal tendril that protruded slightly. "The hell is that?" A spark from the man's earpiece drew both our attention.

I looked at him in horror. I'd seen enough of the sparking machinery to recognize Gideon's work when I saw it. "I don't think I want to know."

Bill planted one hand on the side of the man's head, grabbing hold of the earpiece hanging slightly loose. He pulled and I had to hold back the contents of my stomach. A long, spindly, tangle of writhing tendrils tore straight out of the man's ear. Blood and viscous clear discharge came pouring out along with it.

The device spasmed one last time as it tore free, before falling still and laying limply on the ground.

He bucked in pain as a scream of pure agony ripped out of the grunt's bloody lips. His eyes found Bill and he forced himself closer with the last vestiges of strength he had. "Th-th-tha-nk you," he uttered. "The voice.. it's… it's finally gone." He slumped back as his voice trailed off. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he drew a last, rattling breath and lay still.

Bill looked up at me in horror. He glanced between the grunt and myself, as if to confirm what we had both just watched.

"Janine," I said, my voice hushed as I tried to process what I had just seen. "Something is very, very wrong."

She turned to face us and stopped dead as Bill handed me the thing that had been inside the Rocket's head. "What is that?"

"That," I said, lifting the mass of tendrils. "Is our problem. It looks like something I pulled out of one of Gideon's fusions."

I raised my new porygon's ball and released it in front of me. The strange pokemon formed more smoothly out of the red light than any other pokemon I'd ever seen, like it was designed for it.

Two looked at me and bowed its head in respect. "Marcus-trainer, how may I assist you?" Its voice was stilted and robotic through the headset, a blatant reminder of how different my newest team member really was.

I lifted the device. "Can you tell me what this is?"

Two's eyes lit up with white light as it's head pointed down at the contraption in my hand. "The device bears significant similarities to prototype telepathic communications devices developed by Professor Samuel Oak." My porygon's eyes faded back to normal as it looked up at me proudly. "However, this device contains significantly more advanced electrostatic appendages. It is likely capable of crude body manipulation and mental suppression."

"Mind control?" Bill suggested, taking it back and holding the device up to the light. "Why would they need that for the grunts?"

Janine scowled, a familiar expression at this point. "Does it matter?" she asked. Frustration was clear in her voice. "We still have to stop them all."

I glanced up at her. "It matters if these people are being forced into this. If this… if it's mind control… these people at nothing more than slaves to Gideon's will."

"Gideon?" Janine asked. "Or Rocket?"

"He thinks himself above them," Riley interjected. "Above everyone, really. He was adamant that he was using them to push science further than it had ever gone before, that they were the pawns and he was the player."

I got to my feet. "And he made them into his pawns."

Janine looked back over at Bill. "Can we disable this control?" she asked. She glanced over at Two, unsure of whether to ask my new pokemon how it could help.

He shrugged. "It's possible," he replied. "But I would need an active unit, and to know the exact frequency they're using to broadcast commands. It would be far easier to simply shut down the command broadcast."

"Gideon still had your other gem. He had attached it to some kind of control device that he was using to direct the fusions." I glanced over at Janine. "We stop Gideon, we stop all of this."

She met my eyes. She knew what I was saying. We could stop this, her and I. We could end it with one death instead of dozens. We could kill Gideon together. Archer didn't matter anymore. Rocket didn't matter. We had to stop the beast that Rocket had created.

She glanced around as the last of the islanders hauled their kin up to the ledge our group was standing on. "Alright!" she started, putting on her authoritative voice. "We've got a change of plans. Rocket may have been co-opted by their mad scientist. We're gonna split into three teams." She pointed at me. "Ranger Wright and I will be the Alpha strike. We will continue up the mountain and keep looking for Gideon. When we find him, we'll order the missile strike and make sure he's down for the count."

She pointed at the rest of the group. "Leopold will split the rest of you into two groups. You'll each take the long way around the mountain, drawing the Rockets towards you and giving us a clear shot at Gideon."

Leopold stepped forward, his voice booming. "Alright you lot!"

Riley emerged from the crowd, ignoring Leopold's orders. He stared directly at Janine and I. "I'm going with you," he said coldly. "I'm going after him with you."

"That's not-"

He cut her off with a cold glare. "I wasn't asking," he said firmly. "He killed Darcy, did god knows what to her and her pokemon…" Riley trailed off as he looked down at his feet in shame. "She was only in Sevii because I wanted to go on vacation. She was only here because of me." He looked back up, meeting mine and Janine's gaze. "I have to make it right."

"It doesn't," Janine said. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and I saw her fighting back the tears. "I killed my father a few months ago. I killed him for everything he'd done to me and mine." She shook her head. "I didn't make it right. I avenged a thousand wrongs and it still didn't make it right."

Riley's expression softened, but I saw the determination on his face. "He… he needs to die for what he did."

"He will," I said coldly, stepping in front of Janine. "I promise you that. Gideon will die for what he's done." My expression softened and I let some emotion back into my voice. "He will die, for Darcy, for Vector, for everyone else." I put my hand on his shoulder and he met my eyes.

I saw a mirror image of myself. He was close to the same age as me, but on a different path that I was. He was a trainer. I was a soldier. He was a competitor. I was a killer. I hadn't known Riley long, but I knew he was no killer. I wasn't about to let someone else go down the same terrible path I'd been started on, not if I could help it.

"I'm still going with you," he replied after a long moment. I think he saw the concern on my face. "You'll need my help."

I cracked a grin and felt the mood lighten somewhat. "That flygon should come in handy." I glanced up at the footpath leading up towards Mount Ember's peak, then looked back at the other two. "Shall we, then?"

Janine nodded grimly. "Let's end this," she said.

Riley and I both nodded in agreement. This mad scheme of Gideon's had to be stopped. He was playing with forces capable of reshaping the very face of our planet, toying with the natural world in dangerous ways.

We would stop him. This much I knew. We had to. There was no other option. I didn't dwell on the alternatives as we started our climb to the peak.

"Contact!" Leopold's voice crackled out of our radios. "More Rockets! They're all over the north slopes! They've got fusions!"

Janine raised her radio. "Fall back!" she ordered as she wiped sweat from her face. It was getting hotter the closer we got to the peak, the stench of sulphur hanging heavy in the air.

"Negative," came the reply. "They've got us surrounded. We have to stand and-"

"Mayday! Mayday!" shouted a panicked voice. "Fusions are attacking the southern slopes! There's to many of them!"

Janine swore loudly again. "Everyone, fall back and regroup. Focus down the fusions. They might be strong, but they're fragile. Hit them hard and they'll fall apart."

The radio crackled as an incoherent grunt echoed through the connection. The voice died and all we had was static.

"Janine," I said as I stepped up to her side. Our forces were few. There was a good chance that we'd lost them all in one fell swoop. We'd known the risks going in. So had they. "Order the missile strike."

She met my gaze and nodded. It was time. She handed me one of our laser guidance systems and held my gaze. "I'll draw as many of the fusions to one place as possible," she said. "Don't hesitate. Not for anything, not for anyone."

I frowned. I knew what she was saying. "I'm not going to-"

She cut me off with a cold glare. "Don't hesitate," she repeated. "Or I'm sending you to kite these bastards and I'll guide in the strike." She kept eye contact, practically begging me to listen without saying another word.

I reached out and took her hand. I'd barely seen her since her mother's death, barely even spoken to her outside of the missions. "Just be careful," I said. "Fuchsia needs you… Kanto needs you…"

She stared into my eyes, looking intently for something. "What about you?" she asked carefully. "What do you need?"

I let my expression fall. I didn't want to answer that question. "What I need…" I shook my head. "That doesn't matter right now." I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in close, looking into her eyes with every scrap of emotion I could draw on. "Come back safe," I said with finality. "That's what I need. I need for you to be safe."

She glanced around and a smirk came to her face. "Bit late for that, isn't it?" She gestured at the smoke rising above us and the waves crashing relentlessly against the base of the mountain. "Should've picked a better vacation spot, Ranger."

I pulled her in for a sudden, breathless kiss. She let out an unintentional moan for a half a moment before the moment was gone and the danger we were in sank back in. "Vacation," I said suddenly. "I'm taking you on vacation after this. Cinnabar sound nice?"

She glanced up at the smoke above us. "I've had enough of volcanoes for a while."

I let the tension fall away while it could, the easy smile returning. It was easy around her, easy to let myself be happy. "Somewhere cold, then? I hear Sinnoh has some beautiful ski resorts."

She leaned back in and kissed me again and I didn't fight the moment. It wasn't right to act like I hadn't promised her mother I would leave her, but I couldn't help it. She was reckless and dangerous and sexy and the perfect complement to a Ranger like myself.

The kiss ended and both of us pulled back to look at each other. She was smiling like a teenager and I couldn't help the infectious grin from spreading.

"I've gotta call that missile strike," she said. "But once we're done here…" she trailed off, leaving me with the implication as she winked at me seductively. "I think you know what we can do."

I gave her my cheesiest grin. "I've got some idea," I said coyly. We separated and she turned, a pokeball in hand. "Go save the world, babe."

Her venomoth was out, a shrill, trilling cry announcing the bug's presence. Janine looked up at her pokemon, then back at Riley and I. "We'll save it together."

She mounted her massive, ethereal bug. We shared one last longing glance and then she was gone. I watched the shape shrink until Janine threw her pokemon into a steep dive.

"She's impressive," Riley remarked as we resumed our hike towards the peak. "Intimidating, even."

I shrugged. "She's perfect," I said quietly. I felt my mood sour. I didn't know whether Janine and I were really a thing, or if this was all just a stress induced fling. But, I did know one thing. "She's brave and smart and gorgeous all rolled into one. And it can never last."

Riley turned and raised an eyebrow as we continued up the slope. "Why is that?" he asked.

I gave him a solemn look. "I made a promise," I said. "To her mother as she died."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Family, huh?"

I nodded. "Family," I confirmed. "And she has fourteen families to please. None of them seem all too happy that Janine seemed to take a liking to someone like me." I glanced down at myself. "I can't blame them. I'm not much to get excited about. Just some kid off a farm that couldn't deal with his family anymore."

"You kidding me?" Riley asked, an indignant tone creeping into his voice. "You're a goddamn Indigo Ranger, part of your region's first line of defence against pokemon threats." He stopped, forcing me to turn and look at him. "You aren't just some kid off the farm. You're a goddamn certifiable badass. I watched you take on that freaky machamp without even a second thought. Janine and her 'families' would be lucky to have you."

I smiled despite myself. Maybe Riley was right. I wasn't the scared little trainer fighting to save his kidnapped happiny anymore. I was a Ranger, one of Kanto's finest warriors. I'd stood with Janine against Koga. I'd stood with Red and Blue against Giovanni. I had fought in some of the largest battles against Rocket that Kanto had seen. "Maybe you're right," I said. "Maybe they'd have me. But it's a moot point. I made a promise."

Riley shook his head. "Ask her what she wants," he said. "Don't make the choice for her. You just might find that she wants the same things you do." He smiled, but I could see that sadness in his eyes. "Don't leave it to the world to make your choice. You might find that you don't like the choice it makes for you."

I fell silent. My word meant everything, more so since Lady Anzu had made me promise as she breathed her last. I had to speak with Janine about this. My mind drifted towards the idea of vacationing with her, and the thought crossed my mind of telling her then.

We stepped up to the peak and I felt the heat wash over me. All the worries and troubles weighing on my mind faded away as I looked across the volcanic crater between us. Gideon was smirking at Riley and I, his arms folded behind his back. The pool of lava bubbled and simmered, the heat haze clouding the air between us and our foe.

Metal spires rose above the peak, static electricity buzzing heavily in the air. Sparks leapt down one of the spires, jumping from one to another as the electrostatic hum grew in volume.

"I'm gonna kill him," Riley muttered. "With my bare hands."

"Janine," I said, raising my radio and ignoring Riley. He'd get his chance. "we're up at the peak. Gideon is here."

"Strike is on the way," she replied. "I've got the attention of some of the fusions. Paint Gideon with the laser guidance and keep him occupied."

I looked down at the radio. "Janine, that wasn't the plan. The missiles are for the fusions, not Gideon."

"Shut up, Ranger," came her reply. "The fusions are all over our distraction teams. They aren't letting up and I'll be damned if I let them all die." I heard her sigh audibly through the radio. "Kill that madman. Kill him and end this insanity."

I looked across at Gideon, my hand falling to my ball belt. He had no pokemon clearly with him, but I didn't put any stock on that. I raised the radio, my eyes locked with Gideon. "We got this," I replied. "Stay safe, Janine."

Static crackled out of the radio. I thought I heard garbled words, but they were lost in the white noise.

"Did you get a heartfelt goodbye, Ranger?" Gideon asked sardonically. "I hope the Lady Anzu does not mind losing another loved one. Not so close after watching her mother die in your arms..."

My hands balled into fists. "This is over now, Gideon. This is where your mad quest ends."

"Come now, Ranger. You sound like dear old Archer. Always questioning my sanity and thinking yourself above me." He unfolded his arms and I saw the control device in his hands. "He saw the truth of it in the end, the same as you will."

"What did you do?" I asked. We needed Archer alive, needed the intelligence he could provide.

Gideon grinned maliciously and I saw the flicker of amusement in his eyes. "I simply opened his mind," he said. "Showed him the error of his ways and gave him a little glimpse of the future."

I saw movement in the sky behind him. I could see the missiles streaking towards us, closing fast. "So you enslaved him?" I half-shouted. I needed to keep the attention on me. "You locked him in his head and put one of your tentacle devices in there with him?"

He shrugged. "Progress requires sacrifice. Archer could not see that. He tried to stop me…" his voice trailed off and I saw another flicker of amusement behind his eyes. "I didn't let him. Just like I won't let you!"

"You're a monster," I said. "Little more than a wild beast gone mad with bloodlust." I tightened my fists. I knew that not all Rockets were willing members of the organization, that many were coerced into compromising situations and given no other options. "Archer at least had morals. Archer at least cared for his men." I lifted Luna's ball off my belt, itching to let her out.

"And he tried to stop me when I gave him what he wanted. He tried to shut down my life's work!" Gideon turned, looking up at the missiles with a knowing grin. He raised the control device and I knew that he had outplayed us the entire time. He'd been a step ahead of us, a step ahead of Archer. He'd orchestrated all of this. "I won't let you stop me either."

He pressed a command on the device as Riley and I released our starters. Luna was out in a flash, already bounding around the lake of lava towards Gideon as Oberon announced his presence with a roar.

A twisted houndoom that crackled with electricity running down the creature's horns leapt from the lip of the volcano, slamming into Luna. They went tumbling, both of them snapping and snarling at the other as Riley's flygon took flight over them. The earth dragon bellowed down at our opponent, ignoring the blast of white lightning that harmlessly washed against his scales.

The missiles screamed down towards us as I flicked on the laser guidance system and pointed it at Gideon. Gideon turned and smirked at us, unperturbed by the ordnance sailing down towards him. He tapped another command on his device and met my hateful gaze with a knowing smile.

The missiles screamed past us all, whizzing down the eastern slopes of the mountain. I felt a half dozen explosions rock the mountain, felt the volcano's protest rumble beneath my feet.

"Marcus!" crackled the radio. "The fusions are all retreating! They're running for the peak!"

"Gideon diverted the strike!" I shouted back. "Get the hell up here, now!"

I didn't wait for her answer. Acolyte was out in a flash, Two and Artemis appearing half a heartbeat later. Riley's manectric and mightyena padded over to our sides, his growlithe and houndour behind his larger pokemon.

Luna separated from the abominable houndoom as Oberon swooped down. Riley's flygon hit the fusion with a hammer blow from his tail as it exploded with lightning, ignoring the white-hot electricity washing over him. The houndoom bounced twice and skidded helplessly into the pit of lava, silently sinking into the molten rock.

Oberon landed in front of Riley, bellowing a fearsome cry of victory. Artemis echoed the larger dragon, her roar higher pitched than the flygon.

Then they came. Dozens of them, swarming over the walls of the crater, each of them a new bloody fantasy. I saw twisted dragons mauling Artemis, a monstrous hydra of onix heads slamming Acolyte back into the rock face, we were losing to a storm of creatures we couldn't possibly hope to fight.

Electricity streamed off of Two and bathed Luna's burning opponent in white light. The flaming creature shrugged it off and belched a stream of pressurized water that catapulted my starter into Riley's.

Oberon shrieked in sudden surprise, going down under Luna's impact. A half dozen fusions that I couldn't even begin to fathom swarmed them both. Riley's manectric and mightyena bounded over to help, but sheer numbers forced the two back.

Luna leapt out of the horde as Oberon launched himself skyward. Artemis fled for the skies as well, but I felt the sudden rise in pressure and the coppery taste of metal in my mouth.

The spires around the peak lit up with a thousand bolts of lightning. Luna, Artemis and Oberon shrieked as the cage of light flung them back to the ground, each of them skidding to a halt. Acolyte leapt from his battle with the hydra, beating back an opportunistic creature that had once been a rattata.

I rushed over to my starter as Riley did the same. Neither were moving, either was Artemis. I turned, facing Gideon as the fusions finally halted their advance. Our pokemon were arrayed in a small circle around us, though I doubted they could take much more of this.

Gideon smirked knowingly. "I'm glad you're here to see this," he started. "it felt wrong to do this alone. History deserves an audience, don't you think?"

Movement stirred on the lip of the crater. I took an involuntary step backwards as I turned and followed the lip of the crater all the way around. Dozens more of abominations were sliding into view, all of them glaring directly down at Riley and I. I spun, putting my back to his as I fought back the feelings of despair. We had lost and we never had a chance.

"You were never going to be able to stop this," he said happily. "You struggle against destiny, Ranger! You cannot possibly triumph, cannot defeat fate itself!" He raised the control device, a victorious grin spreading across his face. "I have already won! You look upon your saviour!"

He pressed a button on the device and the world seemed to go quiet for a moment. Then the volcano shook violently, a tremendous shockwave washing over the peak and knocking me to the ground. Dirt and dust billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun as molten rock and lava spewed into view.

The mountain groaned in protest as a thunderous storm of rock slammed back down to earth. I looked up in terror as half the mountain arced back down towards us. This was the end.

A wall of hard light sprung into existence above us. It curved into a smooth arch at the last moment, diverting the storm of stone safely around us.

"Marcus-Trainer, you are safe." The voice in my improvised headset was proud, happy even.

I glanced at my new porygon. "You magnificent machine," I started. "How did you do that?"

"This construct possesses hard light projection capability." It turned a head to look at me. "Along with energy refraction and manipulation."

I blinked numbly. "I don't speak scientist," I said.

My porygon's voice seemed almost smug in my ear. "I can project force fields capable of blunting most physical and energy based attacks."

I smirked as a torrent of falling rock and lava washed against the barrier. It bent and twisted, but my porygon did not falter.

Two hummed with power, the barrier pulsing with energy. It surged with light, the barrier pushing outwards as the last of the falling stones harmlessly impacted the hard light. The avalanche of stone finally abated, a thunderous roar still echoing around the mountain as the stones crashed down the slopes.

The volcanic crater at the peak was littered with glowing stones and puddles of molten rock. Pieces of the fusions that had been on the eastern side of the peak were strewn about, most of them little more than chunks of burnt, bloody flesh. Most of the fusions around us had been crushed by the debris, leaving us safe for the moment.

The sun laboured through the dust and smoke, casting the hellscape in a rusty red light. The heat was oppressive and i sucked back a stale breath of fire and brimstone.

"What the hell was that?" Riley asked.

I looked over to Gideon, who was looking down at the slowly emptying pool of lava with barely restrained glee. He hadn't been knocked over, or harmed in any way. "That," I started with a knowing scowl. "was a doorbell."

"Marcus," Janine's voice crackled. "The sub just exploded! Half the mountain is gone. You gotta get out of there!"

I raised the radio. "He's waking up Moltres. We can't let him-"

Then I felt it and I lost the words. An angry, furiously hot presence reached into my head and blotted out any spare thoughts. All I could see was fire and I knew that Gideon had written our doom.

The lava was draining from the pool, exposing a dancing mane of fire. Burning wings spread and I felt incandescent heat wash over me. Then they flapped and death went before it.

Moltres rose into the air, divine flames streaming from its wings. A few of the fusions fought back, their captive minds immune to the fire god's overwhelming presence. Moltres devastated them all the same, holy fire wiping the altar that had once been the mountain clean.

Then lightning wrapped around the holy raptor, halting its majestic revenge with a sudden snap of electricity. Most of the spires had been damaged or destroyed in the blast, but a few of them were still online.

I felt the mental pressure lift, and felt my mind return to my own. I dropped to my knees, my eyes snapping up to Gideon.

"The hell was that, now?"

I glanced over at Riley. I'd felt something similar when in Articuno's presence, though it had not been so intense. "That is a god's mind," I said. I looked back at Moltres, at the cage of lightning wrapping around it. "And it is angry."

Riley got to his feet, surveying his team. "How do we stop him?" he asked. "We can't fight those fusions, not without help."

I returned most of my team and then dug into my pack, pulling out the full restore. "We've got to try," I said. I stepped over Artemis, looking down at her battered and convulsing wings. She'd taken a beating and been bathed in lightning but I needed her more than ever. "Heal your flygon. Take out those lightning towers. I'll keep Gideon and the fusions off of you."

He raised his full restore, returning his team in the process. "It hurt him too," he said. "We can't get close to them."

"Then do it from afar," I replied. "Free Moltres and we win." I looked back at Gideon. "Free Moltres and Gideon dies."

He turned and treated his flygon as I sprayed the full restore over my aerodactyl. She perked up immediately, nuzzling her nose into my hand.

I pulled back, guilt wracking me at what I was about to ask. I knew she would never refuse. "Artemis," I said with a proud smile. "You think we got him?" I asked, gesturing over my shoulder at Gideon.

She looked up at the mad scientist and growled, curls of faintly blue smoke curling from her jaws. My aerodactyl nodded, her eyes never leaving Gideon.

I mounted my pokemon and gritted my teeth. "Then let's go get his attention."

I didn't wait for Riley to move. We launched into the sky, Artemis roaring a furious challenge to the twisting mass of onix heads. She hung at the top of her arc for a moment, holding us up as Gideon turned and looked up in surprise.

"Give him hell, girl," I ordered.

She threw us into a steep dive, cutting under a flying boulder launched by one of the onix tails. I held fast, waiting for the moment as she spun wildly around a second boulder. She flared her wings as she extended her hind claws and landed atop the fearsome fusion of onix heads.

I jumped free, releasing Luna as I sailed desperately leapt away from the creature. I hit the ground hard, rolling away from the thrashing stone serpent before it could crush me.

"Keep it occupied!" I roared as I pounded my way towards the mad scientist in front of me. "Stay alive!"

I ignored the deafening shrieks of fury and shattering cacophony of stones slamming into stone. Fire and psychic light erupted behind me as Luna opened up with all she had. I could hear Artemis roaring and felt the rumbling bellow of the fusion shake the mountain beneath my feet. My pokemon could give me time, enough to maybe stop Gideon myself.

Gideon was panicking, keying in a command on the control device as I closed with him. The flaming creature rose, looking down at me with a blank expression. I could see now that it was a twisted magmortar, one that burned brighter than any natural pokemon had a right to be.

I ran hard, hand on my belt. Two was out in a flash, a hard light barrier springing into place just in time to deflect a burst of white-hot flame skyward. It swung a long tail with a heavy red ball on the end of it as I dashed past, trying desperately to stop me from reaching its master. I scrambled under the swing and released Acolyte as electricity sparked along the length of the creature's tail.

Acolyte's club intercepted and absorbed the bolt of lightning as Two summoned a swirling ball of chaotic light. I tore my gaze away, intently focused on the man responsible for the chaos behind me. I could hear Two's monotone babbling in my headset, the titanic struggle of the hydra, panicked screaming through the radio. All of it, all the chaos caused by one man.

My sidearm was gone, knocked halfway down the volcano. I'd left my rifle back on the Fang to lighten the load for our flight over. As I pounded towards the mad scientist, I knew I wasn't going to need either of them.

I leapt into the punch, throwing all my weight behind the blow. Gideon ducked to the side as my fist glanced off his ear. I hit Gideon at full speed, my shoulder slamming into his chest and throwing us both to the ground in a tangle of flying limbs.

The control device went bouncing, landing several feet away. Gideon bucked and tried desperately to get out from underneath me but I was heavier and stronger than he was. I clambered atop him as he reached for the device and drove a fist into his jaw.

I rose my fist again as Gideon threw his arms up in a weak defence. He got an arm in front of my hammer blow, stopping me from breaking his nose. Vector's fate replayed in my mind again and again, the killing blow echoing repeatedly in my mind with every blow I landed.

"You killed him!" I shrieked wildly, punctuating each word with another blow. Gideon's ineffectual defence fell away beneath me, but all I could see was red. "You're going to pay for what you did."

Another crushing blow found its way past Gideon's guard. His head lolled back and his arms fell uselessly to the ground.

I felt my heart grow heavy as I looked down at him. His face was a bloody mess, nose bent to the side and blood painting the both of us. "You killed him and he… he didn't even want to be a trained pokemon."

Gideon mumbled something through bloodied lips. I didn't catch it. I didn't care. my hands found their way around his throat and I squeezed with all the strength I had. "This is better than you deserve," I said coldly. "but this has to end."

He coughed and bucked wildly beneath me, but I held tight. His eyes darted around wildly, his hands scrabbling desperately for any purchase. I lifted him slightly off the rock, intending to smash his head back down until he finally stopped fighting.

Something warm and wet wrapped tightly around my waist and flung me backwards. The world flipped end over end before something caught me a few inches off the ground.

"Marcus-Trainer," said two. "Retrieve the control device and I can stop them."

Two let me go as I got to my feet. "Keep helping Acolyte. We have to hold them until Riley gets Moltres free!"

I glanced up at the new attacker as Two darted back around the magmortar and didn't even bother to make sense of it. It had maybe been a grass type at one point, but it defied any attempts at mental explanation. It was vaguely humanoid, its splotchy green body covered in small black spikes. It laughed staccato over the carnage of battle and then broke open at the neck. A long, prehensile tongue lolled out and reached for me as my hand dropped to the last ball on my belt.

It snapped up, wrapping around my wrist before I could release Curie. I felt my entire arm go numb, felt it fall like dead weight and stumbled backwards. The creature's tongue wrapped around my chest again and wound tightly around my neck.

I went completely slack. There was nothing I could do to stop this. I couldn't move, couldn't feel a thing aside from the numb tingling across my body. Gideon was stirring and I couldn't move a muscle.

He was laughing. Gideon was laughing through the blood and pain. The creature turned me to face him as he rose and I saw the twisted enjoyment on his bruised and broken face.

"You almost had me," he spat through the blood. He bent down and lifted the control device from the rocks. "I won though, just like I-"

I saw Janine's venomoth surge over the lip of the crater on a psychic wind, a beam of shimmering iridescent light carving down through the smoke. It hit Gideon in the back and carved clean through him mid-word.

He came apart in front of me, simply ceasing to be. The control unit fell against the rocks again and smashed to a half dozen pieces, the precious sapphire shattering upon impact. Gideon's halves fell forward and landed unceremonious on the volcanic rock.

The fusion holding me shrieked in surprise, throwing up a wall of murky black shadow that blunted the psybeam. Its tongue dropped me unceremoniously and snapped up to entangle Janine and her venomoth.

A kaleidoscope of alien light erupted from the poison moth's compound eyes, smashing through the barrier like it wasn't even there. The fusion screeched as the signal beam sliced through the creature's tongue and carved through the base of the neck. Its screech of pain died suddenly as Janine's venomoth swooped down, bisecting the fusion and dropping it to the ground.

Janine leapt from her bug's back as it took flight over the raging battle. She was at my side, shaking me as she desperately checked on me.

"I'm… okay…" I said, fighting to get the words out through a mouth that refused to move. My eyes looked over at Riley, at the bolt of lightning that flung his flygon harmlessly away from the device. "Help… him…"

She followed my gaze to the method of Moltres' imprisonment. The fusions were still fighting, and without the control device to order them off they'd kill us all.

"Stay here," she ordered, the barest traces of a laugh on her face at her joke. I couldn't have moved even if I had tried.

Then she was gone, sprinting headlong through the battle like a suicidal maniac. I watched her go with fear and awe, my heart jumping into my throat as the two overwhelmingly powerful fusions turned their attention to the newcomer in the battle.

She slid under the magmortar's legs, not waiting for Two to create her a path. My porygon leapt into action regardless, summoning a barrier that sprung into place just behind her. The magmortar's attack rebounded back on itself, blinding it for a brief moment as Janine sprinted away.

The twisting and endless ouroboros of onix heads plunged towards her, shaking off Artemis' harassment from above. Brutus appeared just in the nick of time, his thick pillar-like arms catching the falling onix heads. Janine sprinted by as Luna dashed along the length of the hydra, pelting the bleeding joints between serpents with glowing balls of green light.

I lost her behind the hydra as the battle turned away from our favour. Another onix head slammed into Brutus from behind, finally finding an opponent that they could actually catch. Luna and Artemis descended on the onix hydra but it was too little too late. Brutus was already trapped.

Then I felt it. The mountain below me jumped like it had just been struck by a meteor. I felt it rumble beneath me, saw and heard the spray of flying rock tumble down the far side of the mountain. The peak tipped and I felt wind rushing over me as I fought desperately to move.

Then my mind was lost to fire and hate. The world shook and burned and I let myself be taken by the storm.

My first breath was hot and sooty. I hacked a cough, spitting out dry puffs of ash and smoke. The second breath wasn't much better, but I caught the faint salty taste of seawater.

I forced myself up, noticing that my body seemed to respond to my commands once more. It still felt unnatural, like I was forcing movement, but at least I could move. I looked up and out of the small tent in awe and tried not to crap my pants in terror.

What was left of Mount Ember was burning above us. Great cavities had been opened up in the mountain, irreparably reshaping the peak of the volcano into something new. I could still feel the oppressive anger of Moltres' presence, but it was quiet and muted compared to before.

I felt something stir on my lap and looked down as Luna enveloped me completely. I coughed madly and wrapped my heavy arms around her as my ninetales fussed over my ragged appearance. I could hear Artemis grunting and shoving and Acolyte's frustrated groan as the tent collapsed on top of us.

Artemis shrieked as the tent landed on her back, twisting back and snapping at the fabric with her jaws. She tore a large hole and then looked back at me, satisfied with my safety after defeating the terrible tent monster.

Movement outside my cocoon of protective pokemon drew my attention. Janine was there, smiling widely and doing a terrible job of hiding her bleary red eyes. Riley and Bill were flanking her but I only had eyes for Janine. I could hear more voices, happy and victorious voices all celebrating a hard won victory.

"You've been crying," I said weakly as I struggled to look at her. I sat up a little straighter, forcing Luna to let me up. "Did something happen?"

She punched me in the shoulder and I saw her break into a wide grin. "You happened, you big dumb idiot. You got yourself paralyzed and then disappeared." She threw her arms around me and pulled me into a crushing hug. "I thought we lost you when the mountain broke. Moltres burned away the fusions but you were just gone." She gestured around at my pokemon. "Two and Luna caught you," she said with a waver in her voice. "Caught you and kept you safe."

I looked around. Two and Luna, Artemis and Acolyte, even Curie was sitting with me. "Did we win?" I asked cautiously. I remembered Gideon dying, but everything after that was a blur.

Riley nodded and stepped forward, shoving his sleeve up to his elbow. "Damn right we did," he said. He bared his wrist towards me and I saw the band of fiery red wrapping around it. "Moltres even thought I was worthy of its special mark."

I rolled my sleeve back and extended my wrist. "Just like Articuno gave me this."

His eyes widened and he looked between me and my mark excitedly. "That's gotta mean something," he said. "It's also cool as shit!"

"Yeah," I said as a grin came to my face. "I guess it is."

"Janine!" Bill shouted from outside the remnants of the tent. "We've got company. Lapras, riding the waves. Someone's on its back."

Janine and I locked eyes. We both knew who it was. We both knew the danger that meant. Especially if our suspicions were correct and Lorelei was in Rocket's pocket.

"Get me up," I said. "Now." I reached up, squirming towards the side of the bed.

She grabbed my hand, hauling my clumsy and stubborn legs off the makeshift bed. I stumbled, my knees buckling under my own weight. Janine caught me though, wrapping my left arm around her and supporting me with her shoulder.

"I got you," she said under her breath. "We got her together. We can take her if we surprise her."

I looked at her, silent for a moment as my mind worked. With Rocket defeated, we had an opportunity to feign ignorance. "Let me talk to her," I said. "I have an idea. Just go with it and don't contradict me unless she attacks first."

I saw her eyes flicker with inspiration. "You're gonna let her think that you don't know she's involved."

I nodded. "It's worth a shot." I took a weak step and didn't fall, most of my weight supported by Janine. "Could trick her into thinking we're dumber than we look."

She propped me up as we walked, making sure that my stubbornly clumsy feet didn't trip me up. We stepped out onto the beach, the waves peacefully lapping at the beach compared to the raging storm from before.

Rockets were sitting around the camp, hands bound and guarded by one of Janine or Leopold's pokemon. The sardonic shinobi nodded at me in respect as I passed and then turned back to the groups of Rockets we had captured.

Lorelei was atop her majestic lapras, one hand grasping the creature's long neck. She coasted in from the sea and slowed to a halt in the shallows.

One of the islanders waved at her from another boat. The Elite waved back, exchanging words for a moment. The islander pointed over at the beach and Lorelei turned to follow it. Her eyes raked over prisoners gathered on the beach. They found me and I saw the tension ratchet up as her curious expression hardened.

Her lapras approached shore, slowing to a halt as the water grew too shallow for it. The Elite slipped off her pokemon's back and into the water. She stood there for a moment, patting her lapras before it turned back to sea and departed to loiter in deeper waters.

"Elite Kanna," I said, projecting my voice over the water. "Glad you could finally join us." I smirked knowingly. "I hate to say I told you so, but I did tell you our intel was good."

She nodded, her eyes still scanning the captured Rocket grunts. "That you did, Ranger." She settled her gaze back on me and I felt the accusation in her eyes. "Congratulations on your victory. Surge will be pleased."

"As will Lance," Janine replied. "He seemed most interested in speaking with the Rocket captives himself."

"I do not doubt that," Lorelei said coldly. "He wants to get to the bottom of this Rocket business as much as anyone." She looked around, regarding the small encampment as if she was analyzing how much effort it would take to wipe us all away and pretend that Moltres did it. "Do you have transportation back to Kanto? That storm destroyed most of the vessels I have moored around the islands, but I still have a few that could make the trip."

Janine stepped forward, letting me stand on my own. "My ship is strong. The Poison Fang is already underway. She should arrive within the hour and is well capable of carrying us and our captives back to Kanto."

Lorelei narrowed her gaze. "That won't be necessary," she said. "I'll bring these captives directly to the Champion. I'm sure you understand, he wishes for this to be resolved without having to go through a lengthy prisoner transfer."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Janine replied. "Fuchsian tradition states that captured opponents must be cared for by their captors. I will not shirk my duty and dishonour my clan." She nodded, setting her jaw. "I will ensure that Lance is given all the access to the captives he requires. I imagine many League higher ups will be interested in what the captives have to say."

Lorelei's expression hardly faltered, but for half a moment I saw the panic and fear on her face. She flashed back to her grim countenance a moment later, but I knew that she was afraid of that. No doubt, the Rockets could easily implicate her if given a chance to testify.

"I'm afraid I must insist," she replied. "I cannot allow these Rockets to escape justice, as have many other operatives in the past." She cocked her head to the side, staring straight at Janine. "I'm sure that you understand. League security takes precedence over supposed honour."

I saw Janine tense up and felt her mood shift towards aggression. "I'm afraid that Ranger Command is waiting for them," I said. "Fuchsia is preparing already." I took a shaky step forwards and planted my feet beside Janine, trying my best to smile happily. "I suspect that Surge and Lance will be waiting. Perhaps you could escort us to ensure the Fang arrives in a timely fashion."

Her gaze shifted to my innocent smile. I saw her studying me, and could see the gears turning in her mind. "That won't be necessary," she said. "If Lance will meet you in Fuchsia, then there is no need for me to leave Sevii." She glanced back at the gathered ships still moored in the small harbour. "They'll need me."

I nodded. "Yes they will." I offered her the most genuine smile I could. Maybe she was in Rocket's pocket, maybe she was working with them willingly. It wasn't much, but there was a chance I could appeal to her humanity. "I have a feeling we all will."

She lifted an arm, waving back to her lapras. The large aquatic pokemon lazily curled into the shallows again. "Then I hope we shall meet again, Ranger. Perhaps it will be under better circumstances."

I nodded back. "I hope it will be."

She nodded in reply, saying nothing but mounting her lapras. She left, only after pausing amongst the ships moored in the harbour to coordinate recovery efforts after the storm.

Janine and I didn't move until she left, standing in resolute silence until we were absolutely sure the danger was gone.

She turned to me and I saw the solemn frown. "My men retrieved Vector's body for you," she started. "so you could give him a proper burial."

I slung an arm around her. "Thank you," I said quietly. I'd wanted to do so myself, but there hadn't been time while we were chasing Gideon. "I… I failed him. He didn't even really want to be a part of my team at first. I bribed him with honey. I dragged him into this and he saved me without hesitation." I looked out mournfully at the ocean. "He'd still be alive if I hadn't caught him."

"He was a good bug," Janine remarked.

"The best bug," I confirmed. We fell into silence, Janine resting her head against me while she supported my weight. It was nice, peaceful even, just watching the waves roll in. I just wished that it hadn't come at such a heavy cost.

Leopold was the one to break the silence. He stepped up to the shore, trudging heavily through the sand. I couldn't blame him. We were all tired. He stood there, toes touching the warm ocean water, and glanced at the two of us. "He's awake," he said. "Says he needs to speak with the Ranger."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who?" I asked.

Janine grinned widely and I knew we had made a huge breakthrough. "Archer," she said. "And he's got some explaining to do."

"So," said the tall man. "Sevii has fallen. Just as you said it would."

"Yes," replied the shorter man. "But Project Catalyst survived and is ready to deploy. Our diversion worked, even if it did cost us Archer and Gideon."

The tall man scowled. "Gideon was never among our true plans." The Persian behind his chair shifted and stepped into the light. "He was a tool blinded by his own usefulness. The fusions are powerful, but they are hardly a countermeasure for our real problem." He waved his hand. "I am not concerned with these minor losses. Let the Ranger and the Shinobi think they have won a victory. It will hardly matter when we move on Silph."

"Is that soon?" the short man asked. "The men are getting restless."

"Patience," he replied. "We move too early and our chance at ending this debacle early is lost. Perhaps it is a fool's hope, but I still believe that the ball could work. Maybe not in my hands, but there are alternatives."

"Still?" the short man asked again. "Even after everything that he has done?"

"It," the tall man corrected. "It is not a he, it is a creation. An abomination of nature." He shook his head slightly. "I was careless once and we unleashed something beyond our control. I will not allow this mistake to fulfill its dream."

There was a long silence. "I meant one of the boys," the short man replied. "You still believe that they will prove their worth? They have defied us at every turn."

The tall man nodded solemnly. "I do." He got up, turning away from the desk and looking out over the city. Saffron was still sleepy in the early hour, the Rangers' lockdown stifling the city nightlife. "They'll do what's right. Because it's what we would do."

The shorter man made no move to reply. He departed through the double doors that led to his secret elevator. He would be back. He always came back.

Pokédex Entry # 146 – Moltres

Moltres is a being that is well tracked and revered throughout human history. Cinnabarean tribesmen worshipped the firebird until recent years, and the Sevii Islanders continue this practice to this day. Its true sanctuary is unknown, however Ranger intel has tracked it to multiple volcanoes in the seas south of Kanto.

Moltres commands an eternal flame that never burns out. It is said that the League's flame is a preserved Moltres flame.

All attempts to approach this creature have been met with extreme hostility. Ranger command urges all trainers to keep their distance and report sightings to your nearest Ranger post.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101

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

Corporal SN# 109-512-6591, Marcus Wright, current team:

Luna, Ninetales

Artemis, Aerodactyl

Acolyte, Marowak

Two, Porygon-2

Curie, Chansey