Within the ship’s navigation room congratulations were being warmly exchanged upon yet another successful crossing. The captain of the St. Marion stood at the forefront, gazing out of the wide, well-polished screen with a wide smile accompanying his time-worn features as he watched the tips of Artina Ridge’s settlements draw into view.
“Status report” he remarked bluntly.
“10 miles, sir” came a voice from behind. The captain nodded.
“Very well. Prepare the signal and be ready to deliver it on my order”
“Yes sir.”
The next thing they knew, the travellers found themselves sprawled upon the floor as an expansive low-pitched blast of sound erupted into the air around them.
“Alright!” Errol snapped as the broken groans of his companions bubbled into existence. “Who’s da smart guy?”
“Obviously not you” Adam muttered grumpily, slowly sitting upright and rubbing at his face. “Will you keep it down? My head’s echoing like a drainpipe”
“Only a drainpipe?” James remarked. “Mine’s echoing like Grandpa Canyon.”
Adam narrowed his glare and blinked wearily as his eyes attempted to register objects amongst the sunlight.
“Gives you all the more reason to be quiet then” he commented.
“If everything wasn’t spinning so much…” James slurred. “I’d come over there and give you a reason to regret those words… twerp”
“Guys…” Denise warned as Caley irritably wiped the perspiration from his forehead. “Try not to make the tension worse than it is already. We’re all hot and uncomfortable.”
“No kiddin” Errol murmured, removing his jacket shakily. “I t’ought dis was Artina, not Porta Vista!”
Adam gave Errol a funny look.
“Port a what?”
“Vista” the man continued knowledgably. “Kantoan seaside resort. Met a coupla kooky ol’ women dere; tried our hand at restauranteering…
…amongst udda t’ings”
Errol flashed James a cheeky smirk as he finished his sentence, and received an icy glare in return that clearly dictated if Errol were to say another word on the subject he may soon find himself without a tongue to say anything with.
“I don’t understand” Denise continued. “Artina Ridge’s temperature averages at 28F, even in the summer! This feels more like 59! Surely with heat like this the island will start to melt…”
“You’re right” Caley nodded slowly. “This isn’t normal. Something is definitely going on.”
“Yeah” Errol remarked. “Somet’ing wit’ Team Rocket written all ova it.”
***~~***~~***~~***~~***
Caley’s assumption was correct. Upon arrival into Artina Ridge’s central docking area, the group was confronted with reams of red and white tape.
“Wow,” James remarked as he followed the direction of the striped line with his eyes.
“I haven’t seen this much tape since that lab accident involving a Demolecularizor and rampaging Clefairy…believe me, those things are vicious.”
“What happened here?” Rose asked the woman at the desk with a concerned expression.
“Conservation precautions” she replied sadly. “The majority of the ridge and its gym have been cordoned off to try and prevent the landmass’ rapid erosion under this unusual heat. No one is allowed outside these boundaries, I’m afraid.”
“Do you know what is causing the heat, ma’am?” Adam inquired with utmost politeness, causing the others to exchange surprised glances. “Seems kinda weird to be so warm on an island famously known for its ice-types.”
“I agree,” the woman sighed, looking at a Pokéball that sat on her desk. “I had to recall my Smoochum for fear that she’d become dehydrated. No one seems to know why the weather has altered so much these past few weeks.”
“Few weeks?” Denise echoed. The woman nodded.
“Four weeks ago things were perfectly fine. Then, little by little, the temperature began to rise. The Flayir, Spheal, Swinub, Snorunt and other resident Ice types left for colder climates and we ended up with a deepening situation on our hands. Farrell and his Pokémon have been trying their best to keep things together but it’s getting out of control.
If something drastic isn’t done soon Artina will vanish into the ocean and Ice Pokémon will never be seen again on Tatto.”
The travellers turned around, slipping into their own private conversation for a moment.
“Genetic Pokémon?” Errol whispered.
“It’s got to be” James agreed in lowered tones. “What else would create enough heat to start melting an island?”
“Without being seen by anyone?” Denise protested. “I doubt it.”
The secretary gave out a miserable deflated sigh, but the helpless visage soon turned to one of horror as a bleeping emitted from her wrist. Hurriedly cramming back the sleeve of her blouse the woman’s eyes widened as she scanned the information upon the communications device that was strapped upon her arm.
“I have to go” she spluttered. “The situation has shifted to amber alert and is rapidly becoming more dangerous. I must assist my brother’s plight…
…and you must leave, now!”
With that the woman was gone. Rose frowned at the spot where the figure had been, a discontented expression on her face, as Denise gave out a snort of disbelief.
“Treating us like we’re no more skilled than newbie trainers” she remarked pointedly. “Why I bet we have more experience between us than her and her brother put together”
“I wouldn’t be surprised” Rose agreed. “But she wouldn’t have known that, Neesee.”
“Still” the adolescent inventress continued, a somewhat offended tone entering her voice. “She has no right to judge us by appearance. Besides Caley, we’re all skilled Ex-Rocket members here, aren’t we James?
….James?”
Denise paused for a moment before turning round to glare at the one she had been addressing, only to emit a weird noise of shock upon discovering his absence. Not only had James vanished from sight but Errol, Adam, Caley and Cory were nowhere to be seen either.
“Aw, maan…”
"Brilliant", Rose grumbled in a more sarcastic tone than Denise was used to
hearing her speak in.
"Just brilliant. They've wandered off again."
"Do you think they're suffering from a Shuckle Juice relapse?" Denise pondered.
"I don't know," Rose snapped.
"And frankly, right now it doesn't matter. We have to go and find them."
"But how?" the more youthful member of the duo inquired, somewhat upset by the irritated tones of her partner. An awkward silence descended; Denise shuffled her feet miserably only to have them knock against something soft and rough.
"Huh?"
Turning round her eyes widened with renewed hope as Denise's gaze settled upon a familiar yellow rucksack.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed. "We can use Kota to track the guys down."
Rose smiled in agreement as Denise unzipped the top, reached her arm into the rucksack and removed the green Pokéball from within.
"Come and help us out, Kota"
The Psybab spattered into existence in a burst of white energy, but before he could even utter a cheerful greeting, his huge eyes dimmed and his expression sank into a sleepy obliviousness. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from sight.
"What on earth.?" Denise spluttered, staring at the empty spot where the Pokémon had been. Rose shook her head.
"Kota must be experiencing repercussions of his owner's drunken state" she sighed. "We'd better ask his other Pokémon to help."
"Ok" Denise replied softly, drawing another sphere.
"Stian, can you please help us find Caley and the others?"
The Douumaped emerged, shaking his head vigorously to remove the fuzziness brought on by a digitised slumber. Rose looked at it inquiringly.
"So." she began. "Do you think you can find your trainer?"
"Douroou" the canine nodded, before leaning forward to take a deep sniff of Caley's rucksack.
"Rou!" came the excited acknowledgement. Stian took his heels and sped away, causing Rose and Denise to break into a sprint after it.
***~~***~~***~~***~~***
Not far from the tourist information office that the gang had recently been standing in, a slender figure was poised, back turned, amidst a shelter of frozen crystallised fragments, long hair dancing playfully in the wind as it uttered a soft beautiful melody.
“I don’t believe it..” a familiar voice in broadened tones remarked in an entranced awe as the one it belonged to drew ever closer. “Ya finally found ya way back ta me”
“Mmm?” the figure inquired, turning round to see the six countenances approach dopily.
“You look so beautiful in the sunlight” another chorused agreeably.
“I never thought you felt the same way” a younger one sighed with a noticeable degree of happiness.
Stian skidded to a halt before taking in the scene ahead and growling ominously as a result. Rose and Denise also caught sight of the source of the Pokémon’s anger as they drew up behind it.
“Not good” Denise muttered. “Seriously not good”
“What’s going on?” Rose exclaimed worriedly.
“I recognize that Pokémon,” the adolescent continued with furrowed brow.
“It’s the result of a cross between Jynx and Gardevoir DNA. Beautice, as it was finally named, has the ability to seduce both humans and Pokemon of the opposite gender.”
“That would explain why Kota suddenly vanished like that. But why didn’t it work on Stian?” Rose asked with a sideward glance at the bluish creature as she spoke. “He’s male, right?”
“Yes, but he’s also a Dark type” Denise commented. “Psychic mind control, no matter how powerful, just wouldn’t work on him.”
“Dourou!” Stian agreed happily, before arching his back in Beautice’s direction. The Pokémon looked up as Stian did so, and as their gazes met the canine lowered its stance with a slight whine.
“Wait..” Denise spluttered. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” Rose remarked, puzzled. Denise waved an arm back at the scene.
“The look on her face… it was desperate!
Beautice doesn’t want to seduce the guys any more than we want her to!”
“Mrrruuuu!” the Pokémon squealed in terror as James reached out his arms toward her.
“It’s ok, Jessie” he burbled. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Beautice wasn’t even going to wait to find out what was going to happen next. As far as she was concerned humans had caused her enough problems to last several lifetimes - defensively she thrust her hands out and rapidly encased herself in ice.
“Hey, I know it’s been a while since we last talked, Louise,” Caley remarked, placing his hand on the semitransparent block with an expression on his face that clearly bore similarities to that of a drowsy Slakoth. “But still, that’s no reason to go cold on me.”
If it hadn’t been for the bizarre nature of the situation Denise might have groaned at the ironic pun her friend had made unintentionally. Instead she took matters into her own hands and made her approach, Stian following at a nervous distance.
“Snap out of it guys!” she exclaimed, grabbing Errol’s arm and pulling on it desperately. He swayed a little as a result but said nothing - his eyes were firmly fixed in the direction of Beautice and her encompassing icy prison.
“Rose!” Denise yelled back in upset as Stian pawed at Caley with a whimper.
“If we don’t get this lot to come to their senses soon they’re all going to become frozen to this giant ice cube!”
Rose wandered over thoughtfully, raising an arm as she passed Adam and casually waving a hand across the front of his face.
“Hmm…glazed expression, no reaction to outside influence…this mind control must have been implemented in the form of some kind of subconscious hypnosis attack.”
Denise perked up at this point.
“Which means…” she grinned. “…if we prevent the hypnosis waves reaching Caley and the others then they should automatically regain their own control!”
“Exactly” Rose nodded with a smile of her own. “Stian? Can you shield the guys from the hypnosis waves for us?”
“Dourouu!” the Douumaped barked in reply. The women quickly set about prizing their male friends from the block of ice and gathering them in a group around Stian.
“Now!” Denise called, before any of those under mind control had a chance to walk back toward Beautice again. Stian lowered its ears and a violet wall of energy materialized around James, Errol, Caley, Cory and Adam. What happened next was rather intriguing, almost like the figures had been punctured in unison. Their shoulders slumped, causing their arms to dangle loosely by their sides for a moment. Cory was the first to react.
"Oh no...it happened again, didn't it?" he panicked, wide-eyed. "I lost my-" Then he noticed he wasn't the only figure contained within the shield and rapidly fell silent. Luckily for him, everyone else appeared to have been so pre-occupied with their current state of containment that they hadn't heard Cory's exclamations.
“Whuh?” James blinked, rubbing at his face. “What’s going on?”
“Yeah” Errol remarked with a slight note of annoyance in this voice. “What’s da big idea puttin’ us in some bubble?”
Neither of the female members were listening to their companion’s muffled exclamations, they were too busy trying to coax Beautice out of her glaciated state.
“We don’t want to hurt you!” Denise persisted. “We understand what you’ve been through, how those despicable people treated you…
…we’re not like them. I mean it”
“What is that Pokémon anyway?” Caley inquired, aiming his wrist in the direction of the block. “My WatchDex can’t seem to scan it through all that ice”
“I doubt it can hear Denise through it either” Adam remarked as James pondered upon why his right cheek was cold. “Why on earth did it freeze itself anyway? What sort of dumbnut does that?”
“Perhaps it ain’t got control ova its ice powas yet” Errol told him calmly. “Powas are tough t’ings ta handle, especially fer dose not use ta havin’ em. Just ask Caley.”
The trainer scratched the back of his head awkwardly and blushed at this.
“Hey, Neesee!” James called out. “What happened? Why are we behind this force field?”
“I’m sorry guys” the girl spoke up without looking over her shoulder. “It had to be done. You weren’t in control of yourselves”
“What do you mean?” Caley inquired, somewhat worriedly. “Did we encase that Pokémon in ice somehow?”
“No…” Denise shook her head. “Beautice was startled and did it in self defence”
“Self defence?” Adam echoed, pulling a face. “Wouldn’t it be more logical to ice up whatever the threat was?”
“Ya do realize dat woulda been us, right?” Errol remarked, raising an eyebrow. “Obviously Beautice was showin’ a little compassion an’ decided against turnin’ us all into livin’ Popsicles”
“But I still don’t get it!” James whined. “The last thing I recall was being that tourist information place and now I’m out here!”
“You won’t remember, James” Caley stated firmly. “Beautice had us locked in an unintentional hypnosis.”
“Kinda like Jipu then, eh?” Errol commented, somewhat mournfully.
“Yeah…” Caley nodded, glancing at his Pokédex watch and blushing all over again.
“Something like that.”
There was a sharp cracking sound as the glassy sheen around Beautice quivered and fell to the floor in shards around her tiny feet. The Pokémon slowly looked up at Denise, seeming none the worse for wear as a result of her experiences. Denise returned the look, a persuasive glimmer in her eyes as she did so.
“You do believe me…” she inquired softly. “…don’t you?”
“Mruu…” Beautice remarked uncertainly, taking a glance at the figures behind Stian’s shield.
“We understand that your trust of humans must have been seriously damaged, especially after what has happened” Rose replied. “But they never intended to frighten you, or cause you any harm. None of us do.”
“You see…” Denise began. “You’re…different from other Jynx and Gardevoir”
“Mruu?” the Pokémon blinked in surprise. By now she had finally stopped quaking and was giving the occasional inquisitive glance in Caley’s direction. Denise suddenly appeared awkward and lowered her head slightly as a noticeable redness presented itself upon her cheeks. Rose took this as a signal for her to finish the exposition, while the remainder of the group watched in continuing bafflement.
“Whereas most Jynx use the charms of their kisses to win the hearts of males…” she told Beautice calmly. “You cause them to become infatuated without choice through a process of psychic hypnosis.
From what we could hear, they were all seeing you as the figure they held the fondest thoughts for”
An extremely uncomfortable silence descended - all of a sudden none of the male travellers had any intention of making eye contact with one another while their faces grew more flushed by the second. Beautice certainly looked the worse off for hearing this statement.
“Mruu…” she sighed shamefully, turning away. Denise looked up at the Pokémon’s back, causing her to turn around instinctively.
“It’s not your fault, Beautice” she exclaimed. “That ability is beyond your control. It is a product of black-hearted figures, ones we intend to stop. And once we have halted their evil interfering, then we shall find a way to give you a peaceful and trouble-free existence.
Until then…” The young girl reached into her pocket, and brought out a familiar red and white sphere which she held up for the Pokémon to see. “…you’ll have to stay in here. It’s the only way to stop your psychic powers affecting others.”
Beautice examined the object for a moment before her eyes met with Caley’s one more time. He caught a glimpse of a wistful sigh escaping her tiny mouth before the Pokémon turned to face Rose and Denise for the final time.
“Mru” she nodded, standing perfectly still. Rose gave a sad smile.
“It won’t be forever” the woman uttered softly.
“But for now, it’s better this way.”
The Pokémon let itself become digitised and was retracted into the D-Ball without complaint. Moments later, Stian lowered its force field and the travellers were reunited once more, somewhat saddened by Beautice’s dispirited affluence. James noticed the atmosphere and attempted to lighten the situation in his typical joking manner.
“Heh, I thought turning into a Houndoom was a scary power to not be able to control…” he chuckled half-heartedly, scratching the back of his head. “She had it worse than our first Shuckle Juice encounter! Eh, Errol?”
“Just cram it, bubble brain” Adam muttered under his breath. “This ain’t the time for stupidity”
“Huh!” James exclaimed, folding his arms. “Trust you to keep a situation dampened. You’re like a Qwilfish with an inability to hold its water, dousing the flames of my cheerful intent!”
Adam opened his mouth to yell something very rude indeed, but no sound escaped. The boy’s eyes widened as he stared past James’ head and across the scattering of buildings to a point over the far side of the island.
“Well I’m sorry” James remarked petulantly, throwing himself into a rather childish pose. “I’ve been through too much to simply have my happiness washed out by you. Experience teaches a man to keep on treading water instead of letting himself drown, and the fires of my hope cannot be quelled!”
“Uh, hate ta interrupt’cha little speech dere Jimmy…” Errol remarked nervously.
“But it looks like we got more dan your fires ta be dealin’ with.”
James turned around just in time to witness another white hot plume sear the air from beyond the buildings, accompanied by a fearsome roar.
“Holy crud!” Adam exclaimed as James cowered behind Rose. “That one was higher than the last!”
“What on earth could be making such incredible flames?” Denise spluttered, looking to Caley as if for an answer. The trainer did not reply; his gaze was somewhat distant as he continued to watch the horizon.
“Suh-suh-sounded kinda like a Cha-cha-cha…” James whimpered. Errol gave him a sideward glance.
“Charizard?”
His companion winced upon hearing the name, then nodded furiously. Adam’s face was suddenly awash with realisation.
“That must be the cause of all this melting!” he concluded. Caley didn’t look so sure, but he didn’t attempt to counteract the youth’s theory with an alternate one. “What do you think?”
“The power I sense…” he spoke softly. “It is much much stronger than a normal Pokémon.”
Denise’s mouth dropped open.
“Surely not…”
“Anudda one?” Errol cut in with equal surprise. Caley nodded.
“Amber alert…” Rose murmured in faraway tones. It seemed she had been in deep thought for some time now. “Of course! That woman said she needed to assist her brother…maybe that genetic Pokémon is the cause of the damage around here!”
Adam raised an eyebrow in Rose’s direction.
“Where exactly have you been during the last five minutes?” he exclaimed. “I said that already!”
“Does it matter who’s said it?” Errol groaned.
“We gotta get ova dere and cool t’ings off!”
***~~***~~***~~***~~***
Upon the eastern side of the island, two human figures poised behind their exhausted Pokémon companions; faces contorted into expressions of anguish as they stared up at the ominous fire-stricken presence that towered above their heads. They both were aware of their disadvantage, especially in this situation where the opponent seemed a lot stronger than expected, but both were equally determined not to give in until the threat was contained. This was looking to be easier said than done; with each hit the Pokémon’s temper simply worsened as it stomped from foot to foot, emitting blasts of flame in random directions. The Pokémon continued to persist but neither ice nor water attacks were having any effect; evaporating upon contact with the creature’s conflagrant form.
“Ok, Karis” the male half of the duo breathed sternly. “There has to be some way around this.”
“I wish I could believe you, Farrell” the woman replied with obvious discomfort, glancing at the panting Sealeo in front of her. “But I’m starting to doubt it. Maybe this creature is just too strong for us to take down.”
“If only there was some way to lead it into the ocean,” Farrell muttered to himself. Karis gasped upon hearing this.
“How could you?” she exclaimed. “That’s a Pokémon’s life you’re considering snuffing out like…like some candle!”
Farrell faced her, brow furrowed.
“It is a threat,” he intoned. Karis glared back at him.
“Regardless of whether it is a threat or not it is still a life! And we have a duty to preserve Pokémon life, not destroy it!”
“Maybe so,” Farrell replied, somewhat irritably. It was clear the heat was taking its toll on his usually calm temperament. “But what if the Pokémon happens to be destroying its surrounding environment?”
The question was left unanswered - Karis threw herself to one side and Farrell to the other as a blast of brightness seared the air between them.
“Do you wish for the inhabitants of Artina to be left homeless as a result of your almost blind compassion?” Farrell snapped over his shoulder as he attempted to drag himself upright. “That creature is heedlessly obliterating everything!”
“But can’t you see?” Karis pursued.
“It’s in terrible pain, it needs our help!”
“She’s right, ya know” Errol remarked from the sidelines. The group had been spectating for a short while since their arrival, desperately trying to figure a way to assist. Denise wrinkled up her face in a mixture of horror and sympathy.
“Poor thing…”
“I agree” Caley murmured. “To exist as a walking fireball - that’s not life. That’s torture.”
“Well naturally!” James folded his arms in a rather snooty manner, more annoyed at the incompetence of the lab scientists than anything else. “These Pokémon weren’t exactly created with their own comfort in mind”
“We need to capture it, and fast” Rose stated. “For its own sake most of all. Any more time under that unbearable heat and Fywin is going to go completely insane!”
“Any ideas?” Adam inquired. “From what I’ve seen a dousing with water isn’t really going to help in this situation. And how on earth are we meant to capture it in a Pokéball? Surely with that heat it’ll just melt on contact!”
“All valid points, Adam my boy” Errol nodded sagely. “Aaaand.. . I have no idea how to solve any of ‘em. How about youse, Caley?”
“As a matter of fact..” the trainer began. “I do”
The others craned their necks, eager to hear what the young man had to say.
“We already have our distraction, courtesy of Farrell and his companion there… all we need now is a D-Ball and a nice strong jet of water from our friend Rilly.”
“What?” Adam spluttered in disbelief. “Can’t you see what’s happening out there, Cal’? Water isn’t working on weakening that genetic Pokémon, and the D-Ball will just turn into a pile of melted junk!.”
His frustrated ranting was quickly silenced by a wave of Caley’s hand.
“Who said I was using the water to weaken Fywin?” he grinned. The adolescent pulled a face in puzzlement but James simply stood back to admire the plan in action.
“Caley knows what he’s doing. Give the guy some space, squirt” he commented. “Maybe you’ll learn something.”
Adam growled but moved to the side as Denise released her Aquarill on the snow-sprinkled grass beside her.
“We’re ready” she announced.
“Okay” Caley smiled. “Rilly? I’m going to drop this D-Ball in front of you. Can you aim a Hydro Pump in the direction of Fywin and release it just as I drop the ball in your path. If the move is successful, the water should cool a spot upon Fywin’s body long enough for the D-Ball to be able to make contact without melting.”
“I’m sure with your accuracy we can pull this off, Rilly” Denise nodded, kneeling down beside the Pokémon. “Give it all you got!”
“Ril!” came the enthused reply. Caley steadied the hand holding the D-Ball over the Aquarill’s head.
“Here…
…goes..
…nothing!”
Upon that final word, the figure released the sphere into the air. With split-second timing the aquatic Pokémon emitted a surge of clear liquid propelling the object directly at Fywin. Before the creature had a chance to work out what was happening the water and its rounded passenger had made contact, enveloping Fywin in a red glow and vanishing it from sight.
Farrell blinked from his horizontal position, having been recently thrown to the ground once more as a result of another vicious flamethrower. His ears had picked up on the obvious lack of relentless complaints that Fywin had been uttering since its arrival and as a result curiosity was taking over. Sitting up the first thing the man took in was the sight of his sister caressing her Sealeo with a miserable expression. Secondly was the sight of his Glaceon lying motionless upon the earth.
“Chaka!” he cried out in alarm, running to the creature’s side. Seeing the figures were occupied, Errol took this as a chance to retrieve the D-Ball containing Fywin.
“Time ta get youse outta harm’s way, buddy” he remarked, reaching out for the object. Seconds later a pained yell echoed into the air.
Errol retracted his reddened hand only to discover every pair of eyes were now focused firmly on him. He chuckled nervously.
“Hot?” James inquired with a slight smirk as he approached. His companion motioned toward the ball with a bemused expression. “See for yaself”
The lavender-haired man raised his hands defensively at this.
“No thank you!”
“Wow…” Rose commented as she looked down at the deceptively harmless object. “For its body heat to emanate through the surface of the Pokéball…that must be some temperature.”
Errol chuckled nervously before slipping the sleeve of his jacket over his hand to provide better protection against the heat and bending down yet again to remove the slightly steaming item from the floor. Denise tilted her head and put on a sad smile as she examined the Glaceon’s slightly charred body while Adam glared at Farrell like he was an utter twit.
“What do you think you were doing out there?” he exclaimed, waving a hand across the battlefield. “Letting an ice type take on a fire type like that! You were practically asking for it to get its arse kicked!”
Karis returned Adam’s glare, but with a far more colder edge.
“Listen, kid,” she snapped. “Our Pokémon are specially trained to deal with this sort of thing. We know that fire types are one of our main threats in battle.”
“But you are right in one sense,” Farrell spoke up, returning the Glaceon to its Pokéball. “We did underestimate the strength of that beast. And it was thoughtless of me letting Chaka continue battling like that. But in the midst of the moment, what else could I do?”
Caley’s face had taken on a particular darkness as his mind flitted back to the moment where he had foolishly accepted the challenge by the mysterious Rocket Rookie and consequently was forced to watch his Psybab receive a remorseless beating from her Negatic. Even now, the image in the back of his mind caused a nasty chill to shudder through him.
“I guess…” Adam remarked, a slight guilty edge creeping into his voice. “I guess there was nothing else you could do. Especially when all you were trying to do is stop the island from being melted. I didn’t really think about it that way. Sorry.”
“That’s ok,” Karis replied brightly as she retrieved the Sealeo, her expression returning to a more cheerful state. “Thank you for helping us out back there. We needed all the assistance we could get!”
“Indeed” Farrell nodded, carefully brushing his hand across his whitish-blue hair.
“Chaka and Karis’ Sealeo, Tukka are usually very competent at battling fire types, regardless of the elemental disadvantage. But…
…but that was no ordinary fire type, by any means”
The group exchanged looks between themselves that clearly indicated they knew getting out of this situation was going to be most difficult. Rose even shot a particularly strong glance in Caley’s direction as if to request the use of his psychic power once more but the young man was too busy lost in a dark memory that he didn’t even notice.
“Nevertheless” Farrell continued, holding out a hand. “The threat has been contained, and now it must be taken in for further analysis”
Rose’s first natural reaction was to grit her teeth and stand her ground. After all they didn’t even know whether these people were Team Rocket agents posing as trainers in an attempt to capture both them and Fywin.
“And how come you think you can just take this creature to be analysed instead of us?” she snapped. The man raised an eyebrow at the outburst.
“Ma’am, it is the duty of Pokémon League Officials such as Karis and myself to make sure that any… …anomalies such as this one are reported”
Denise blinked, her mouth dropping open slightly upon hearing three particular words amongst that sentence.
“Pokémon League…Officials?” Errol winced at hearing this for the second time.
“Whuh-oh” James gulped as Caley was brought back to reality with a panicked grimace on his face. “We’re in for it now.”
“Who exactly are you?” Rose inquired, the tone of her voice softening to that of puzzled angst. The man smiled, reached inside his jacket and brought out a tightly clenched fist, lowering his head as he did so.
“Farrell Winters, Gym Leader of Artina. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” With this he opened his hand slowly to reveal a shiny metallic object nestled in its palm. “I’m sure this would be a delicate addition to a beautiful lady such as yourself” he remarked, raising his head to reveal a calm smile.
“A-beh…buh…bwa…” Rose stammered, glancing round at the others for some kind of verbal assistance. But it didn’t seem like she was going to get any. James and Errol had already collapsed into fits of giggles while Cory stood there in complete bewilderment, Adam rolled his eyes at such a ridiculous display, Caley looked on with a continuing onset of panic and Denise gave a shrug of indifference. Luckily for Rose, help was to arrive in the form of a sharp slap to the side of her romanticist’s face, courtesy of the female figure behind him.
“Farrell!” she exclaimed. “How many times do I have to tell you? Subze badges are not your personal gift stash to be handed out to every woman you find attractive!”
Rose blushed awkwardly while Farrell stood up and moodily returned the item to his pocket.
“Of course” he remarked bluntly before turning to the rest of the group. “This is my sister Karis, spoiler of delicate moments”
“Bringer of reality, more like” came the reply.
“Maybe I should be the one to look after the Subze badges from now on, Lover Boy”
Rose took this moment out to compose herself a little more before continuing.
“Uh, Mr. Winters?”
“Please” the figure replied, the calm smile returning to his face again. “Just call me Farrell.” Karis let out a little groan as Rose pulled on the collar of her jumpsuit slightly, but said nothing.
“Farrell… as much as I respect your position, we really need to keep this Pokémon with us”
“Why?” the man frowned. “Do you have something to do with its appearance?”
Denise could see her companion was already drawing them into deeper waters and raised a hand in an attempt to slip a word of her own into the conversation.
“We’re the only ones who know how to handle it”
“Does that Pokémon…belong to you?” Karis inquired, swinging her accusing stare in Caley’s direction. The trainer gulped - yet again he was finding hard to think of a reply due to the bubbling befuddlement that was the combined trepidation of his friends coupled with the mutual angry scrutiny of Artina’s gym leaders that resided in his mind. James stepped in with an explanation of his own.
“No, Fywin doesn’t belong to us” he replied. “But we are responsible for its appearance here. You see…”
“We released him” Denise concluded. “Not to mention a lot of other Pokémon experiments we found in a Team Rocket laboratory." She lowered her head sadly as she prepared herself for the final confession. “It was a plan implemented without a thought for just how much damage these confused and agonized creatures could do. We just wanted them freed and no longer exploited by Team Rocket.”
Farrell’s dark expression lightened slightly upon sight of Denise’s deeply apologetic expression and the rather guilty looks from the others.
“I can sympathize with your concern for the welfare of the Pokémon and I have to admit you were certainly brave to carry out such an act” he nodded. “For that I commend you. But you really should have alerted the proper authorities instead of taking the matter into your own hands.”
“Dat woulda been kinda difficult” Errol muttered to himself. “We were trapped in dat place along wit’ da Pokémon.”
“Sometimes there just isn’t time to report such a thing,” James persisted as Caley looked down with a defeated expression.
“We just… we just feel that this is our responsibility” Rose added. “To clear up the mess we’ve unintentionally made. And that includes taking the Pokémon we released along with us, until such a time when we can hand them in to a proper specialist.”
Karis’ expression clearly stated that she didn’t like the idea in the slightest but Farrell had already made up his mind on the matter.
“I understand” he said, turning to Caley. “You all certainly seem skilled and determined enough to undo the damage you have done. I wish you the best of luck on completing your mission.”
“Thank you” the red-haired trainer replied with a weary smile. “It’s been tough work.”
“Youse can say dat again,” Errol nodded, slipping the D-Ball containing Fywin into Caley’s bag. “We’re sorry about Fywin meltin’ Artina an’ all.”
“We hope that your lives can return to some sort of normality now the source of your disruption has been contained,” Denise smiled hopefully. Farrell shook his head.
“I’m afraid that was the least of our troubles, young lady” he sighed, pointing to a spot some distance away. “Something much worse has been happening upon the far side of the island.
Something much more devastating.”
Caley turned around to look in the direction Farrell was pointing and then it hit him. Cory yelped in alarm as the trainer toppled straight into him, causing his body to become unnaturally malformed before the two collided with the ground.
“Kid!” Errol exclaimed in horror while Karis looked on with a very similar expression for a totally different reason.
“Oh no…” Denise sighed, leaning down beside Caley and propping up his head so as to let Cory struggle free and reassume a proper shape. “Not again.”
“Again?” Farrell echoed. “What’s the matter with him?”
“Caley’s worn out after all this travelling,” Denise replied quickly, not wishing to go into detail about the figure’s sensitivity due to his psychic power. It didn’t look like he needed to. As soon as he had mentioned the trainer’s name, Farrell’s eyes lit up in realisation.
“Caley? As in, Caley Wilson?”
“You know him?” Rose exclaimed in surprise. The gym leader shook his head.
“No, but I’ve heard of his father. They used to call him one of the best psychic-type Pokémon gym leaders in the world.”
James’ eyes widened in stunned silence while Adam tried to hide his somewhat uncomfortable expression.
“Caley’s dad was a gym leader? He never mentioned that to us.”
The trainer stirred into life, causing those around him to reassert their gazes in his direction.
“You ok, Caley?” James inquired with a worried expression as the figure sat up slowly and rubbed at his temples.
“I’m fine” came the detached reply. “We have more serious matters to worry about than my health. Come on…
…I know where we have to go to find our answer”
The way Caley said ‘know’ had been so convincing that Farrell and Karis looked quite taken aback by it. Nevertheless, they took to their heels and followed the departing group and their shakily stumbling leader. It was a good ten minutes before Caley stopped - by this time the group had been brought down a rocky slope toward the shoreline. It was here that a concrete tube could be seen jutting from the cliff face into the sandy composite below.
“What is that pipe there for?” Denise asked sternly.
“It used to be one of the output channels for Artina’s energy generation plant, back when it was still functioning," Farrell explained. "Nowadays Artina’s electricity is generated by the offshore wind farm and consequently the plant’s been out of commission for years.”
“Somet’ing tells me dat status changed recently,” Errol remarked, watching with a serious expression as further out to sea bubbles drifted upon the surface of the water in a crowded mass before vanishing with a burst of spray. “Looks like youse got life in dat generation place o’ yours. Lowlife - an’ dey’re using da facilities as deir own.”
“It would explain why the sea temperature is unusually warm” Karis murmured. “But even on its most busiest days, the plant never generated such heat. For it to do that the machinery within would have to be working overtime, non-stop!”
“I fear that is the case” Rose sighed. The gym leaders turned their questioning gazes toward her.
“How so?” Farrell uttered.
“We know who it is that has set up camp on private premises,” Denise explained. “Having dealt with this threat before, I believe we’re the best people to investigate further.”
“You’re not saying…” Karis stammered. “…that Team Rocket managed to reassemble, and here? In Tatto?”
Wow, talk about slow to catch on… Adam thought. Team Rocket’s like a cold sore on the lip of society. It’s never really gone.
“’Fraid dat’s exactly what we’re sayin’, lady” Errol shrugged. “And we’re da best hope youse got fer sortin’ dis mess out.”
James shuddered upon thoughts of re-encountering the organization he hoped he’d seen the back of forever. Deep down he realised such hopes were more wishful thinking than reality - upon raising his head and taking in the determined glower of his old companion James drew himself up to his full height and attempted to put on a brave face.
“I know what you are thinking” Caley stated coldly in Farrell’s direction, causing the man to jump slightly. “You’re thinking we’re way out of our league. You’re thinking you should alert the Guardsmen Agents. But believe me, the less fuss we make, the less we make our presence known. And considering how high the energy output from that makeshift headquarters is, they’re conjuring up something big. We need to find out what it is before we make any rash decisions. I already know what those can do.”
The trainer lowered his head slightly as he said this. Farrell just stood there with his mouth hanging open slightly, unable to say a word as Caley turned and wandered past the concrete tube into the distance. Errol patted the man on the shoulder reassuringly.
“I suggests ya get some help ta keep dis island from disappearin’ altogedda. We’s got dis unda control.”
“Thank you” Karis smiled, once she had ceased giving her older brother a studied look.
“Farrell and I, and the people of Artina, owe you a great debt of gratitude”
As the remainder of the travellers wandered out of earshot Karis gave Farrell a swift poke to bring him back to his senses.
“What on earth were you just standing there for, huh?” she snapped. “That was incredibly rude, especially after those trainers were so kind as to offer their services for free.”
“He…” the man uttered shakily. “I……that boy is by no means ordinary. Did you hear him? He read my mind! He stated exactly what I had planned to do to sort out the situation!”
“Don’t be silly, Farrell. Anyone would have guessed that” Karis remarked with a shake of the head. “Inquiring the services of the G-Men is your answer to solving every problem.
Now come on, we’ve got some help we need to gather.”
***~~***~~***~~***~~***
Further along the cliff face Caley stood with his hand to the rocky surface, brushing his fingertips across it with a visage of utmost concentration. At first it had been hard to tell but upon closer inspection the trainer had picked up on several larger protrusions, the uniform presence of which seemed most curious upon such a random natural edifice. Applying further universal pressure to the protrusions Caley’s eyes widened slightly in alarm as they withdrew, causing part of the cliff to edge upward with a reluctant grumble.
“How incredibly cliché” Adam commented dryly upon sight of the circular grille as it became visible from under the sliding faux rock.
“It’s Team Rocket, what do you expect?” James commented in a matter-of-fact way. “Covering things up happens to be one of the acts they do best.”
Adam gave him a withering look while behind him the other members of the group watched Kota materialize himself on the other side of the grille.
“Not surprising you’d know that, considering you are Lord of all things corny”
“And you are almost as irritating as another twerp I had the misfortune of crossing paths with far too often,” James retorted, going slightly red. Errol rolled his eyes in disbelief at yet another confrontation.
“Don’t start dis again, Jimmy” he sighed. “We got more important t'ings to be concerned about dan whedda ya corny or not.”
“So you agree with him then?” James snapped as Adam couldn’t help but snicker over this reaction. Errol put on an expression that could be best compared to that of a embittered Prinplup.
“Just get in dere,” he muttered, pushing the man into the now-open mouth of the tunnel.
An uncomfortable silence passed over the travellers as they wandered further and further away from the point of light behind them. It was a silence that only emanated from the mouths - their feet were content to clatter across the metallic panels that made up the base of the tunnel while all around the air throbbed with the ominous presence of an unknown energy. Caley seemed the most focused upon this - his eyes narrowed to such an extent Denise was beginning to wonder if he could actually see where he was going.
“That humming noise sure is unsettling” she mumbled after a moment or so. Rose nodded in agreement.
“Y’know…” Errol remarked. “Dere’s a surprisingly small amount o’ guards here fer a Team Rocket base”
“Oh they’re here” Caley stated firmly. “Just not in the immediate vicinity. Or at least none that I can sense.”
“We’d better keep alert then” Rose instructed.
“Just in case.”
But even upon exiting the tunnel and emerging into a larger more open area, not one of the exiles could make out a single form on patrol. They were starting to become tense, and the amplified hum wasn’t helping.
“Probably Gio makin’ too many cutbacks” Errol smirked in a half-joking manner.
“Maybe…” Caley remarked distantly, gazing across the narrow steel bridge structure that connected one side of the room with the other. “Or maybe they’ve got more important things on their minds.”
“Where can you sense anybody, Caley?” Denise asked tentatively. The trainer’s eyes glazed over yet again
“Acitvity from above… and below…” he murmured. “And something very strong…but I’m having trouble pinpointing the wherebouts…”
“We’ll need to split up” Rose decided. “We need to cover as much ground possible in the shortest amount of time.”
“And how are we going to stay in contact?” Adam inquired, slightly panicked. “It’s not like we have walkie talkies or anything.”
“On the contrary, short one” James grinned knowledgably. “We got what we need right here.”
He tapped on the side of Cory’s head to prove his point, causing the youth to wince slightly at the unexpectedness of the impact. Adam looked at James like he had just metamorphosed into a black and white polka-dotted Lileep.
“Cory’s not a walkie-talkie, you moron” he snapped.
“Oh how narrowly your mind functions” James replied loftily. “I am simply referring to Cory’s telepathy. Used in conjunction with the telepathic abilities of Kota and Caley we can create a network and not lose track of where each other happens to be.”
“Excellent idea!” Rose clapped her hands with a fleeting moment of childish glee. Cory said nothing, but the expression upon his face indicated he wasn't really sure he could be trusted with such things. “Now who’s deciding to go where?”
“Me an’ Jimmy will take a look down in da basement” Errol announced, while James simply nodded agreeably.
“I’ll head for the strongest source of activity, or at least in that general direction” Caley said.
“And I’ll come with you!” Denise insisted with a wave of her hand.
“Right then, that’s settled” Rose nodded. “I’ll check out the upstairs floor for clues. Caley, if you could instruct Kota to accompany James and Errol then I can take Cory along with me. Errol’s understanding of Pokespeak will work much better in overcoming the language barrier with Kota.”
The trainer gave a bob of acknowledgement before releasing the Psybab into the air.
“You know what to do, Psybuddy.”
“Baab!” came a determined reply. Kota descended the stairs, accompanied by the serious countenances of James and Errol, while Rose took Cory’s wrist and led him up the same staircase in the opposite direction.
As Caley stepped onto the gangplank, Adam swung his head from left to right, watching the vanishing figures as his face began to look rather desperate from a mixture of upset and indecision. Then he felt a gentle tap upon his shoulder.
“Come on Adam” Denise instructed with a slight smile. “Let’s go”
The youth returned the expression in more relieved tones before stepping out after Caley.
“Okay.”
***~~***~~***~~***~~***
To anyone visiting Artina, the run down and seemingly abandoned shell of its power generation plant would have been completely overlooked. It was the perfect location to regenerate a diabolical plot - to make sure no one would expect life resided within every door and window had been carefully reinforced with only one single hidden mode of entry created from a modified pipeline down by the shore.
In fact this mode of entry was so hidden that even the organization’s own members had trouble finding it. The familiar trio of elites perched upon the roof of the plant armed with a crowbar and a variety of amusing expressions were such an example.
“Tell me again…” Jessie began with an air of utmost disbelief. “Why, of all things, are we breaking into the headquarters of the guy we work for?”
“Because I don’t happen to know where the entrance is, ok?” Cassidy snapped, jamming the crowbar into the grate of a nearby outflow funnel. “Now quit flapping your lip and come and help me get this cover off so we can finally apprehend those exile creeps before its too late!"
Feh, Jessie rolled her eyes as she approached. The only creeps round here are you and that Croagunk-faced moan factory over there. Speaking of which...
She turned around to cast an expectant glower in Butch’s direction, only to discover the man was crouched against the ledge of the rooftop, looking for all the world like he had eaten a dish of raw Octillery. Before she could inform Cassidy of this fact, she found herself toppling rapidly to the hard concrete surface, having been hit in the face by the flying grate that the golden-haired woman had finally managed to pry free.
“Serves you right for standing in the way and not helping,” Cassidy smirked, tossing the crowbar carelessly to the ground beside her and clambering into the funnel.
“I hope you get shtuck in there,” Jessie muttered, rubbing her swollen cheek and receiving only a melodic cackle for her pains.
“You’re the one with the thunder thighs round here, Jess," came the echoey amused reply from below. "Maybe you should let Butch go first before you cause a blockage.”
Jessie’s eyebrow twitched ominously.
“Gladly,” she growled through gritted teeth, yanking Butch to his feet and forcing him headfirst into the funnel.
“One jerk coming down!”
She listened for the expected yells as a result of colliding bodies, but received nothing. Putting on a semi-concerned expression, Jessie carefully scrambled upon the mouth of the funnel and slid into it, rapidly finding herself on her feet in the middle of a lengthy tiled corridor. Cassidy stood not too far away, eyes wide and body rigid as if frozen to the spot by an unexpected psychic attack, minus the unearthly bluish aura. Jessie opened her mouth to utter another irritated exclamation over her associate’s pose when her words were cut off by a disturbingly low moan. Swinging round Jessie’s face almost took on exactly the same expression as Cassidy’s once she took in the sight behind her.
“What you lookin’ at?” Butch mumbled woozily, struggling to keep himself in an upright position and steadying himself on the wall as a re