The aforementioned figure arrived just in time to see the massive creature stagger back with a screech as Kota boldly divebombed it with a Body Slam attack. Moments later, the Pokémon found itself flying across the room and into Errol’s arms. He looked up at the Kenjoko's back with narrowed eyes as James gibbered and cowered from the sudden loss of light.

“Hey, ugly!” he snapped. “Quit pickin’ on da little guy. If youse got a score ta settle, ya settles it wit’ me!”

The massive creature threw itself round to glared down upon the stern-looking human below.

“Well?” Errol stated with an expectant raise of the eyebrows. “What’s ya problem, eh?”

<Why’s it just standing there?> Kota inquired dazedly.

“I don’t know,” came the puzzled reply. “It almost looks like…like it’s examinin’ us.” He tilted his head to one side and squinted for a moment.

“Hey…Kenjokos don’t have weird tufts of green hair coming out da tops of der ‘eads…”

“And neither are they that tall!” James gesticulated. “That’s gotta be the same horrible creature that tried to attack me outside Midna City!” The Kenjoko hissed behind it at this point, causing James to fall over in fright.

<Another genetic Pokémon?> Kota whispered cautiously.

“I believe so,” Errol smirked. “An’ I don’t believe its any ol’ genetic Pokémon either.”

Kota blinked in utter confusion and re-engaged the bluish glow as the man released it from his arms and poised before the Kenjoko.

“Obsoive,” came the mischievous instruction. James stared back at Errol like he’d just gone completely insane.

“What are you doing?” he hissed. Errol wasn’t listening. Instead, he lowered his head and began to recite something under his breath.

 

“To protect da woild from devastation…”

 

That was enough to send the creature diving toward Errol, who leapt smartly out of its way with a chuckle of content. James fell back as the Kenjoko skidded into the corner of the room, still snarling.

“My assum’tions were correct…”

“What do you mean?” James exclaimed, a little less nervously.

“Dat Pokémon…” Errol began. “Ain’t a Pokémon at all. Its none udder dan Butch ‘imself.”

“No way…” James looked back at the ominous dark red creature, heaving with exhaustion at so much exertion of its weighty form. “What makes you think that?”

“Da unusual green hair… da outburst at da way I said da ol’ motto…” Errol listed.

“Definitely sounds like Buhtch…YEEAUGH!” James yelled as the Kenjoko swiped for him, tearing a huge gash in the left leg of his jeans. It was enough to send the duo and their psychic companion bolting out of the nearest exit, down a corridor.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            Quickly and carefully, Rose ascended the stairs toward the upper floors of the building. Cory followed close behind, taking occasional worried glances at the unsightly dents in the banister that ran parallel to his moving form. From the way the piping creased and warped in places he was certain the damage had been caused by a creature of unspeakable physical strength. But what sort of creature could it possibly be? Cory gulped back his fear and hoped that wherever the beast had headed that it would not cause disastrous harm to anyone, especially his friends.

            The youthful figure suddenly found himself being pulled back roughly as Rose flattened against the wall and placed a finger over her lips, signalling necessary silence. Cory turned his head slightly to see a Team Rocket drone perched carelessly in a chair beside the doorway that separated the staircase from the corridor ahead.

            Guards, eh? Rose remarked mentally. Must mean they have something worth keeping secure. We’ll need a little bit of ingenuity and transformation on your part, Cory.

            He nodded in acknowledgement, then paused. What exactly was he supposed to turn into? Rose noticed her companion’s hesitation.

            We need to immobilise him, she explained. Do you have any forms that would help?

Cory gulped at the mention of immobilisation, as Cyzel's words eked back into the forefront of his mind. What if such barbaric behaviour was triggered in him again? Would he be able to stop himself? Rose noticed the boy's uncomfortable expression and raised an eyebrow. It looked as if she'd have to take this matter into her own hands. Before the half-conscious lackey by the door had a chance to realise what was happening, a creamy ball of fur met with the side of his face, nullifying any sense of consciousness entirely. Cory stared down at the crumpled form at his feet in stunned silence as Sia grinned triumphantly.

“So…” the woman began, retracting the Meowth before carefully searching the stunned drone’s pockets for any notification of his duties. “What happened, Cory? Why'd you freeze like that?”

"I..uh..." came the awkward reply. Rose turned her head, increasing the intensity of her expectant look as she did so.

"Come to think of it, you've been acting pretty strange for a while now. I didn't want to say anything, because I thought it might just be a passing phase, but apparently something is really bothering you. What is it?"

"I think...my past is coming back to haunt me," Cory mumbled. "Team Rocket assigned every one of their genetic experiments a motive, right? Do you think that motive would have been programmed into the Pokémon's subconscious?"

"Most likely," Rose shrugged, tossing aside a regulation ID card. At this point, Cory began to look desperate.

"Then there's not much time," he responded in frightened tones. "I have to find out what commands they brainwashed me with."

 

…aha!”

 

“Aha?” Cory reiterated, temporarily forgetting his own concerns. Rose waved a key in his direction.

“We have hit the jackpot”

“’Office 2B’,” the boy read. “Do you think they’re keeping some confidential information in there?”

“I’m certain of it” Rose nodded. “And judging from the position of this guard the office must be through these doors. Come on!”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

           

            Caley stepped onto the bridge that passed over the two massive turbines and tried to swallow his fear. The rushing water below was just about visible through the tiny gaps in the metallic platform and its insistent cacophony only served to usher him faster across the gap. Adam, on the other hand, was most intrigued by the liquid cascade and leant upon the railing to take a closer look before Denise quietly moved him onward.

            “The humming’s getting louder,” she stated, as the trio passed through the doors on the other side leaving them to swing shut and thus drown out the sound of water behind them.

            “I know,” Caley replied in monotone. To a stranger his response could have sounded most rude, but Denise knew just how focused the trainer had become during these past few moments. His psychic abilities were working overtime, carefully scanning the surroundings for approaching danger and the source of the incredible energy he was sensing.

            “But we just passed the turbines,” Adam exclaimed. “And they weren’t all that loud.”

“Exactly” Denise nodded.

 

“What could possibly be making such a noise as to be heard out here?”   

 

Caley suddenly froze in mid step, as a shrill ringing was heard somewhere down the corridor. Consequently, Denise and Adam halted in unison before crouching down alongside their companion behind an appropriately positioned filing cabinet. The figures didn’t have much of a choice - all they could do was stay very still and hope that whomever it was walking in their direction happened to be moving straight onward and not turning down the corridor they were currently positioned in.

Footsteps began to intermingle with the ringing and a male Elite operative strode into view. He held a red clipboard neatly under his arm and his head was covered with hair of an almost ultramarine blue, tied back neatly into a small ponytail resting just near the nape of the neck. Pausing in the corridor and reaching for his belt, the scowling man retrieved a cellphone and pressed a few buttons on the keypad.

"Status report," he barked.

"Orre and Johto's chambers are good to go, sir," came the announcement. "We're certain we can get the remaining sectors online by the date you wanted."

"Good," the man responded without any visible indication of his approval. "The briefing of sector prime is already in progress. Go ahead and inform sectors Orre and Johto to begin their processing. When all is complete, await my signal. We must attack our targets in perfect unison, otherwise this plan will fail.

 

Darius, out."

 

 As the man continued to walk down the corridor, Adam's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched so tightly his hands began to go red. Caley’s eyebrow began to twitch slightly as his companion's fury took its toll.

“Chambers?” Denise murmured worriedly. "Whatever that man was talking about, it didn't sound good. We'd better get a move on, guys.

…uh… guys?”

The trainer leapt to his feet with a snarl, almost kicking the filing cabinet sideward in the process.

“You call yourself a-!” he bellowed, before the remainder of the sentence was muffled out by Denise’s hand. She yanked him somewhat roughly to his feet, where the young man sat looking rather stunned as Adam looked on with a semi-alarmed, semi-ashamed expression.

“What are you trying to do, get us killed?” she snapped in lowered tones.

“I…” Caley began shakily. “I’m so sorry. Unexpected emotion; it just…overthrew me again.”

Adam lowered his head considerably.

“You shouldn’t be the one apologising” he murmured. “I should be. There’s no point in hiding it - that was my anger Caley just reacted to.”

Denise’s agitated expression softened upon hearing Adam’s deflated sigh. She released Caley’s jacket from her hands and placed them upon the adolescent’s shoulders with a sympathetic tilt of the head.

“It’s ok Ad’,” she smiled. “I can relate. Some of those Elites are downright loathsome.”

The girl stood up and helped her friends to their feet. There was a distant expression in Caley’s eyes as his disturbed psychic senses attempted to refocus themselves.

Maybe so… Adam thought to himself

 

But that wasn’t just any Elite.

 

Looking up from his contemplation, the figure noticed Denise and Caley poised a little way ahead - peering carefully around the corners as they scanned for further approaching hazards.

“The coast seems to be clear” Denise remarked after a few moments had passed. Caley acknowledged with a nod, and motioned to Adam before stepping around the corner and out of sight. Denise turned round to look at her younger friend with a concerned expression.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“As ok as I can be in a situation such as this” the youth replied gruffly, trying to push the thoughts from his mind. “Being involved in anything with the words ‘Team Rocket’ plastered on it severely gives me the creeps. Now lets get going before any more of those scumbags catch up with us”.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

Rose and Cory continued for a short distance down the hallway, examining the time-worn structure around them. From the looks of things this floor used to be the location of the power plant employees’ sleeping quarters - each moderately sized room was furnished with a dusty-looking bed, complete with Venomoth-eaten mattress and muddy coloured pillow to match. Rose felt herself suppressing a shudder as she cast her eyes repeatedly over the scene. It was almost like a snapshot from a nightmare she recalled having some years before - wandering aimlessly through the abandoned shell of a bygone shipwreck.

 

“Did you hear that?”

 

The woman shook her head as Cory’s hissed inquiry brought her back to reality.

“Voices?” she spoke up automatically, a hint of surprise in her own.

“Yes,” Cory nodded, pointing toward the door at the far end of the hallway. “And they sound like they’re coming from down there”

“Do you think they're Team Rocket members?” Rose inquired. Cory shook his head.

“I doubt it,” he murmured. “Unless Rockets are inclined to locking their own members up.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised…” Rose muttered, then did a double take.

“Locked up?”

“Well some guy appears to be yelling ‘let me out’,” Cory relayed. “Though I may be wrong. My hearing isn’t always as sharp in this form.”

“We’d best investigate right away,” Rose instructed.

 

“Those figures could well be prisoners in need of our help”

 

Upon arriving at the closed door where Cory had previously heard the complaints, Rose motioned for her companion to keep watch and placed her head against the metallic surface to listen.

“Oh crud oh crud oh crud…Professor Birch is gonna kill me!” The first exclamation came from a youthful male voice which bore a great deal of panic. “I was meant to have those specie classifications in order by tonight!”

“I am concerned about your priorities, boy” another man’s voice, older and more nonplussed, remarked. “You worry over collating data when here we are, trapped in the custody of the most notorious organization in the world?”

Rose raised an eyebrow. The latter figure sounded most familiar, but with all her travels she was having trouble putting a name to the tone. But she wasn’t to be left in the dark for long, as another voice joined the fray. This one was male, and also matured, but had none of the self-assured resonance that the previous figure had uttered.

“I…I’ve failed, Alistair” it choked. “All that time I strived to keep those discoveries over Taragirite secret, all for nothing. I cannot bear to imagine what terrible things they are using that information for.”

“Nothing that cannot be halted, Julian” Alistair replied calmly.

“But how can we honestly stop them while locked up in here?” came the exasperated inquiry. “Any useful equipment I had on me was taken back when they recaptured us in Professor Birch’s lab." 

There was a rattling of a key in the lock that sent the three figures into various defensive stances. As the door swung open, the youngest of the trio stepped forward, adjusted his thick-rimmed rectangular glasses and tried his best to look as threatening as possible.

“I’m w-warning you” he stated, a hint of shakiness in his voice. “I kn-know Cham Fu! My si-sister taught it me!”

His attempts to strike fear into the new arrivals were met with a chuckle from Rose and a somewhat disturbed utterance on Cory’s part.

“Hey hey hey…calm down, kid” Rose raised a hand. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

“We heard your cries for help and came to let you out,” Cory added.

“Buh-but…” the youth stuttered, scratching the pitch black hair on the top of his head in utter confusion. “How’d you get in here?”

“Let’s just say we have our methods,” Cory commented slyly.

“To foil a Rocket, you first got to think like a Rocket,” Rose agreed.

 

“And I’ve had all the research one can get in that field.”

 

Suddenly Professor Gordon’s face was overcome with realisation.

“You’re one of the Team Rocket members the Wilson lad helped out!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah…” Rose nodded, the tone of her voice dictating that she was none too happy about that fact. “Circumstance had ways of forcing me into a position I couldn’t get out of. At least not without the assistance of a guy such as Caley - his mind was so innocent to the atrocities of Team Rocket and his positive spirit encouraged us all. With him behind us, we finally felt we had that chance to break free.”

“Where is Caley?” Julian spluttered, with all the anxiety of a concerned parent.

“He’s in another part of this HQ,” Cory informed him. “He went with Denise and Adam to find out what sort of plan was unfolding. From the looks of things, you must have had a heavy involvement with it.”

“Unwillingly, yes,” Alistair replied with a faint sigh. “We had made our decision to travel to Hoenn in the hopes that Team Rocket’s dealings there were still sparse. But upon reaching the laboratory of our acquaintance, Professor Birch, we were set upon by a group of Rocket minions and brought here.”

He waved an arm in the direction of the eleven year old figure beside him.

“Unluckily for this young assistant of Birch’s, he was caught up in the whole thing too. I can imagine it’s been a traumatic experience for him.”

“My name’s Max, and I ain’t scared!” the boy exclaimed sternly. “I’ve been up against Team Rocket before!”

“Did you manage to get any clue as to what they wanted to do with the results of your research?” Rose inquired, ignoring the stunted figure’s protests for the moment.

“Only one thing,” Julian told them solemnly. “A particularly cold-faced woman with golden hair spoke of ‘Pokémon and humans joining forces’, but I could not make any sense of this. It sounded too pacifistic for an operative of Team Rocket.”

“You’re right,” Rose returned. “But that's because you’re looking at it from the wrong angle. If Bonnie means what I think she means, then we’re all in a lot of trouble. I sure hope Caley knows what he’s doing.”

“Should we go and find him?” Max inquired. Rose shook her head.

“No, we need to trust Caley on this one. Besides, too many of us in one spot would be far too noticeable…right, Cory?

 

…Cory?”

 

The figure beside Rose was frozen to the spot, his greenish eyes widened and staring out at nothing. From a distance, even the professors could detect the slight tinge of blue reflected in his pupils as he received a telepathically-transmitted distress signal.

“…tant……oko” he relayed in monotone, before shaking his head vigorously. Max gave Cory a twisted glance.

“What just happened to you?”

“Let’s just say there’s more to me than meets the eye,” Cory remarked. “But there’s no time to explain right now. Kota and the others are being attacked by that mutated Kenjoko and need our help!”

“That thing is here too?” Rose gasped. “We’d better get down to the basement level!”

“What about us?” Professor Amber asked nervously. “I don’t exactly have the faculties to defend myself against that sort of creature.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing” Rose winked, motioning the three figures out of the room.

“We do.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

The humming continued to grow louder as Caley, Denise and Adam slipped carefully around the suspiciously empty labyrinth of the power plant’s corridors. By the time they had reached a wide platform bordered by two gold rails, the trio had ceased their surreptitious movement altogether. Having not encountered a single figure since the blue-haired operative seemed a viable enough reason to discontinue it. Besides which, the unbearable throbbing of the air around them was making strategic thinking impossible. Adam staggered to the side, somewhat disorientated, as the floor juddered under his feet. A few paces ahead of him, Caley winced as his hand scrabbled across a rail in a feeble attempt to keep himself upright. The attempt failed.

Denise’s pained expression soon became one of horror as the trainer’s body hit the floor with a barely audible thud. She dashed over to Caley’s side, swiftly pursued by Adam who was now holding his hands over his ears to block out the pulsing of sound.

“Man, this noise is really affecting Caley badly” the youth remarked.

“I don’t think the noise has anything to do with it” Denise spoke up. “It has to be something deeper. Remember what Caley said about the energy he was sensing earlier?”

Adam nodded.

“Whatever’s creating that energy must be creating this terrible noise too. It would only make sense that as the noise grew, the strength of the energy would do the same.”

“But what is creating the energy?” Adam exclaimed in frustrated tones, almost like it was Denise’s fault that he didn’t know. Caley raised his arm a few inches from the floor, aiming it toward the right hand side of the platform before letting it fall before him once again. After examining this reaction for the second time Denise walked toward the rail and peered over it carefully. Then her jaw dropped.

 

“Oh… my…”

 

Upon hearing this Adam was quick to draw to her side and take a look for himself.

“Holy crap!” he exclaimed. “There must be every single grunt in the Tatto division down there!”

And he was right - the massive space below them was occupied with row upon row of Team Rocket mercenaries, all dressed in Tatto regulation navy blue and cream stripe uniform, all standing proudly to attention with their gazes focused firmly on the man standing in front of a podium at the head of the assembly.

“No wonder there wasn’t a guard to be seen in this place,” Denise murmured shakily. “But what are they doing?”

“I’m not sure…” Adam said coldly, his nutmeg coloured eyes narrowed in the direction of the figure at the podium. It was the same blue-haired man they had narrowly escaped being seen by earlier.

“But knowing him, it’s probably worse than we realise."

“Him? Do you know that guy?” Denise gave her companion a puzzled glance. Adam looked up in alarm, before realising he had uttered his thoughts out loud and consequently turning his face away from Denise’s view.

“Yes…unfortunately” he replied in shaky tones. “His name is Darius Mayhew.”

At this point the adolescent turned to look back at Denise, a distinct bitterness in his tear-stricken eyes.

 

“You do the math.”

 

Denise’s own eyes creased up at the corners with an utmost pity, but she said nothing. She did not wish to envelop Adam in a sorrow he did not require - instead the girl stood by awkwardly, and tried not to let her own feelings over this circumstance show. Their moment of remorse shattered, as a triumphant cry was raised from the underdog troops and Bonnie’s slender shape strode onto the scene. Adam swiftly wiped the wetness from his face and returned to watching.

“Ugh, not her,” Denise spluttered. Adam rolled his eyes.

“Typical that Miltank would be involved in this,” he grunted. “I bet the only reason she’s there is to spew out yet another one of her incredibly pointless speeches.”

“Wish I could hear what she was saying,” Denise sighed.

“It wouldn’t be anything new” Adam remarked, suddenly switching into an amusing high-pitch rendition. “I’m Bonnie and I just love to hear the sound of my own voice!”

“Hush up a second,” Denise cut in with a wave of her hand. “And look. Something’s not right”

“Well of course something’s not right” Adam groaned. “Hundreds of Rocket grunts being ordered to destroy all that’s good about society. I’d say that wasn’t right at all.”

“Nonono, that’s not what I mean” Denise hissed.

 

“Look at the expressions on their faces!”

 

Indeed there was a noticeable switch in the originally defiant allegiance of the drone army. Their bodies twitched as if paralysed and their eyes flickered back and forth erratically, searching desperately for an escape. For a split second Denise was certain she had seen a flicker of electricity and the faint glassy sheen of a forcefield. Bonnie began to laugh in an almost maniacal manner before walking out of the hall, leaving Darius to adjudicate the procedure with a blank visage.

Before Adam and Denise could even turn their heads toward eachother to question what on earth was going on, there was a sickening whirr as a wide panel opened up at the back of the wall and a tangle of mechanical armatures sprung forth from it. One by one the drones were snatched into the air, each figure’s face a picture of implacable terror as they were drawn into the darkness behind, and away from sight. But neither of the spectators needed to see what was happening; their minds were already well aware of the genetic mutation that lay beyond their vision. And every single person in that hall, be it man, woman or youth, was about to become victim to it.

“This is… this is just sick…” Denise intoned repulsively as Adam shook from the force of his repressed memory.

“They never stop…” he whispered.

 

“They never stop.”

 

His grief was broken by Caley’s slurred cries as he struggled to contain the rush of collective fear that the grunts’ thoughts had handed him.

“No…” he stammered. “Let me out… let me out! I never wanted to be here! It was all a mistake! I should have never…”

The trainer slumped forward, unconscious and finally overwhelmed. Denise knelt down hurriedly to hoist him up.

“I hate to say this,” she remarked solemnly. “But we can’t stay here. We’d be severely outnumbered by whatever monstrosities emerge from their despicable experimentation.”

Adam gulped back his anguish and lifted Caley over his shoulders.

“They’ll be like Ember, but worse…won’t they?”

“I imagine so,” Denise sighed. “Now we’d better get back and find the others. I don’t know how…

..but we’ve got to get ourselves some more time to sort this mess out.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

 “Yep. It mus’ be him…” Errol grinned as the mutant Kenjoko thundered heavily behind them. “Only Butch would get so woiked up over how people say ‘is name”

“But how do you think he got like that?” James yelped. “I can’t imagine the Boss using Elite members for experimentation. Do you think he was demoted?”

“I doubt it…” Errol replied. “Dey’ve been out chasin’ us fer da past few months, an’ wit’ how busy Gio’s been I don’t t’ink their rankin’ woulda been very high on his list o’ priorities.”

James blinked, then shuddered visibly.

“You don’t suppose he’s a lay…a lycra… a lyc… a werejoko, do you?”

“Don’t be silly,” Errol chuckled, leaping nimbly to avoid a stack of boxes that were partially blocking the corridor. “Dose don’t exist. I expects he musta had some sorta accident while in the Rocket labs…” A veil of realisation passed over his face. “Or maybe……it coulda bin someting ta do wit dat formula I injected ‘im with…”

“What formula?” James looked back at Errol with a puzzled expression.

“I don't really know,” Errol lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed. "I jus' grabbed it off a table in da lab and fired it at Butch to cause a distraction."

James’ brow furrowed deeply at his friend’s thoughtlessness.

“Didn’t it cross your mind that formula might contain some potentially untested chemicals which could result in serious side effects?” he snapped. "You saw what happened to me!"

Errol was getting more humiliated by the second but James hadn’t finished his motherly lecturing.

“Next time, try using some common sense!” he snapped, before the Kenjoko cut into the conversation with a roar and a quick flick of the tail. “Now we’ve got this unfavourable brute to shake off and currently I’m seeing no way of escape!”

“Well gimme a minute” Errol muttered, still reeling from his reprimand. “I’ll t’ink o’ somethin.”

“We don’t have a minute!” James insisted, before a loud thud caused him to swing his gaze round to the corridor in front of him. The passage was now filled with the immense bulk of a Nidoking which, though not as tall as the Kenjoko behind Errol and James, looked equally as fearsome.

“What a way ta go” Errol remarked with noticeable distaste. “Endin’ up as the fillin’ fer an ugly sandwich”

“I don’t want to fill anything!” James wailed, covering his head with his arms.

 

“I just wanna get out of heeeere!”

 

The Kenjoko reasserted its own glower directly upon the Nidoking and began to growl ominously, and the latter was quick to return the favour. Raising his head up once more, James picked out a lithe, elderly bespectacled countenance balanced precariously near the Nidoking’s left shoulder.

“Hey you!” a youthful voice yelled from somewhere near the Pokémon’s waist. “Move yourselves, unless you’re looking to become a couple of people pancakes!”

“They’re not the enemies!” an older woman’s tones echoed from further behind, causing James and Errol to perk up considerably upon hearing it. “Those two are with us.”

Upon closer inspection Errol could just make out a familiar red-coloured gem upon the Nidoking’s forehead.

“Dat’s my boy!” he grinned, causing the Nidoking to grunt, almost bashfully.

“Excellent timing!” James agreed with deep thankfulness before Cory, in his hulking borrowed form, reached forward a claw and hoisted the man over his other shoulder. Errol swiftly followed, before Cory returned to staring at the creature blocking their escape route.

He hadn’t been more than four seconds in James’ vicinity and yet Max was already beginning to eye the figure up and down with a deeply suspicious expression. But James hadn’t noticed - he was too busy trying to hurriedly fill the gaps with Rose.

“Team Rocket sought out the Professors and managed to extract the remainder of the information from them,” she informed sadly. “It was all they needed, I imagine. Those last pieces to complete their infernal puzzle.”

Errol curled his lip in utmost revulsion.

“Dey wouldn’t have wasted any time” he spat. “I expects whatever dey’re up to is already underway, probably even halfway complete.”

“I have to get the professors out of here” Rose announced.

“And we need to find Denise and the others” James exclaimed worriedly. “I have the most awful feeling something’s happened to them. But I don’t know how we’re meant to get out of here with Butch standing in our way.”

“Butch?” Rose echoed, frowning.

“We’ll explain later” Errol replied dismissively. “Right now I suggest we ram dis unsightly blockage outta da way! Ya got dat, kid?”

Cory nodded, and readied himself for the charge. The Kenjoko had positioned itself in such a way as if to indicate it wanted to see its opponent even try to shove it aside - and with its size advantage this certainly wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Nevertheless that aspect hadn’t seemed to deter Cory one bit. He took a few steps back, causing the humans behind to shuffle into reverse also, and barrel toward his target.

The Kenjoko staggered back a few inches upon impact, a slightly surprised look on its face. It was enough of a distraction to enable Cory to gain the upper hand. While his adversary shook its head in an attempt to clear its vision, he ducked and charged again, this time causing the Kenjoko to topple backward with a loud thud. Cory didn’t waste a moment - he quickly pinned the beast to the floor, burying his horn into one of the creature’s tufted ears in an attempt to prevent it from raising its head.

“Now!” Errol ordered, and the group quickly made their getaway. Max took an anxious glance behind him as he ran.

“But what about…” he blurted.

“Don’t worry 'bout him” Errol replied calmly. “Cory can take care of himself. He’s got more dan a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“He hasn’t got any sleeves” Max stated, pulling a face.

“It’s a figure o’ speech, kid.” Errol groaned.

 

“Now less talkin’ an’ more escapin’!”

 

Arriving at the top of the stairs, Rose and her associates rejoined with Denise, Adam and Caley, who was still currently draped over the adolescent’s shoulders. Every face was overcome with the deepest of emotion at the turn of their situation, but Denise’s expression was the most foreboding of all.

“We have to leave” Adam said in laboured monotone. “Now.”

“What happened?” James inquired worriedly. “Did you find where that energy was coming from?”

“We did, alright” Denise sighed. “They have already begun whatever degenerative mutation process they had planned for, and all upon hundreds of unfortunate drones.”

“No wonder the heat generated from this area was so high…” Rose gasped abhorrently. “Those poor people. Most of them were recruited out of misguidance, I’d never wish such a fate on any of them.”

“It’ll be only a matter of days before the sequence is complete.” Denise continued. “There is nothing more we can do here. All I can suggest is that we get to Alia Summit as soon as we can, and hope that we reach there before its too late.

 

I only wish we could regain a little more time to figure things out”

 

            During that moment of sorrowful solemnity, no one noticed a small figure slip out of sight. Errol motioned for Adam to hand over Caley, which he did so with utmost gratitude. Kota nuzzled his trainer’s face with an anxious noise.

            “It’s ok, Kota,” Denise told the Pokémon. “He was just overwhelmed by the energy. I’m sure he’ll be fine after a good rest.”

            “Which ain’t gonna be happening in a long while” Adam muttered to himself.

            “It is a pity you were not able to retrieve my devices,” Julian remarked.

            “I would have been happy to lend them to you for the remainder of your journey. I am certain they’d be most useful to you.”

            “The thought is appreciated, Professor Amber,” Rose replied with a sad smile. “Even if the gesture can’t be undertaken.”

“Professor?” Denise looked up in realisation. “Are you the guys Kevin and Jenna were speaking about?”

“Kevin…and Jenna…” Alistair ran the names through his head over and over.

“The two renegade Rockets that helped you escape,” Julian reminded him.

“Ohh yes!” Alistair grinned. “So you must be their companions. It is such an honour to meet you.”

“And the same to meet you, sir” Denise nodded. “I would love to talk more but I’m afraid now is not the time or place”

“Of course, of course” the professor agreed apologetically. “Please…lead the way”

“Wait!” Julian spluttered. “Where’s Professor Birch’s assistant?”

Everyone looked around hurriedly, only to discover that Max had indeed vanished from sight. Errol rolled his eyes.

“Typical,” he commented. “Twoips always gotta make wit’ da heroics. I bet he’s wandered off to find da laboratory and try ta stop da machines all by himself.”

“Let him go” James said dismissively.

“WHAT?” Julian almost shrieked. “Are you nuts? He’s only eleven years old! He’ll get killed down there!”

“Believe me…” James shook his head. “Twerps have the amazing ability to survive just about anything you throw at them. He’ll be fine… and the better for all of us if the little guy actually figures out a way to shut down the process.”

Rose, Denise and Adam were now studying Errol and James with curious expressions.

“You know that kid?” Adam blinked.

“Yup,” Errol replied as if it was nothing, then leaned toward the shell-shocked Professor Amber.

“But, seriously. Cory’s still down there, an’ youse can guarantee he’ll help out if your little assistant gets himself inta hot water.

Now let’s make a break fer it!”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

With an exceedingly determined expression upon his youthful features, Max had quickly darted through the corridors in the direction he guessed the humming to be emitting from. There was but one thing on his mind.

Regain more time…regain more time. I have to sabotage  those machines… shut them down.

Boy… this place is so empty…

 

“You’re telling me.”

 

Max swung round in alarm to see that Cory had taken up place running effortlessly beside him, a cheeky grin lighting his face.

“You…” he stammered, slowing his pace to a standstill. “You heard me? How did you…what sort of Pokémon are you?”

“One of a kind,” Cory replied, seeming rather unhappy for the reminder. “Literally. But seriously - what I am isn’t the important aspect right now. What’s more important is what those poor people are going to become.”

The boy nodded in agreement before picking up his pace once again.

“What happened to that mutant Kenjoko?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s been thoroughly dealt with,” Cory told him knowledgably, holding up a right hand which currently still bore the shape of a Nidoking’s claw, before reverting back to its more human appearance. Max turned on his heels, a burning excitement suddenly present in his eyes.

“Did you catch it? Huh? Can I see?”

“Gah! What is it with you humans and catching things?” Cory rolled his eyes. Max’s jaw fell open.

“You mean you just left it there?” he squeaked.

“As a matter of fact, yes” Cory grunted. “It's not like I had anything to capture it with.”

"So a disturbed, potentially psychotic creature is still on the loose," Max muttered, turning round in the relevant direction and carried on running with a somewhat disappointed pout. Cory flinched as his thoughts returned to the unrestrained violence Cyzel had spoken of him committing, but he quickly tried to push them back. There were more important things to worry about at this moment in time.

“So…” Cory began, as if trying to smooth the wrinkles in the forming of a relationship. “How come you’re still down here, huh? Why didn’t you make your escape with the others?”

“Because someone’s got to stop whatever madness is going on down there” Max exclaimed. “And that someone is going to be me. I’m going to make sure whatever machines they’re using won’t be working in a long time. No doubt that scummy Team Rocket will soon be on to repairing them but still… it’ll give your friends more than enough time to finish their quest.”

“Uh huh…” Cory nodded with an unconvinced air. Max looked at him sternly.

“I ain’t doing this to try and be a hero. I’m doing it for the sake of our future. For my sister and everyone else who just wants to live a normal life and not one under some dictatorship. So don’t get any ideas, ok?”

“Ok, ok… I’m sorry” Cory replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

 

“I’d just wondered whether hanging around with Ash Ketchum had rubbed off on you”

 

Max’s eyes widened and he screeched to a halt, shaking slightly.

“How do you know Ash?” he snapped, before composing himself hurriedly. But it was already too late - Cory looked somewhat taken aback. Max hung his head ashamedly. For the first time since they had started tracking the humming he leant against the wall and began to slide slowly down it until his rear touched the floor, at which point he rested his head miserably in his hands and gave out a deep sigh.

“I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have exploded like that”

 “It’s ok,” Cory shook his head. Max looked up at him.

“No doubt you heard of Ash from that guy James. I expect he told you of how he was often leaping into situations without restraint and trying to overcome obstacles all on his own. What I doubt he told you was of Ash’s determination and incredible sense of commitment… to his friends, his Pokémon… …that was something I admired about him, you know? That almost limitless will to keep on trying, no matter what.

Maybe he was brash sometimes. But he was always there to shine a light of hope into a situation, no matter how small our chances of overcoming it seemed.”

“You sure seemed to have a bad reaction when I mentioned him,” Cory tilted his head to one side, somewhat puzzled.

 “Well…” Max replied quietly. “We…left on a bad note.”

“How so?” Cory inquired, a little worried. Max stared back into space bitterly.

“Remember all those good points I mentioned about Ash?” he spoke up. “They began to vanish… little by little. At first it wasn’t so noticeable - we just thought he had become so enthusiastic about his training he had totally immersed himself in it to enable him and his Pokémon to reach their peak potential. But it was deeper than that. Ash grew distant and drifted apart from us, his own friends. He forced his Pokémon into rigorous no-holds-barred battles with each other, the frequency of which bordered on the obscene. When I approached him about the cruelty of this treatment he became so enraged I had to run away for fear he’d seriously injure me.

It was from then on I realised the friend I knew, the one I had longed to live up to in terms of valour and faithfulness, had died."

Cory shuddered inwardly.

“Man…” he commented. “I never knew”

“No one does” Max said coldly. “The day after my last encounter with him, Ash disappeared… and we've not seen him since.”

Heaving another sigh the figure looked up to see Cory’s brow furrowed deep in concentration.

“You seem deep in thought.”

“It just seems strange to me” Cory remarked.

 

“Why would someone with such good (if a little farfetched) intentions suddenly turn into this… this ruthless monster?”

 

Suddenly he stood bolt upright and flattened himself against the wall. Instinctively, Max did the same.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“I hear voices” Cory uttered in monotone. Max pulled a face.

“You really should see someone about that.”

“Not those sorts of voices!” Cory groaned as the realisation sunk in. “I mean there are people talking in a room somewhere near here. And they sound familiar”

“Maybe if we listen in we can get some clues as to the whereabouts of the place we’re looking for” Max grinned, stepping away from the wall. Cory was quick to pull him back again.

“Wait a second”  he whispered. “You can’t get too close. If we get spotted it’ll be the end for us - I need to go in alone”

Max was about to protest but then decided against it.

“Okay,” he nodded sadly. “But how do you intend to listen without being seen?”

“By blending in” Cory replied.

“Now you wait here and keep out of sight. I’ll be back in a minute”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            “Well well…” the casual coldness of Bonnie’s countenance was more than apparent as she arranged a bundle of papers into her briefcase.

            “Cassidy Sampson and Jessie Matthews, back from their fruitless blunderings around Tatto. I am surprised at your tenacity to actually return here empty-handed after multitudes of failure. And by the roof, no less. I was fortunate that Darius found you sneaking around before you did any further damage. It was bad enough having that genetically tampered accomplice of yours making holes in our headquarters, but to have you joining in…”

            The two female figures stood awkwardly in front of the woman’s desk within the makeshift office. Jessie seemed unsure of how to take in this dangerously calm reaction, but Cassidy, now having gathered some of her forceful demeanour back after her temporary shock, was ready to speak her mind.

            “What did you do to him?” she yelled.

            “I have done absolutely nothing, I assure you” Bonnie replied coolly, shutting the case. “But I cannot vouch for any of our medical technicians. From what I heard, the man’s blood was found to have been infiltrated with Pokémon DNA after exposure to a cell modification serum. The assessment team found traces of both after retrieval of what seemed to be an enhanced variation of Kenjoko.”

            “Of course...” Cassidy murmured, recalling what the young scientist that scanned Butch had said. Things had started to go awry after the man had been bitten on the arm - now she knew exactly what it was that had caused the wound. But Butch had never been called to the laboratory for any kind of testing. How could his body have been contaminated with a cell modification serum in the first place?

            “It must have been one of those accursed exiles!" she snapped after a moment's thought.

            “None of that matters now," Bonnie remarked knowledgably. "We shall be sure to make certain that the enhancements your ‘friend’ has are put to a more favorable use this time around.”

 

“WHAT?”

 

Cassidy’s face had turned a deep red in her disgusted fury, causing Jessie to shift sideward slightly in alarm. Bonnie placed her hands before her, a dark smile creeping across her face.

“He sounded more than happy to accept his newfound prowess over humiliation through working with incapable associates,” she oozed. At this point, Cassidy’s voice grew ominously soft.

“I don’t believe you” she growled. “I demand to see him…right NOW.”

“But of course,” Bonnie smirked. “I would have expected someone such as you to need proof. You shall find him stationed in Sector F on the lower floor. But don’t hold your breath; I expect you’re going to be very surprised by what you find.”

“We’ll see who’s going to be surprised,” Cassidy muttered, flinging open the door and storming through it. “I’m going to give him a good talking to. Bring him to his senses. He can’t speak of me like this - I am not incapable!”

Jessie followed swiftly, partially to get out of the vicinity of someone she found most disturbing but also because she was curious over witnessing Cassidy seemingly showing care for another human being, albeit a grouchy raspy one.

“I did not like that smile on her face” she commented. “She’s up to something.”

“I figured that out already, Matthews” Cassidy muttered. “And I’m going to make sure whatever is it that’s brainwashing Butch is shut down for good”

No… it’s not just that. Jessie thought worriedly. I’m certain it’s something bigger.

 

Bigger… and far far worse.

 

Once she was sure the women were well out of earshot, Bonnie chuckled to herself and leant sideward a little, pressing her finger upon the intercom by her writing pad.

“Bonnie Radwell here” she stated bluntly. “We have two ‘guests’ within the building who have officially worn out their welcome. Make sure you see to it that they’re efficiently disposed of.”

“I shall have recon pods warmed up and waiting for them, ma’am,” came a ghastly enthusiastic voice on the other end, before the connection cut out. Bonnie grinned to herself as she stood up and made her way toward the ensuite closet to gather some supplies. While the woman was duly occupied, Cory slipped out of his disguise as a fire extinguisher and quickly approached the computer on her desk.

Something in here was bound to help him understand himself better.

He wasted no time in searching. Placing a hand on the portion of the machine that contained its hard drive, Cory immediately employed his Virtual type abilities to bypass security protocols and sift through the information that followed. Soon, he encountered the experimental Pokémon database.

Here we are...Project C0P1, the figure thought, accessing the file. Element - Virtual. DNA Composition - Ditto, Sableye, Espeon.

 

Classification...

 

Cory reeled backward from the computer, his arm swinging across the desk and scattering papers onto the floor. Bonnie flinched and stormed out of the closet before surveying the office with narrowed eyes. Silent, save for the whirring of the air conditioning system processing gusts through the nearby vent. Eventually the woman resigned herself to the conclusion she had turned it up too high, and adjusted the strength accordingly.

“Not a soul wasted," she smirked to herself, continuing her earlier thoughts. "And with those three incompetent fools out of the way I shall employ the services of those far more capable. You may be out of my reach, exiles. But not for much longer..

 

Not much longer at all…”

           

Max glanced up as Cory, in his original form, tumbled out of the vent into the corridor wearing a thoroughly horrified expression.

“What’cha find out?” the boy inquired while his companion resumed a humanoid state. “Do you know where the lab is now?”

“Not yet,” Cory responded distantly, roughly pulling Max to his feet before hastily making his way back in the direction he’d arrived from. His mind was still reeling as a result of what he had seen written about him. “But I have an idea of how to find it. There’s two Elite operatives who I believe are heading in that direction. We just need to follow.”

“Excellent!” Max jumped excitedly, before composing himself once more. 

“Lead the way then.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

Sure enough, as the duo tracked the footsteps of the women ahead of them, they found themselves venturing deeper…and darker.

“Lousy lighting” Max muttered, stumbling over a slightly cracked floor tile. “If they’re trying to impress someone by setting a mood its not working.”

“It’s not that,” Cory replied quietly. “Organic life forms need the lowest amount of light exposure possible to develop properly.”

Max looked to the figure ahead of him, noticeably impressed.

“How’d you know that?”

“Heard it from one of the scientists once, while I was still under examination,” Cory told him in a matter of fact way. “Nevertheless, it’s a bad thing for me.”

“How come?” Max blinked, wondering whether the alteration in the height of the figure ahead was actually happening, or whether his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

“I need light to hold my shape when in another form” came the slightly pained reply. “Without it, I’ll…ugh…revert back to my original…state after a period of time…”

Max stopped before kneeling down to examine the shiny feline countenance.

“Well that sure is a bummer” he commented, adjusting his glasses. “Still, at least your original form is a lot easier to get around in than that of a Ditto”

Cory folded his arms moodily.

“Maybe so, but I’m hardly intimidating…or battle ready. Are you quite finished staring?”

Max’s expression had altered drastically as he gazed at Cory’s forehead - his mouth agape as if trying to imitate the slot of a mailbox.