Some distance south east of Tatto, scattered gracefully amidst the many waves of the Kantoan ocean, were the islands of the Orange Archipelago. The most notable of these was Shamouti Island, famed for its archaic constructs reminiscent of civilisations gone by, yearly festivals and the inhabitants’ defiant preservation of its rigorous traditions. Regardless of such controversial extravagance, Agrarian Seers presiding over their duties as guardians of Shamouti’s most sacred monument (and the legendary Pokémon it spoke of) took their work very seriously. After all, it hadn’t been long since they had regained this position following the betrayal of these Pokémon by one of their most skilled members. Since that terrible day, the kings of the Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno species had been held in a state of confinement, consumed by their anger over the abuse of their trust to such an extent that they had begun to fight amongst themselves. It was only when a descendant of the man who had tried to control the birds delivered an apology on his behalf, that their fury was quelled, and the honour of guardianship could be returned to the Seers once again.

            Now the position had been granted to a woman of great aptitude and an equally strong love for the winged creatures she found herself presiding over. This same woman could be found standing amongst a carpet of red flowers that grew atop the plateau where an inscribed placard stood, surrounded by seven Taragirite pillars upon an intricately-carved base.

            It was early morning, but despite this the sun had not yet arisen. In fact, the woman had begun to wonder whether it would ever rise again. Glancing from the darkened blood red sky to her Pokémon companion, a Lugia that was almost the same age as she was, the female figure took a deep breath and let a sharp gust of wind catch her long, brown hair before reciting some improvised verse.    

 

“A crimson petal passes by,

            A flower’s tear for a mournful sky.

            The day of righting is upon us, Agi.”

 

            Silence followed. Agi cast a glance at the woman’s apprehensive expression – the Lugia had been expecting her old friend to have been far more thankful for this revelation than she seemed.

<Silver…> she began a jokingly-chiding way. <There’s something else on your mind, isn’t there? Or should I say, ‘someone’?>

“Caught me out again,” Silver chuckled half-heartedly. “I’m sorry, Agi. It’s not that I don’t trust him but things aren’t like before. We’re older now, and yet right this minute I bet that guy’s getting ready to go out there and play hero, just like he used to.”

<I wouldn’t be surprised> Agi smirked. <Men, eh? What can you do?>

Silver looked up wistfully before resigning herself to a little smile.

“Contribute reinforcements,” she said.

           

           

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

 

 

            Several thousand miles to the north in the Kanto region, things were proving particularly tense in the Williams’ residence, positioned directly behind the colourful Cerulean City Gym. A middle-aged woman with cropped orange hair and stylish clothing stood shaking at the end of the hallway, staring at the fuzzy screen of her videophone in what seemed to be some dwindling hope that the dancing pixels were only a temporary glitch. When no true images returned, the woman took to her heels and ran frantically toward the living room, arms bent at the elbow and swaying from side to side with every step.

            “Wes, something terrible is happening!” she exclaimed, skimming past the sofa and peering through another door which led straight to the garage, the place she would most often find her husband. “I got a call from Lily in Celadon…she’d seen the gym there practically blown into the sky! I asked her what on earth had caused such a thing to happen, but the phone went dead! We’ve got to go and make sure our daughter is-“

            The woman cut out, examining Wes’ deeply focused expression as he tended to a few loose parts on his trusty customized motorbike. The vehicle had been a state of the art construction when first assembled - fitted hover thrusters replaced its frontal tyre while an obscenely large engine provided much speed (and, to Wes’ great enjoyment, noise). Even now, almost thirty years later, it was looking good despite its age. His wife would have said the same for the motorbike’s rider, were she not currently annoyed at his seeming ignorance. She prepared to raise her voice over such behaviour when she noticed something else. Wes’ scuffed-up satchel had been crammed to the brim with articles and flung into the sidecar.

“Wesley Karman Williams…” the woman began ominously. “You’ve known about this the whole time, haven’t you?”

“Sort of,” he responded, scratching the back of his head awkwardly and causing his mop of greyish hair to look messier than usual. “I’d been receiving cryptic reports from the Orre Seers for the past few weeks now. They were expecting something big to happen, they just weren’t sure what.”

“And you’re planning to go back to Orre,” came the stern response. It was more of an announcement than an inquiry – Wes’ wife knew her husband like the back of her hand.

“Of course!” Wes spluttered. “Kousa Tower will be more vulnerable than any other sacred location in the world, Rui. Even with the regeneration program in place, the region’s trainers only have a fraction of the experience that I have.”

“In which case, I’ll be coming with you,” Rui confirmed, turning back toward the living room to get her handbag. The woman found herself uttering a tiny squeak as she was met with Daisy’s cheerful but resolute face. She was dressed in her ‘adventurer’s outfit’ which consisted of black fingerless gloves and dark glasses in addition to her usual clothing.

“Don’t forget me!” she trilled. Wes glanced up and raised his eyebrows at the ensemble. How his daughter expected to battle, much less in a pink cardigan and riskily high cream-coloured miniskirt, was beyond him.

“Hold on!” he exclaimed. “This journey will be dangerous, even tougher than anything your mom or I have ever told you concerning Cipher.”

“I know what’s involved, dad,” Daisy sniffed in slightly patronizing tones as she tended to the flower in her golden hair. “I’ve like, thought about it real hard and I know I can help you two out! I was Gym Leader for a time here too, remember? And don’t worry where I’ll be sitting. I’ll drive my own car.”

Wes’ looked most perplexed at his daughter’s stubbornness. Some personality traits he was wishing she had never inherited. Eventually, the man relented.

“Okay then,” he said. “We’re all probably safer in numbers anyhow. Plus, it’ll be more reassuring if I can just look over my shoulder to check if you and your mother are alright.”

Daisy couldn’t help but smile at this. For all his bravado and embarrassing behaviour, Wes proved a caring parent in his own right.

“I love you too, dad,” she said.

 

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

 

 

Don’t underestimate your strength, Caley. None of us have room to be sceptical about our own capabilities now.

 

The trainer had played with those words over and over in his head as he ran alongside his companions toward their destination. It felt like they had been constrained amongst the oppressive mountainside forever, and the increase of rumbling sounds that ricocheted off the rocks in every direction only served to heighten their impatience to break out into the open. This in turn had granted Caley further time to dwell upon what Tracey had said to him just a short time earlier. He wasn’t sure whether that had been a good thing – while he could see the truth in the Pokémon Watcher’s words, there was still a part of him that doubted.

What if his strength wasn’t enough?

At that very moment, the mountains ahead of the travelling group appeared to fall away, exposing a sight that was enough to momentarily snatch the breath from those who currently gazed upon it. Tomary Tower loomed in the distance - an awesome and yet foreboding presence that thrust its semi-transparent tetrahedron pinnacle up toward the violently swirling darkened clouds while a high wall surrounded its base.

“It’s so…beautiful,” Rose murmured, eyes wide with wonder.

“It’s huge!” James exclaimed in astonishment. “And I would know, I’ve seen some big buildings in my time. That tower has to be at least the height of six full-grown Milotics standing atop one another.”

“Which is going to make it that much harder to reach the top,” Cory remarked, while Adam looked around anxiously. “Do you think the Seers will know to let you in, Caley?”

“Forget about letting anyone in,” Jessie sniffed. “From what I can see, flying up top would be the easiest option.”

“With what?” Denise blinked. “The only flying Pokémon on our team is Li and I doubt a Tisker could carry him that high. Do we have any other options?”

“Depends if dey’re feeling cooperative,” Errol smirked, casting a sideward glance at Butch. The man raised an eyebrow.

“What are you lookin’ at me for?” he inquired, before his mouth dropped open with realisation. “Waitasecond!  You don’t honestly think I could go Kenjoko and take Caley up there myself, do you? I’ve never flown in that form before, and besides…I still don’t know how to trigger the transformation.”

“And even if you did, it wouldn’t make much difference,” Cassidy remarked in the oddly quiet tone she took on when saying something profound. “The tower is shielded to prevent anyone or anything from flying up there and breaking in.”

“Huh? How do you know that?” James tilted his head to one side while the others turned their attentions to the woman in unison, causing her to flinch. Cassidy struggled for a reason to cover the subconscious outburst of unexplained knowledge but, in all the stress of the current situation, she couldn’t think of one. It was starting to look like she would have to come out with the truth.

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble arose from the craggy peaks behind them, causing fierce vibrations to course under the feet of the worried-looking travellers. A massive chunk of rock smashed heavily into the spot where they had been standing, throwing a cloud of dust into the air and causing the group to quicken their already-frantic pace. Glancing over his shoulder to see what had caused such an assault, Adam froze to the spot in trepidation. The shadowy tops of the mountains had begun to writhe and swell under the army’s ascent, a gargantuan abomination giving birth to echinated heads and muscled shoulders that heaved with barely-repressed fury.

As the moon reflected from a countless number of misted eyes, Denise reached backward and grabbed the wrist of her younger companion in a frantic attempt to make him run. Adam finally managed to send an instruction to his legs in order to keep up with the others but regardless, he couldn’t stop staring at the formidable sight. Human figures could be seen poised fearlessly amongst the mutant throng now, men dressed in the grey and blue-stripe uniforms associated with Team Rocket coordinators belonging to the Super Elite rank. One thrust an arm forward.

“ONWARD!” came the emotionless order. Caley couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if the humans had been put under mind control also. The presence of Team Rocket helicopters, some winching large, deadly-looking weaponry, only served to heighten his curiosity. But this was neither the time or the place to think of such things. The gap between the multitudes of Pokémorphs and their targets was growing ever smaller as they leapt forward, thundering down the rock face in pursuit.

“Wouldn’t this be considered overkill?” Jessie spluttered.

“I didn’t think it was possible for Giovanni to get this ticked off at us!” James squealed in agreement. But Rose had other ideas.

“This isn’t just about us any more,” she explained. “He must know…he must know of the legend too.”

“An’ while he ain’t da type ta believe in folklore, he ain’t da type to take second chances either,” Errol agreed before staring firmly at the back of Caley’s head in an effort to make the trainer turn and look at him. It worked. “Youse gotta get ova to da tower, an’ fast!”

“Stian can get you there quicker!” Cory added insistently. Caley couldn’t help but look somewhat upset over the thought of abandoning his friends.

“But what about you guys?” he asked.

“Just worry about getting to the tower peak, okay?” Cassidy snapped. There was no room for sentimentality, actions needed to be taken swiftly.

“We’ll be fine!” Denise urged while Adam raised an eyebrow at this exclamation.

“I wish I could share your optimism,” he remarked under his breath. At last Caley released Stian, who emerged from the Pokéball's light and hit the ground running alongside his trainer. The Douumaped gave Caley an inquiring glance before the young man unsteadily but determinedly clambered astride his back. Then, without further word between them, the Pokémon and its rider sped off across the wide expanse of grassland toward the distant edifice. This unexpected breakaway was enough to cause a humanoid Aggron to loose a stunningly powerful hyper beam amidst the remaining exiles. While they were able to evade any direct impact, the force of the resulting blast propelled the yelling figures into the air in a ball of searing light.

The next thing Adam knew, he was flat on his face in the mud.

“Oww…” James could be heard groaning from somewhere nearby. “I never thought a fight would start with a blastoff!”

Denise winced, blinking furiously in an attempt to clear her vision while trying not to panic over the violent shuddering sensations under her body. The landing had knocked the breath right out of her and, try all she might, the girl couldn’t get up fast enough. Into her line of vision dark shapes passed, outlines of flying Pokémorphs bearing expressions saturated with hollow intent. Fearfully, Denise levered herself into a sitting position in time to realise that the gazes of these creatures were not, in fact, aimed at her.

“They’re heading for the tower,” Adam gulped, wiping the dirt from his face.

“Then let’s hope that shielding Cassidy was talking about is as strong as it’s supposed to be,” James remarked, standing up and looking around for the other members of the group whose voices he’d heard no sign of since he landed. “Jessie? Errol?”

A loud growl resounded from overhead, causing all three figures to glance up nervously. Having landed in an area of shrub-lined rocks, they had managed to avoid detection from the charging army. At least until James had begun searching for another friendly face, only to lock eyes with a tall sand-coloured creature clad in a red shell. He yelped and reeled back instinctively, caught unawares by the frightfully blank expression. The humanoid Shuckle responded by throwing a clawed fist forward and slamming it into the ground, missing the man by inches.

“Growlie, we’ve got to make this one count!” James cried, releasing the fire type canine from the Pokéball in his hand. Adam and Denise followed by sending out Cyzel and Rilly, respectively.

“We can’t go on the offensive with these things, guys!” Denise reminded them, while Growlie distracted the Shuckle morph with bursts of Extremespeed. Cyzel and Rilly joined in the retaliation, the former screeching in the creature’s face while the latter soaking the ground under its feet in an attempt to slow it down.

“Too right,” Adam pulled a face. “They’re offensive enough as it is.”

“No seriously, Adam,” Denise frowned. “I bet whatever Giovanni’s done to these poor people, it’s made them even stronger than our enhanced Pokémon.”

Their conversation was disturbed by a shrill howl of agony from Growlie combined with a yell of anguish from James. As valiant as the Growlithe’s attempts at evasion had been, it was still far too slow to avoid the humanoid Shuckle’s attacks.

“And if that’s the case,” Denise continued, the corners of her eyes creasing up as she tried to fight back her upset. “We’ve all got to be as powerful as we can be. Brave, too. Somehow, we’ve got to last this out until Caley does what he has to.”

“But what can a few of us do against hundreds of them?” Adam exclaimed brokenly. Suddenly, the two youths were hoisted swiftly and roughly up into the air. Gasping for breath, Denise tried to make out what it was that had bound her so tightly and discovered it to be a thick grass rope gripping her waist. Another one also held Adam tightly, preventing escape. The unleasher of the ropes, a Roserade Pokémorph, uttered a grunt that could have been thought of as amusement, had the look in her eyes been something more alive and emotional.

 

“I h-hate to say it…” she choked in Adam’s direction. “But I don’t think there’s much we can do..at all…”

 

Indeed the situation looked increasingly grim. Denise could only hope that her other friends were still alive, out there amongst the ferocious crowd of mutants. And if they were, how much better could they have possibly been faring? The army was almost at the Tower’s boundary now, its malformed soldiers closing in on Caley like a pack of Mightyenas on a frightened Buneary. Cyzel and Rilly clashed with the Shuckle morph, unable to hear their trainers’ calls for help over the intense surrounding noise. As the crushing pressure on her chest intensified, Denise’s eyelids began to flicker shut, a trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth and down the side of her face.

Maybe their efforts had been too little, too late.

Adam struggled with every ounce of his remaining energy, watching with growing despair as Denise’s consciousness rapidly slipped away. His own suffering immediately wiped from the forefront of his mind, only to be replaced with a torturous memory from times past. A vision of innocence and beauty, someone he had cared for so deeply, being snatched away before his eyes without him being able to do a thing to stop it.

First his mother, now Denise…if there was any measure of justice in this messed-up world, then this could not be allowed to happen!

And yet it was. Adam coughed a dark red spray, urging his end to come swiftly if it must and yet still trying to free himself with little success. His hand brushed against something wedged firmly in his trouser pocket, causing the boy to flinch. Denise’s words came rushing back.

 

We’ve all got to be as powerful as we can be.

 

It was the only gift she had ever given him, but as precious an article it might have been, having it would mean nothing if Denise were to lose her life. Adam writhed in one last effort, causing the translucent, orange item to tumble from his pocket onto the grass below, a short distance from James. The man had been cradling Growlie in his arms, trying to avoid further assault. Now, he ran over to the glittering object and knelt down to examine it.

“A…Fire Stone?”

Glancing instinctively at Adam for some note of approval, James uttered a harsh gasp as he saw the grave situation he and Denise were in. Initiative would have to be taken. The man immediately leant down toward Growlie, Fire Stone in one hand.

“Growlie?” he murmured, like a father talking consolingly to his son. “It’s time for us to move on.”

“Rrrowl,” the Growlithe responded weakly, a sparkle of defiance in its eyes - it knew what had to be done, and was ready to accept. With that, James touched the Fire Stone to Growlie’s body, which began to glow as a result of the elemental energy. Temporarily distracted and mildly disorientated by the light, the Roserade morph loosened its grass ropes slightly, giving Adam and Denise a chance (if but a small one) to catch a breath. The light faded, and where James’ Growlithe had once been standing there now crouched an Arcanine, re-invigorated from the Fire Stone’s power and angrily baring its teeth at its target.

“Growlie, flamethrower!” James yelled, pointing at the humanoid Roserade. “Aim for the ropes!”

The creature screeched as a searing burst of flame tore through its bindings, dropping Adam and Denise in the process. Despite his greatly-weakened state, Adam turned himself in midair, reaching out his arms to catch Denise’s limp body as she fell. The pair hit the ground, rolling a little way before coming to a stop.

“You’ll back off if you know what’s good for you!” James snarled at the Roserade morph, eyes alight with a custodial passion. “No one hurts my little Rocket sis’ and gets away with it!”

He trailed off, noticing Growlie looking over his shoulder worriedly. Cyzel and Rilly had dashed to their trainers’ aid, leaving the Shuckle morph free to advance upon James and his Arcanine companion. It appeared he was surrounded, and out of luck. Of course, James could have easily leapt aboard Growlie and used the Pokémon's newfound speed to escape, but the man refused to abandon his friends. Even if it meant going down with them.

Having resigned himself to such a fate, James was thoroughly surprised when an icy blast appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the humanoid Roserade’s head and upper body. Glancing round, the man’s mouth dropped open as a Delibird flapped into view with a familiar smirk upon its face. The squealing of tyres and the roar of an engine soon followed as a motorbike ridden by two figures in long, white coats powered its way across the mountain ridge - leaping from a rocky ledge before hitting the ground and approaching James. The rider lifted the visor of his helmet, revealing a cheeky grin, bright green eyes and an equally vivid shock of messy violet hair.

“Kevin?”

“We heard you could use some help!” came the affirmative reply. The passenger on the motorbike also lifted their visor, revealing themselves to be none other than Kevin’s close companion Jenna.

“Could we ever!” James exclaimed excitedly. Jenna lifted up a reel of thick cable which she had been keeping safe on her knee and cast Kevin a mischievous, inquisitive look.

“You ready then, Kev?” she said.

“You bet!” came the enthusiastic reply. Kevin leant back and revved the motorbike before sending the vehicle and its riders speeding toward the Shuckle Pokémorph. Grasping on to Kevin’s shoulder with one hand, Jenna reached out slightly with the hooked end of the cable as Kevin pulled the bike round the hulking creature, latching on to its arm in the process. Before the humanoid Shuckle had a chance to react, the motorbike was already making repeated circles around it, wrapping it entirely in the cable.

“Perfect!” Jenna punched the air as the motorbike came to a standstill. Kevin couldn’t help but grin wider at this exclamation.

“That was just like the swamp speeder scene in ‘Cosmos Conflict’!” he added. Adam glanced up momentarily from watching over Denise, to see another swarm of darkened shapes approaching from the horizon. As they drew closer, the group on the ground picked out the defiant faces of Pokémon Trainers of every description, riding on the backs of their Pokémon into the thick of the battle. From the mountains too came land-roaming travellers, intent on doing what they could to hold back the onslaught from their towering target.

“We figured the odds needed a little balancing,” Jenna smiled.

“Wow…” James gasped, as the nearby Roserade and Shuckle morphs were taken care of by the reinforcements. “I mean, how did you get all these trainers to come here?”

“These people must be from all over Tatto…” Denise murmured weakly, before realising where she was. Adam had carefully propped up the girl’s head by resting it upon his knee, having watched over her alongside Cyzel and Rilly until she had regained consciousness. Immediately Denise began to blush, causing Adam to flinch and do the same. He quickly saw to helping the figure sit upright, to which she gave him a deeply grateful smile.

“What happened?” she asked. “How did we ever get out of those grass ropes? I thought we were-“

“Goners, yeah,” Adam agreed, before motioning in James’ direction. Denise’s mouth dropped open as she caught sight of the man’s Pokémon.

“Growlie evolved?” she spluttered. “But that’s impossible! For that to happen, James would have needed to use a…” She trailed off, realising just what had happened. “Oh, Adam…you give him the Fire Stone I bought you?”

The boy nodded slowly and sadly, but this upset was rapidly broken as Denise threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

“That is the most selfless, wonderful thing you’ve ever done!” she squealed in tearful joy. “Thank you so much!”

Adam winced and blushed all the more, his eyes watering as a result of the pain brought on from the re-compression of some already pretty-crushed ribs. But he said nothing – it wasn’t often he got embraced by Denise and that in itself made up for the hurt and losing his Fire Stone several times over. The beauty of the moment was soon to be shattered, however.

 

“Denise and Adam, sittin’ in a tree! Kay aye ess ess aye en jee!”

 

The duo quickly separated, reddened even further and glanced up in annoyance, just in time to catch sight of a Magnezone passing overhead with a short, yellow-haired boy sitting upon its back.

“Dai, this is no time for fooling around!” snapped a taller male figure with similar-coloured hair riding a hover board. “We have a job to do!”

“But look at those two, Finlay!” Dai chuckled. “Their heads look like a couple o’ Hoppips!”

“News travels fast in the Gym Leader world, I see,” Denise muttered, trying not to make eye contact with Finlay as he passed. The young man offered her an apologetic expression.

“Sure does! When you’ve got someone as skilled as Tate working the communications system, you get to hear about things pretty quickly. Take care of Li for us, okay?”

Denise smiled, recalling Mondo’s pseudonym as Li jumped up and down with enthusiastic cries. Before she was able to ask Finlay whether her friend was here, the electric type Gym Leader had vanished along with his younger brother.

 “So how about it, guys?” Kevin inquired as Adam and Denise returned to their feet. “Ready to give it another shot?”

James and Growlie exchanged looks of renewed resolve. With the appearance of so many experienced others fighting for the side of good, things didn’t seem so daunting any more. There was still a chance. With that in mind, a unanimous cry was given.

“Let’s show 'em what we're made of!”

 

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

 

 

Ayanna Arom had to be one of the only people amongst millions across the world that felt more idiotic than terrified at this moment in time. For one, she just so happened to be riding her bicycle in the completely opposite direction to where everyone else was running. To the escaping inhabitants of Olivine City, the girl must have seemed utterly crazy, but Ayanna knew that this particular main road was the quickest way to get to Johto’s Arbor Forest, the place she was needed most.

            A few weeks ago, playing a part in saving the world would have been the last thing on Ayanna’s mind. Unlike her Celadon Gym Leader cousin Erika, she was a boisterous youth with a hardened attitude to life and more interested in repairing and modifying vehicles than she had ever been in plants. In fact, one could go as far as to say Ayanna (particularly Ayanna’s nose) fervently disliked greenery. When her father was called out to Orre to help with the region’s restoration project, the girl would eagerly take the chance to accompany him and help out some of Orre’s locals in the process. Over time, they grew to enjoy her company and admire her ability to create the best results with even the barest essentials.

            In her excitement to visit nearby Pyrite on one of these visits, Ayanna swerved to avoid a small, green shape which had crossed her path and ended up colliding with a nearby tree. Unexpectedly, the obstruction had been none other than a Celebi that was surveying the flourishing surroundings. Noting Ayanna’s injury, the Celebi was quick to use its abilities to heal the damage it had caused. And that’s when things started to get pretty strange. That’s when Ayanna discovered her Grass type Cho’moken and her place in the Ahnloka legend.

            Irony must love me, she thought, recalling those very events. Grass Cho’moken in a person that hates grass Pokémon, of all things. Still, a responsibility is a responsibility.

            The girl continued to pedal furiously, swerving to avoid fearful bystanders and abandoned, dented vehicles in an atmosphere reminiscent of one of those major disaster movies she had seen on television. Only this was real, and it was far scarier than anything Ayanna could have imagined. Smoke billowed from the upper floors of buildings while sirens jostled for supremacy over the airwaves and collided discordantly in the process. A torn, empty baby carriage lay overturned in the middle of the pavement – Ayanna could only hope that the child within had been rescued from whatever evil had caused such suffering. It was clear something had passed through these streets, leaving them far from unscathed.

            Passing figures were united in their anxious exclamations. “Monsters!” they cried. “Run for your lives!” Ayanna was aware of Pokémon having been on the rampage before, but nothing that had caused this level of panic amongst those who lived in Olivine. Most people who had worked with Pokémon themselves would have readily taken a stand against any forthcoming threat.

            Ayanna’s train of thought was rapidly halted as she rode into the City Square. While the area itself was surprisingly untouched, presences there made this fact seem pretty unimportant. Five angry-looking Pokémon Trainers had gathered together outside a particularly important building which Ayanna recalled as being Olivine Biological Research laboratory, the place her dad worked when not in Orre. Facing these trainers was a bespectacled boy in his early teens, dressed in a leather jacket with a red band keeping a messy shock of oak brown hair away from his eyes. Ayanna would have considered this to be a pretty one-sided match up were it not for the presence of three hulking figures behind him. These creatures bore some vague resemblance to the final evolutions of Johto’s starter Pokémon, only all were bipedal, gut-churningly muscular and bore expressions that clearly showed no semblance of compassion whatsoever.

            “We don’t care who you are or what kind of Pokémon you’re packing…” snapped a girl in her late teens wearing a black helmet and protective racing gear. “We’re not letting you get into this place!”

            “Yeah!” a younger male figure with turquoise hair piped up while a Flygon stood growling threateningly next to him. “So go away, Orren. And take your PokéRanger ‘Monster of the Week’ rejects with you!”

            Despite the tenseness of the situation, the other trainers couldn’t help but snicker at this apt reference to the popular Saturday morning children’s programme inspired by the efforts of real Pokémon Rangers worldwide. However, the boy referred to as Orren couldn’t see the humour in such words. He clenched his fists momentarily before settling back into a more comfortable smirk.

            “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions, if I were you,” he remarked. “These ‘rejects’ are perfectly capable of wiping you and your pathetic Pokémon out of existence.”

            “That’s hard to believe,” a young man with dark hair snorted, adjusting his glasses. “It’s five against three, and none of us even have all our Pokémon out yet.”

            “In which case, you’d better bring them out,” Orren responded, his smirk developing into something far more sinister. It was quite disturbing to see such an expression upon the face of a youth his age. “I’d hate to think any of them were missing out on seeing their trainers for the last time…”

            Hearing this, the dark-haired figure glanced to his companions with a firm expression.

“Alex, Roxi, David, Tama… it’s up to us now,” he quickly informed them.

“Ready to rock, Lewis!” the turquoise-haired boy piped up with a mischievous grin.”

“Glad to hear it, Alex,” Lewis sweatdropped. “We may have more Pokémon, but that’s no reason to be complacent. The work of the laboratory is at stake and we can’t lose that information to a kid from Team Rocket!”

“I am NOT a kid!” Orren screeched from across the square, before hurriedly composing himself. “Of course, how could I expect dim-witted trainers to understand that? Either way, it shall not matter for long. I will soon have what I came here for.”

            Before anyone had a chance to make their next move, Orren thrust an arm out toward the laboratory with a backward glance at the humanoid mutations behind him.

 

            “Take them down!”

 

            As the trio of Pokémorphs charged forward screeching, the girl whom Ayanna figured was Roxi threw the long, black skateboard she’d had tucked under her arm to the floor and looked expectantly at the Rhyhorn in front of her.

            “Alright, Quake,” she began, stepping onto the board and grabbing the reins attached to the harness that the rock Pokémon was wearing. “Time for us to show the competition what we’re made of! That Typhlosion beast is ours!”

            Quake responded with an enthusiastic grunt and took off into a surprisingly fast run for a creature of its size and build. Alex promptly released a Dratini, Espeon, Totodile and Piloswine into the open while David, Tama and Lewis did the same with the remaining members of their teams.

            “Piloswine, Camerupt, Glalie, Ninetales, Onix!” Lewis bellowed. “Gang up on the Meganium creature! Heracross, take on that Feraligator one!”

            “Suano and Flygon, help it out!” Alex exclaimed before turning to his Espeon. “Neko, go with Totodile and aim for the Typhlosion!”      

            From where she had been standing, concealed by a particularly large pieces of debris, Ayanna watched this elaborate strategy unfold and wondered whether to get involved or continue with her mission. A large part of the girl was adamant the visiting trainers had things more-than-adequately covered. There had to be at least twenty Pokémon present and awaiting orders!

            So why wasn’t she leaving?

            “Yeehah!” Roxi cried excitedly as her Rhyhorn pulled her toward the flaming target. “Hit it with Take Down, Quake!”

            Increasing its speed, the rock Pokémon plunged full force into the Typhlosion Pokémorph from one side, while Alex’s Totodile engulfed it in water from the other and his Espeon joined in with a barrage of shadow balls. The creature retaliated with a flick of one clawed hand, batting the Totodile aside in the process.

            “We’re playing with the big boys here, Alex,” Roxi rolled her eyes as she pulled Quake away from the attack and swerved round. “Small fry just won’t cut it.”

            “Totodile’s just as experienced as the rest of my team!” Alex insisted before looking a little upset. “Besides, there’s no water for Isonade to swim in.”

            “Never mind that!” David cried as his Furret and Houndoom pelted the humanoid Meganium with bursts of flame, to seemingly little effect. “It’s not as if the ‘super effective’ attacks are doing a much better job than regular ones!”

            He’s right, Ayanna thought to herself with growing fear. They’re barely making a mark.

            Lewis furrowed his brow upon hearing David’s statement. He hated to admit it, but the guy was right. These monstrosities had to be stopped, by any means possible. Even if such means were exceedingly reckless.

 

“Onix!” he yelled. “Use Fissure!”

 

Ayanna uttered a yelp as the rock snake plunged its upper body toward the ground, sending thunderous vibrations across the City Square. A massive crack tore through the thick concrete, heading straight for the Pokémorphs and their leader. While the humanoid Meganium and Feraligator were able to avoid the widening gap, the Typhlosion proved too slow and toppled into the hole, dragging Alex’s Piloswine and David’s Houndoom down with it in the process. A large, messy splatter ensued.

“Lewis, you idiot!” Tama squealed, jumping back and narrowly avoiding the putrid spray. “That’s the sewer system you’ve just blasted a hole into!”

“Well did you have any better ideas?” the dark-haired trainer snapped.

“I had less disgusting ones!” Tama retorted, while Alex blinked in his attempts to see through the dusty swirl that had arisen as the result of shifting concrete.

“Disgusting or not, maybe a dip in the muck has put the flames out on that freak,” Roxi suggested. But as the cloud dispersed, the trainers’ hearts quickly sank. While both Suano and Jake were out cold, floating with seeming lifelessness in the sickening filth, the Typhlosion morph stood as firmly and unwaveringly as ever, proving more angered than weakened from the soaking.

“Wh-wh-what are those things?” Tama stuttered, backing away instinctively. Orren’s evil smirk widened.

“What trainers’ nightmares are made of, my dear,” he said, before glancing over his shoulder. Ayanna had come to the boy’s attention in her efforts to leave the scene on her bike as quickly as possible. “And there goes our target, right on schedule. Nothing a little multi-tasking won’t fix.”

Orren motioned to the humanoid Meganium with a fierce expression.

“MG81! Bring her to me!”

As the muscled green reptilian creature gave pursuit, the others exchanged worried and puzzled glances. They couldn’t work out just what was so important about the seemingly-ordinary passing figure, but with the laboratory still at risk from the Feraligator and Typhlosion morphs, there was little they could do to assist her. 

She was on her own.

 

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

 

Must…get to the trees, Ayanna panted, as the thuds of the fast-approaching monster’s footsteps grew louder behind her. Arbor Forest was clearly in sight now, the leaves of the nearest trees aglow with the bodies of Volbeat and Illumise that had congregated in an attempt to light the girl’s way. And thankfully so, for the sizable distance between Ayanna and the Meganium morph was closing fast.

No wonder everyone was so fraught! she exclaimed internally. These creatures…they’re not Pokémon. They look kinda human, but they’re not really that either. Either way, they must have been what that Celebi warned me about!

The humanoid Meganium let out an animalistic roar, as if to prove that even on foot, it was having little trouble keeping up with Ayanna’s bike. At the same time, the large petals surrounding its thick neck began to glow. Hearing the cry, Ayanna tried her hardest to pedal faster but it was no use. So much exertion was causing a pain to grip the girl’s side, making it almost impossible to move her legs at all.

Leaping effortlessly into the air, the Pokémorph flipped over and aimed the solar beam from its mouth down at the ground behind it. The angle and force of the blast was enough to thrust the creature toward Ayanna like a rocket. The girl screamed as her attacker flew over her head, knocking her to the floor in the process and sending her tumbling down the grassy bank nearby. Stumbling only slightly as a result of the deviation this caused in its trajectory upon landing, the humanoid Meganium whirled round menacingly and within seconds, was retracing its steps towards its fallen prey.

But Ayanna was used to rough treatment, having fought with her brother on many occasions as a child. Shaking the temporary dizziness from her head, the girl scrambled to her feet and dashed recklessly along the bank in the hopes that she would reach the forest boundary before the Pokémorph was able to make a grab for her. The plan worked, but the tactic was far from flawless. Roaring angrily, the humanoid Meganium turned around and unleashed a burst of rapidly-spinning leaves straight at its escaping target.

Before these could make contact, however, plant like tendrils and vines extended from the trees and batted the leaves aside. Ayanna paused, as did her attacker and as they stood watching in puzzlement, a crowd of determined-looking Pokémon emerged from amongst the foliage. There were Ivysaurs, Vileplumes and Weepinbels, Exeggutors and Jumpluffs, even Grovyles, Shiftrys and Turtwigs. Ayanna smiled widely upon sight of them.

“For once, I sure am glad to see you guys!” she exclaimed, while a nearby Bellossom motioned for her to step behind the grass type barricade. The same could not be said for the Pokémorph – as far as its programming was concerned, anyone found to be assisting a target was automatically branded a threat. It raised its own vine whips, the corner of its mouth twitching in light of a threatening snarl.

A Venusaur bellowed an order to charge and all at once the other Pokémon threw themselves at the humanoid Meganium in an attempt to keep it occupied. Bellsprouts and Tangelas clung tightly to its legs while Sunfloras blasted its upper body with Energy Balls and Bulbasaurs covered its arms in showers of Leech Seed. Standing there momentarily, Ayanna couldn’t help but gawp in amazement at the vicious retaliation of a type which she had always associated with flower arranging and soft-hearted temperaments. A nearby Breloom urged her onward with an anxious expression, but as the young girl turned to leave, she heard a multitude of agonized screams while the air behind her lit up with the sheer ferocity of the Meganium Pokémorph's Solar Beam.

Glancing over her shoulder, Ayanna gasped at the sight that met her gaze. Grass type Pokémon littered the floor around the humanoid Meganium’s huge clawed feet, their bruised bodies scorched and heaving with exhaustion. Those that had been able to avoid the majority of this terrible blast were being picked from the creature’s body by its own vines and tossed aside – no more of a threat than a fallen breadcrumb would be on a person’s jacket. Despite the Breloom’s continued cries of insistence, Ayanna could not leave. Part of her was cursing over her conscience’s protest at such horrific treatment.

“Hey, I know you’re just trying to help me out here,” she acknowledged. “But you gotta save yourselves! This creature is way too powerful!”

The morph fired a second blast at this point, gauging a hole from one of the nearby trees in the process. Its trunk significantly weakened, the tree began to fall, prompting some of the stronger Pokémon to divert their attentions from the Meganium Pokémorph and prevent the wooden behemoth from crushing anyone else. With the barricade significantly lessened, the creature now had a clear lock on its true target. All other objectives had been removed from its mind now, only one primary motive remained.

 

Elimination.

 

“For a grass type, its sure not that concerned about the environment,” Ayanna muttered, as a small group of Bellossom clustered around her feet, begging for the girl to leave before it was too late. But Ayanna had already made up her mind as to what she had to do. She frowned and stepped from amongst the cluster, a sudden bravery present in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured as the petals around the humanoid Meganium’s neck began to glow for one final destructive assault. “But if you’re not leaving, neither will I.”

Before the Pokémon were able to leap to her aid, the Pokémorph had unleashed the most powerful Solar Beam it could muster, engulfing Ayanna in a blinding white light. Those playing witness to the assault winced in unison, partly from the brightness of the Solar Beam and partly from the sacrifice Ayanna had made for them all. But as the light faded, all were equally astonished to see the girl still standing there completely unharmed, with even her clothes not showing the slightest singe as a result of the blast. While the movements of the Meganium Pokémorph's vine whips became increasingly more agitated, Ayanna began to smile darkly, raising her hands. A flicker of greenish yellow lit up her eyes as a spark of light flickered into existence between the tips of her fingers, growing larger and larger by the second.

“I believe this belongs to you,” she smirked, before pitching the pulsating solar orb straight back at the creature. It howled in pain, staggering backward as the attack hit it directly in the face. While the grass type Pokémon and nearby species from the surrounding trees let out a cheer at the retaliation, Ayanna glanced down at her hands in surprise.

“Whoa, I never thought I could do that,” she commented with an impressed expression. One of the blinded Pokémorph's flailing vines flew over her head, missing her by inches. Ayanna glanced up in puzzlement, unaware of the creature’s panic, only to see the other vine swinging across at her from an entirely different direction and too fast for her to dodge. She instinctively raised her hands to her face to block some of the blow, but nothing happened. Half-expecting it to have been another Pokémon lending assistance, Ayanna’s mouth dropped open as she lowered her arms to see the vine floating in mid air right in front of her.

Huh? Surely it’s not stopped attacking… she thought in puzzlement, lifting a finger to poke the bulbous end of the vine. The vine lifted also. Tilting her head to one side, Ayanna made a sweeping gesture with her arm which the vine appeared to imitate. This only caused the humanoid Meganium to become all the more furious, thrashing its remaining vine while attempting to move the other one, to little effect.

“Now now,” Ayanna cooed mockingly, swinging her attention upon the free vine and halting it also. “No need to have a tantrum because you can’t have your own way.” The Pokémon chuckled amongst themselves at this while Ayanna lifted both hands into the air in a manner similar to that of a conductor. “We’ve played for long enough. It’s time to wrap things up.”

With overwhelming confidence despite such recent introduction to such abilities, Ayanna rotated her hands in opposing directions, causing both vines to spiral around the humanoid Meganium until it was bound completely. No longer able to keep its balance, the creature toppled to the ground where it lay there, groaning softly. Further cheers ensued from the surrounding trees as Ayanna turned and bowed before striding past the fallen grass type Pokémorph to her bike.

“Hm!” she grinned, before adjusting the lamp on her handlebars and pedalling quickly into the forest.

“I guess I could get used to this nature stuff.”

 

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

 

The strengthening wind swirled and wheeled, agitating the ocean waves into vicious liquid peaks which bickered with one another, throwing sprays of water into the air and tossing a tiny boat amongst themselves in the process. Aboard this very vessel, Macon Skechitt clung to the rim and tried to avoid the waves that snapped against the sides, impatient to throw themselves aboard.

“T-Tracey? I don’t think this was such a great idea, y’know?” he stammered, glancing toward his brother who had been standing at the stern of the boat staring out to sea. The expression upon the young man’s face was almost as stormy as the sky itself.

“Now don’t you worry yourself, Macon,” came a cheerful voice from above. The voice belonged to none other than Maren Botam, an emerald-haired woman whose fearless orienteering had conquered rough seas and brought cargo to people across the world many times over. “I’ve sailed in this kind of weather before, it’s no big deal. Still…” she paused to glance up at the dark blue and red clouds overhead. “I haven’t seen storms this bad since four or five years ago, when that fight between those Legendary Bird Titans happened.”

“This is worse,” Tracey said bluntly. “Much worse than that. And my parents need protection, so the sooner we can get to the Whirl Islands, the better.”

There was a cold, forceful tone in his voice which was enough to cause Maren to shut her mouth and return to focusing on keeping the boat steady. Macon said nothing – at this point in time he was worried that if he dared open his mouth, Tracey would either bite his head off or he’d throw up as a result of such an unsettled journey.

“Odd…” Maren spoke up, squinting as she wrestled with the wheel. “I wouldn’t expect many other vessels to be out in weather like this.”

“What do you mean?” Tracey whirled round and made his way across the deck to the cabin, a distinctly worried tone entering his voice. Macon flinched as he caught sight of the severe look in his brother’s eyes. Yes, it was familiar, but not in a way he was entirely comfortable with. Tracey ascended the steps to the cabin’s roof where Maren was standing, to get a better look.

“I can see something out there in the water,” Maren pointed out. Immediately Tracey’s stare was focused back on his older brother, still grasping tightly to the side with a pale-faced expression.

“Macon, give me my binoculars,” he instructed firmly.

“Buh-but those are in your satchel in the cabin!” Macon spluttered. “If I let go of the boat I’m gonna be thrown overboard, I swear!”

“You won’t be the only one swearing if those things are what I think they are, Masprit!” Tracey yelled fearsomely, before rapidly falling silent and attempting to regain his composure. “This is so not a good time for me to be losing my grip…”

“It’s okay, Tracey,” Maren insisted, anxious at such a strange and sudden alteration of temperament. “There’s a small telescope in my pocket somewhere- ah! Here we are.”

Tracey forced a smile of thanks before opening up the telescope and glancing out into the open ocean, almost dropping the article in his resulting shock. Amongst the waves could be seen the slimy bodies of a multitude of seafaring creatures, rising and falling as they swam toward the boat. But, much to the Watcher’s dismay, they were no ordinary water Pokémon.

“What is it?” Maren inquired.

“Something we seriously need to give a wide berth,” Tracey responded. “ Turn off the headlamps, we mustn’t let them see us.”

“I can’t do that!” Maren spluttered. “Without light, I won’t know which waves to steer away from – we’ll be overturned!”

“It’s a risk you’ll have to take!” Tracey hissed, the dangerous glint returning to his now-narrowed eyes once again. “These are fully enhanced Team Rocket Pokémorphs we’re dealing with here – one of them could easily turn this boat into driftwood!”

“Poké-what?” Macon squeaked. Before any answer could reach him, a liquid blast coursed overhead, snapping the mast in two. The severed beam and its attached sail toppled into the rough sea where it was quickly carried off by the relentless waves.

“Those things,” Tracey groaned, waving an arm toward the source of the attack. They were within striking distance now – 50 or so species of humanoid water Pokémon, swimming adjacent to the dwarfed boat with relative ease, despite the ferocity of the ocean.

“Hold on!” Maren cried, grasping the wheel tighter with both hands and pulling it to the right. Macon yelped as a wave crashed heavily against the side of the vessel, showering him with cold, salty water. But evasion proved futile as the Pokémorphs continued to keep the same distance from the boat.

“Trying to outsail them won’t work,” Tracey told her with morbid acceptance. “We’ve been backed up against the wall on this one.”

“He’s right,” a distant, poisonously-satisfied voice was heard. Everyone’s attentions turned toward a female figure standing atop the shoulders of a Gyarados Pokémorph. She was dressed in a Team Rocket Super Elite rank uniform and bore a shock of navy blue hair which thrashed wildly in the wind as she addressed the trapped figures upon the boat. “Good to see you, shadow boy.”

“Vilina!” Tracey exclaimed.

“Missed me?” the woman smirked in response.

“Like a hole in the head,” came the angered retort, before Tracey paused in mid-yell. “Wait, how do you know who I am?”

“Just because you fooled most of Team Rocket into thinking you were dead, doesn’t mean I'm unable to see through your simple disguise,” Vilina glanced at her nails momentarily. Maren looked to Tracey in confusion while Macon shifted uncomfortably.

“What is that woman on about?” she asked.

“It’s not important,” Tracey muttered, somewhat embarrassed. “And knowing it won’t save us from what is about to happen.”

“Too right,” Vilina laughed. “So suck it up and take it like a man.” She turned to the Pokémorphs surrounding her, blankly awaiting further instruction.

 

“Blast that poor excuse for a dinghy into smithereens!”

 

A multitude of mouths opened wide, unleashing a unified flood upon the vessel bobbing helplessly in the waves. It made devastating impact, thrusting the boat several metres into the air where it appeared to hang momentarily before disintegrating into shards of wood and glass intermingled with pieces of twisted metal. As debris rained down into the ocean, Vilina watched the waves swallow up a drenched sneaker and cackled nastily.

“Excellent work, boys,” she commented. “Just three less do-gooders to worry about.

 

Now get moving!”

 

Macon didn’t dare open his eyes, despite the sudden coldness that had gripped his body. He felt surprisingly dry considering what had just happened and his stomach, though still churning, felt less upset than it had been just a few moments previously. This just wasn’t making any sense – surely he was meant to be drowning in the open sea by now! Eventually, Macon couldn’t stand it any longer, curiosity dictated that he examined his circumstances. With that, he slowly lifted his hands away from his face and glanced out from underneath them.

Then he screamed. He was standing on nothing, and a good distance below that there lay miles upon miles of frustrated ocean.

Hey, keep it down, a warm but irritated voice responded in psychic tones. You don’t want that Team Rocket creep to know you’re still alive, do you?

Attempting to regain what was left of his dignity, Macon looked to the side and caught sight of his younger brother Tracey, accompanied by Maren, also floating with their feet dangling in midair. Tracey was examining the lack of sneaker upon his right foot and commenting thankfully that the rest of him could have followed if they hadn’t all been rescued. How was he able to take messed-up things like this so well? Maren seemed to be experiencing a reaction that was somewhere in between his horrified panic and Tracey’s calm acceptance.

But how on earth were they managing to stay up in the air with nothing to hold them? And who was it that had told him to be quiet? Macon’s questions were soon answered as another voice was heard somewhere above his head. The young man glanced up only to have his eyes meet with the massive violet underbelly of a Lugia which was flying overhead. As the Pokémon pulled back slightly, a human female figure peered over its shoulder with an energetic expression.

“How are you all doing down there?” she inquired, like it was an everyday occurrence.

“Not too bad considering WE’RE ONLY LEVITATING SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET OVER THE SEA!” Macon cried out, finally losing his temper at the incomprehensibleness of it all. The brown-haired woman blinked.

“Oh, that,” she chuckled after a pause, taking off her glasses and wiping away the moisture. “Sorry if it’s creeping you out, but it was the only way I could save you from getting drowned by those Pokémorphs down there.”

They’re not gonna like the fact you used your powers to do it, the Lugia muttered.

“Well we’re not going to tell them, are we Agi?” the woman responded, somewhat icily. The Pokémon said nothing, but muttered to itself in the language of its species about how it wouldn’t matter if they said a word, they’d still notice such an act from a mile off. Tracey looked up in surprise.

“Do you have Cho’moken?” he asked.

“You could say that,” the woman remarked with a tone that dictated she'd rather this conversation didn't go any further. Agi smirked over her companion’s expression.

Silver is an Alpha-

“Alphabet soup-lover! That’s me!” Silver cut in loudly, grinning nervously. The interruption was blatantly-improvised, backed up in particular by Agi’s sceptical-yet-vaguely-amused expression, but no one dared question it. Some things were better left unknown – especially how someone could keep three fully-grown people floating in mid air with no sign of effort.

So, where were you people heading for? Agi wisely changed the subject.

“Pudgy Pidgey Isle, South WI,” Tracey replied with a smile. “You don’t know how grateful we are for you saving us like that.”

“How can we repay you?” Maren added insistently.

“Just pretend you never saw us,” Silver nodded with a slight bob of the head as Agi adjusted her wings to account for the sudden alteration in air conditions and turned in the direction of the Johto region.

 

“I keep a low-profile, I’d rather it stayed that way.”