COMPLETE: Pokemon: Legend of the Blessed Aura (Orre)

[kemix0711]

Looks like we maaaaade iiiiiiiit......okay, enough Barry Manilow. Let's get this started.

The last arc was a trek through the Southern Seas: the Sevii and Orange Islands. Mike defeated Drake, earning him the Winner's Trophy in the Orange League, while Mark defeated his rivals Sean and Chris to earn his fourth Ribbon Cup. Now, joined by Alexis and Ed, our heroes begin their final adventure: stopping the Shadow Pokemon plot.

It's been fun, and I've hoped you all have enjoyed the fun. I hope you will enjoy this part, too.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 157: Teddiursa Major

My name is Mike McCarver, and I am a Pokémon Trainer from Littleroot Town. I have been on many adventures with my Pokémon, faced many hardships, and made many friends. Most of all, I have formed bonds with my Psychic Pokémon. Now, this final chapter of my story shall be told: my fight to save the world. My girlfriend Alexis, my traveling companion Ed, and my brother Mark have accompanied me throughout my travels, and we came together for this last fight. No badges, no leagues, no nothing. Just us versus a criminal organization. This organization, Cipher, used Pokémon whose hearts had been artificially closed off to attack humans and bring disorder to the world. Therefore, at the request of the legendary beasts Suicune, Raikou, and Entei, and by the order of the Pokémon World Enforcers, I was dispatched to Orre to resolve this once and for all.

“Mike, you’re asleep again! Get up!”

I woke from my nap, expecting to see Alexis hanging above me. I was partly right; it was Alexis, Ed, AND Mark.

“…hey, guys. I was just, uh…are we there yet?” I asked.

“Funny you should ask,” Mark said, pointing me towards Gateon Port. It was a nice atmosphere, with buildings looking like they were about to fall apart.

“…ew,” Ed said. “My dad’s Poke Balls are much cleaner than this!”

“Well, good thing this isn’t our destination. We need to get to the Pokémon HQ Lab,” I said. Soon after, we disembarked.

“What can we expect from battling here?” Alexis asked.

“Traditionally, double battles are done in Orre unless you only have one Pokémon, or if it’s a special event,” Mark answered, checking his Pokegear.

“I wonder where we need to go,” Ed said. He wasn’t looking, and he accidentally bumped into a big, bulky guy with a big, blonde hairdo.

“HEY! What ‘chu think you’re doing, bumping into me like that?!” the guy asked.

“I’m-I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there!” Ed said.

“Hey, pal. We don’t want trouble,” I said, stepping in.

“You don’t want trouble?! Well, too bad, ‘cause I’d say you’ve got it! I’ll teach you some manners with THIS! Go, Zangoose!” he said, sending out a Zangoose.

“AGGGHHH!” I screamed, feeling intense pain from my scar.

“Mike!! Are you okay?!” Alexis asked, grabbing me.

“I’m…I’ll…it’s a Shadow Pokémon,” I said, looking to see a dark aura surrounding Zangoose. “Looks like I’ll have to take it down. Go, Espeon!” I said, sending out Espeon.

“Zangoose, Shadow Wave!” Zangoose sent dark orbs from its aura at Espeon.

“Espeon, Iron Tail!” Espeon used Iron Tail to counter the attack, but it took some indirect damage.

“Zangoose! Another Shadow Wave!” Zangoose fired Shadow Wave at Espeon .

“Dodge it!” I said. Espeon dodged it, but Zangoose then ran into me, knocking me down. “Urk! What was that?!”

“Mike! Get up!” Ed shouted.

“HAHAHAHAHA! Don’t mess with the big boys, little kid! Zangoose! Get that Espeon!”

“Espeon, Psychic!” I said, enraged. Espeon used Psychic to lift Zangoose into the air and slammed it into the ground. “Now use Signal Beam!” Espeon fired a Signal Beam that sent Zangoose flying. It landed on the ground, but slowly got up.

“Go get ‘em! And this time, knock both of ‘em down!” Zangoose rushed at us.

“Espeon, I think we need to wrap this up! Use Trump Card times ten!” Espeon fired multiple Trump Cards at Zangoose. It stopped its advance and knocked it back a good distance. “Now finish this up with Giga Impact!” Espeon ran at Zangoose with Giga Impact, knocking it even farther back into a building. It then fell to the ground, passed out.

“Zangoose is unable to battle! Espeon is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Mike of Littleroot Town!” Mark said.

“Way to go, Espeon! You sure smoked him!” I said to Espeon.

“Espe!” Espeon replied.

“You got lucky this time! But I’ll be back!” the punk shouted. He then recalled Zangoose and ran away.

“Wait!...argh,” I said, frustrated that I couldn’t arrest him.

“Forget it. I get the feeling we’ll be seeing HIM again,” Mark said.

“So then, let’s get going to the HQ Lab!” Ed said. With that, we started off on our trek to the HQ Lab. It came into view after a few miles of walking. It was a relatively large building with a large, beautiful forest surrounding it.

“Well, here we are. Let’s talk to this Professor Krane,” I said. We went inside. It was a very friendly atmosphere, and it had a very futuristic look to it.

“Welcome! How may I help you?” the girl behind the front desk asked.

“Yes, we’re looking for Professor Krane. Is he around?” I asked.

“Hmm…” the girl said, checking the computer. “…I think he may have stepped out for a little bit. I can refer you to Mr. Aidan in the next room. He and the Professor have been working on something important these past few days.”

“Okay, thanks!” I replied. We then went in the room where she pointed us to. In there was a man in a lab coat and a young boy with spiky red hair, a yellow shirt, and dark jeans. He was wearing a device on his left arm that looked like two arm/hand plates with wires connecting them.

“How does it fit, Michael?” the man asked.

“…hm…okay! It fits well!” the boy said.

“Excuse us!” I said.

“Oh, you must be Mr. McCarver’s son, right?” the man said. “I’m Aidan, assistant to Professor Krane. This here is Michael, our lab’s top battler!”

“…h-hello,” Michael said nervously.

“Hi! I’m Mike! And this is Alexis, Ed, and Mark!” I said to the two.

“So, is Professor Krane in at the moment?” Alexis asked.

“Well, no. He had an errand to run, see. So we’re testing this on Michael before he gets back for the real test!” Aidan said.

“From what I’ve been told, it’s programmed to-” Michael started, but then a young girl with blue hair came in.

“Hey, big brother! What’cha doing?” she asked.

“Jovi, not now! I’m working on something!” Michael responded.

“Okay! Well, Mimi and Jovi were actually going off, and I wanted to let you know! Let’s go, Mimi!” Jovi said.

“Minun, Minun!” Jovi’s Minun replied. The two then left.

“Sorry about my little sister. She tends to talk in the third person,” Michael apologized.

“Hey, we all have a problem or two with younger siblings!” Mark replied.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!” I snapped.

“AHH!” we heard Jovi scream. “BIG BROTHER! COME AND SEE THIS!”

“What?!” I said, startled. We ran to where she was. We saw a giant truck outside with some people around it. “It…it can’t be!” I said, noting that they were dressed in Cipher uniforms.

“Professor Krane!” Aidan said. A big Cipher grunt had a Professor in his hands.

“Mimi!” Michael said, noting a guy grabbing Jovi’s Minun. It tried using Thunderbolt, but the guy was wearing insulated gloves.

“Hahah! You’ll make a fine subject, you will!” the guy said. “And YOU, Professor, will make our goal a reality! XD001 will be perfect!”

“No…! Never…!” Professor Krane argued, but he was shoved into the truck.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” I shouted. They stopped and looked at me.

“And what does a kid like you want?” the female Cipher Peon asked.

“This ‘kid’ wants you to listen up: by the power of the Pokémon World Enforcers, you’re under arrest for abduction!” I said, pointing to the patch on my hat. Michael looked shocked at this.

“Arrest?! HAHAH! Naps, take care of him!” the female said.

“Yeah! Let’s see you try and take us in! Teddiursa! Come out and play!” the guy holding Minun said. He sent out a Teddiursa, a little bear-like Pokémon with a moon on its head.

“Urk!” I said, my scar kicking in. Suddenly, Michael’s headgear-like thing beeped. He clicked it, and a visor came up.

“Hey, what’s that black aura mean?” Michael asked.

“That means it’s a Shadow Pokémon!” I said. “We’ll have to take it down! Espeon, go!” I said, sending Espeon out.

“Teddiursa! Shadow Blitz!” Teddiursa rushed at Espeon with the dark aura blazing.

“Espeon! Dodge and use Iron Tail!” Espeon jumped backwards and landed a critical hit with its Iron Tail. “Now use Signal Beam!” Espeon fired a Signal Beam at Teddiursa, knocking it towards Michael. It fell to the ground, barely able to move.

“Michael! Use that machine and throw a Snag Ball!” Aidan said.

“A Snag Ball?!” we all asked.

“Well, okay,” Michael said, readying a Poke Ball in the hand where the machine was. Lights travelled through the wires to the front of the machine, and the Poke Ball lit up. “SNAG BALL, GO!” Michael said, throwing the Poke Ball at Teddiursa. It opened, and took Teddiursa in with five lights, as if they were fingers stealing Teddiursa. The ball wiggled for a while, until it clicked, meaning that Teddiursa was caught.

“Impossible!” Naps said. “My Shadow Pokémon! Was that…was that a snag?”

“Yes! The Snag Machine worked!” Aidan said. “Congratulations, Michael! You just snagged your first Shadow Pokémon!”

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 158: The (Mis)Adventures of Jovi

“I…I don’t believe it. He took another Trainer’s Pokémon?!” I asked, astonished.

“That’s the power of the Snag Machine!” Michael said. “Eevee! Go get Mimi back!” He sent out an Eevee, who rammed into the Cipher Peon and freed Minun. The two then ran behind Michael and Jovi as we got ready to battle.

“…gah! Clear out! We’ve accomplished our mission here!” Naps said.

“Right!” the others agreed. With that, they piled into the van and sped off.

“Wait!” I said. I would’ve had Espeon use Psychic, but they moved too quickly. “Man. That sucks.”

“Dr. Krane…” Jovi said. She then started to cry and ran off.

“Jovi!” Michael said, running after her.

“Hey, wait up!” I said as we all followed. It took a while, but we came across a creepy old mansion. By that point, we had lost Jovi.

“…where did she go?” Michael asked.

“We’ll find her. Don’t worry!” Alexis said. “What I want to know is what is this place?”

“This mansion/laboratory belongs to Dr. Kaminko, a kooky old inventor. His inventions aren’t very good, but Jovi seems to like spending time with him. I’d assume that’s where she is, so we should go talk to him,” Michael explained, going to the front.

“No chance!” a creepy voice said. Out came a short researcher with goofy glasses. “Chobin will make sure that the master isn’t disturbed by you poachers!”

“C’mon! We just want to talk to the doctor!” Ed explained.

“Save your explanations! Sunkern, let’s do this!” Chobin said, sending out a Sunkern, a sunflower seed-like Pokémon.

“Chobin’s always confused. I’ll take care of this. Teddiursa, come on out!” Michael said, sending out Teddiursa. It just stood there. “Um…use Shadow…Blitz?” Suddenly, Teddiursa’s black aura began to glow with a red outline, and Teddiursa looked enraged.

“Sunkern, use Growth!” Sunkern glowed a bit, raising its Special Attack.

“Teddiursa! Use Shadow Blitz!” Teddiursa rushed at Sunkern and hit it with a Shadow Blitz, knocking it out in one attack. However, Teddiursa growled in rage. “C’mon, Teddiursa! STOP IT!” Michael cried. At that, the aura turned back to normal, and Teddiursa scratched its head, wondering what it had been doing.

“Wow. That’s freaky,” Mark said. “What exactly happened?”

“Its black aura got even creepier, and it became so enraged it attacked with pure hatred. It’s like the reverse of what a Pokémon should be. Hmm, I like that: Reverse Mode,” I said.

“Chobin doesn’t care if you won!” Chobin said. “Chobin will make sure that you don’t get to the master! Robo Groudon, EMERGE!” At that, the giant fountain in the middle split apart, and up came a platform with a robot looking like a very poorly-made Groudon. The figure was right; it just looked deranged. Chobin climbed in and controlled it from inside. “Ha HA! Tremble before Robo Groudon! Sunflora! Gyarados! Go!” Chobin said. The Robo Groudon then sent out a Sunflora, the evolved form of Sunkern, and a Gyarados. I tell ya: weird wouldn’t even begin to describe this sad, sad little man.

“Stand back! I’ll handle this!” Alexis said, jumping in front of Michael and Teddiursa. “Mightyena! Sceptile! Let’s go!” She sent out Mightyena and Sceptile.

“What’s a Groudon without the sun? Sunflora, Sunny Day!” Sunflora summoned up a Sunny Day. “Gyarados, Thrash!” Gyarados jumped at Sceptile, about to whack it multiple times.

“Bad move, buddy! Sceptile, use Dragon Pulse!” Sceptile’s Dragon Pulse knocked Gyarados back. “Mightyena! Let’s take advantage of this heat! Fire Fang!” Mightyena ran out and bit Sunflora with a Fire Fang, which did intense damage due to Sunny Day.

“Wow! She’s amazing!” Michael said.

“That’s Alexis for you!” Mark said. “Her team is built around Sunny Day, so it’s lights out for Robo Doofus over there!”

“Mightyena! Iron Tail!” Mightyena hit Sunflora with an Iron Tail, taking it down.

“Gyarados! Thrash!” Gyarados jumped at Mightyena with Thrash.

“Sceptile! Grasswhistle!” Sceptile blew on its leaf, causing Gyarados to just stand there, entranced. Sceptile’s back seeds then started to glow.

“Hey! That’s…Sceptile has learned Solarbeam!” Ed said. Just like that, Sceptile fired a Solarbeam at Gyarados, knocking it down and knocking it out.

“Oh, noooo!” Chobin said as the Robo Groudon broke down.

“Sunflora and Gyarados are unable to battle! Mightyena and Sceptile are the winners, and victory in this match goes to Alexis of Littleroot Town!” I announced. At that, Alexis struck a pose.

“Man, that was incredible! Don’t you think?” Michael asked Teddiursa.

“…Ursa…” Teddiursa said, unsure.

“Great battling, you two!” Alexis said. Mightyena nuzzled her affectionately, while Sceptile lay against the fountain, giving a peace sign.

“I can’t believe it! Chobin lost, even with this robot!” Chobin said.

“That was fun to watch! Thanks, Chobin!” Jovi’s voice called. She was standing nearby with an elderly man.

“D-Doctor Kaminko! I’m…the Robo Groudon, uh…” Chobin said, nervous.

“It’s fine. I suppose this means we’ll have to discard it. And the Robo Kyogre we’re working on, too,” Dr. Kaminko said.

“I would’ve liked to see how THAT would’ve battled,” I whispered to Mark. We shared a good chuckle.

“Wait! Can…can Chobin keep the Robo Groudon?” Chobin asked.

“*sigh* Very well. Do what you will,” Dr. Kaminko said. “So, you all are the kids that Mr. McCarver sent? Well, impressive work beating Chobin. Anyway, Jovi, I had fun, but your brother is here to take you home, I suppose…?”

“That’s right. Jovi, we need to leave the doctor to his work,” Michael said to Jovi.

“All right, big brother. Jovi understands,” Jovi said. Just then, Michael’s PDA beeped. He had gotten an email.

“Here’s what it says: ‘Michael, can you drop by the Parts Shop in Gateon Port and get a part back here? Tell Mr. Makan it’s under my name. Mom.’” Michael read. “Well, I guess we’ve got somewhere to be!”

“Right. We’ll come with you if you need help!” I said. With that, we were off to Gateon Port. Once we got there, I breathed in the scent of the sea. “Ahh, I sure missed this!”

“Okay! Jovi will lead everybody to the Parts Shop!” Jovi said, running ahead. “It’s just over here! C’mon!” She started running again, but then bumped into a big guy. And by a big guy, I mean our old friend.

“Hey! You got in my way, little girl!” he shouted.

“I…Jovi is sorry! Jovi didn’t mean to…” Jovi started.

“Leave her alone!” Michael said, running in between them.

“Ah, more for me to pummel!” the dude said. “I like kids who think they’re tough!”

“Then today’s your lucky day! Remember us?” I asked, walking up.

“Wha…YOU?! That’s it! I’m taking all of you out with my Shadow Pokémon!” he said, sending out Zangoose.

“Man, this will end the same as last time!” I said, feeling deja vu.

“Enough,” a voice called.

“Who’s that?!” the punk said. There was a short, elderly man with two twin men, one in blue, the other in red.

“There’s no need to use Pokemon in such a way. Know your place,” the elderly man said.

“I’m gettin’ lectured by an old man?! No way, pops! You won’t take me down!” the punk said.

“Then allow me,” the man in blue said, sending out an Alakazam. “Alakazam! Psychic!” Alakazam’s Psychic threw Zangoose all around until it fainted.

“Wow! THAT’S power!” I said.

“Zangoose…return!” the guy said, recalling Zangoose. “Now you’ve done it! I ain’t gonna forget this! Count on it!” He then ran off.

“Well, that was child’s play,” the man in blue said, recalling Alakazam. The trio then turned to leave.

“Wait! Um…thank you for rescuing Jovi!” Jovi said.

“Ho hoh. Don’t read too far into it, young lady. We did what had to be done, nothing more,” the elderly man said.

“Yeah, quite the hero,” Ed mumbled. The man in blue glared at him, and Ed shirked back. The old man and the man in blue began to leave, but the man in red looked at me, getting in close.

“Hmm…I sense something from you. Well, I suppose I’ll learn more about it…the day we battle,” he said, leaving.

“Yeah, you’ll learn something all right…the three-second rule,” I said. “Anyway, let’s go get this part!” We went over to the shop, which was very close by.

“Mr. Makan?” Michael called.

“Hello! Welcome to my parts shop! What can I do ya?” an old man named Makan asked.

While Makan was talking with Michael, I looked at Alexis. The thought kept running through my mind: When should I ask her?!

“Tell Miss Lily that I said hello and that I hope this part will make her machine work!” Makan said.

“Thanks!” Michael said, carrying a bag with the part inside it. “Okay, we’re off! Oh, and I heard that that old man’s name was Mr. Verich, a very wealthy man around these parts.”

“And to show gratitude, Jovi will become much bigger and stronger! Right! Jovi will lead the way!” Jovi said. At that, she tripped and accidentally fell over. As we laughed, we realized how hard Jovi was trying. And in retrospect, that’s what counts.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 159: No Way to Treat a Ledyba

As we were leaving the shop where Michael was to buy the part his mother needed, I felt my scar burning.

“Hmm. There’s a Shadow Pokémon nearby…” I mused.

“What? Where?” Mark asked.

“Let’s see…” Michael said, whipping up the Aura Reader. He looked around until he looked up to the tower. “There! The Lighthouse!”

“Right! Let’s go!” I said. We raced up endless stairs to find an observatory on top of the tower. Up there was a large, muscular woman. By that time, my scar had stopped hurting.

“Hey, kids!” she said. “Any of you want to battle? I just got this awesome Pokémon, and I want to try it out!”

“Okay, I’ll take you on…” Michael said nervously. “Eevee! Teddiursa! Let’s go!” Michael sent out Eevee and Teddiursa, whose black aura looked a little smaller than last time.

“Poochyena! Zubat! Come on out!” the woman said, bringing out a Poochyena and a Zubat. I looked at Zubat, hoping to see an aura, but then something else caught my attention.

“GAK!” You guessed it: my scar was burning.

“Y-yeah, I see it…” Michael said, bringing up the Aura Reader. Sure enough, her Poochyena was a Shadow Pokémon.

“Now they’re giving these things to regular people? What’s up with that?!” Alexis said.

“Poochyena! Shadow Blitz!” Poochyena ran at Teddiursa with Shadow Blitz.

“Teddiursa! Shadow Blitz back!” Teddiursa’s Shadow Blitz collided with Poochyena’s. Both Pokémon flew back, but took little damage.

“Shouldn’t Shadow Pokémon’s moves be more powerful than regular moves?” I asked.

“Probably, but I guess that has to do with who they’re fighting. Michael! Try it on her other Pokémon!” Mark called out.

“Okay! Teddiursa! Shadow Blitz on Zubat!” Teddiursa ran at Zubat with Shadow Blitz, knocking it far back.

“Wow! Okay, two can play at that game! Poochyena! Shadow Blitz on Eevee!” Poochyena ran at Eevee with Shadow Blitz.

“Eevee! Look out!” Michael called. Just then, Eevee used Dig to escape. “Whoa! Okay, Eevee! Jump out using Quick Attack!” Eevee hit Poochyena from directly below, doing a good bit of damage.

“Ursa!” Teddiursa said to Michael.

“You want to go for it too?” Michael asked. “All right, buddy! Let’s do it!” Teddiursa nodded and ran at Poochyena, striking it with a Metal Claw.

“Wow! That sure was lucky! That move can only be learned through breeding!” Mark said.

“Zubat! Supersonic!” Zubat fired a Supersonic, which Eevee and Teddiursa dodged.

“Eevee! Tackle, now!” Eevee tackled Poochyena, knocking it out. “All right!” Michael said, pulling out a ball. “Snag Ball, go!” Michael threw the Snag Ball, which opened and took Poochyena inside. It wiggled a while, but finally caught Poochyena. “YEAH! POOCHYENA SNAGGED!”

“Hey! What was that?!” the girl said.

“Teddiursa! Finish Zubat off with Lick!” Teddiursa jumped at Zubat and licked it, doing enough damage to knock it out.

“Whoa! Man, that was intense! But…how and why did you take that special Pokémon?” the woman asked.

“Because it was a Shadow Pokémon. It wasn’t a real Pokémon, but one with its heart closed off. We’re going to have to take it for now, so that we can return it to normal. I promise,” I said. We then left, going to the bottom floor.

“Well, that’s another Shadow Pokémon down!” Michael said, holding Poochyena’s Poke Ball.

“My, my! Youngsters with Pokémon! I don’t suppose you’d like to battle with a man like me?” a man said. “The name’s Cyle, and I’ve been hoping to show these youngsters today what an ol’ man like me can do!”

“Sure!...hey, guys? You know, ever since you all brought me along, I…I feel confidence rising within me! I can do this!” Michael said.

“Then have at it!” I said.

“Right! Eevee, Teddiursa! I choose you!” Michael said, sending out Eevee and Teddiursa.

“Ledyba! Taillow! Come on out!” the man said, sending out a Ledyba, a ladybug-like Pokémon, and a Taillow, the pre-evolved form of Swellow.

“Urk…” I said, seeing the black aura envelop Ledyba. “There’s one.”

“Yup!” Michael said, consulting his Aura Reader. “Okay, I’m on it! Eevee! Try using Tackle!” Eevee ran at Ledyba with Tackle.

“Ledyba! Use…Shadow Blitz?” Ledyba countered Eevee’s attack and hit it hard with Shadow Blitz. “So that’s what it is. Must be some new move or something!”

“You might say that,” I whispered.

“Teddiursa! Let’s give him a taste of his own medicine! Shadow Blitz!” Teddiursa’s Shadow Blitz sent Taillow careening into Ledyba. “Now use Metal Claw!” But by that time, Teddiursa had entered Reverse Mode. “Oh, no! Eevee, use Tackle!” Eevee ran into Taillow and Ledyba with Tackle, doing moderate damage. “Teddiursa, come to your senses! Use Metal Claw!” Teddiursa, instead, ran towards Alexis.

“Aahh!” Alexis shouted, but then I tapped into my scar’s power and created a barrier around her, causing Teddiursa to bounce off. “Huh? Oh, thanks!”

“No problem, Lexi! Michael, it’s all clear! Get Teddiursa under control!” I said.

“Hey, why’d your Teddiursa run the other way?” Cyle said, oblivious.

“D-Don’t worry about it. Teddiursa, get it together! Shadow Blitz!” Teddiursa used Shadow Blitz to knock out Taillow.

“Why is THAT the move that gets through?” Ed asked.

“If you ask me, it’s probably because Teddiursa’s concentrating so much on the darkness that it would only use the dark moves,” Mark speculated.

“Teddiursa, wake up! TEDDIURSA!” Michael shouted. At once, Reverse Mode faded, and Teddiursa’s aura diminished a little more. By this point, there was just a faint aura around it. “All right! Think you can use Metal Claw for me?” Teddiursa nodded and ran at Ledyba, hitting it with a Metal Claw. Ledyba fell to the ground, down but not out. It was struggling to get up.

“Michael, now’s your chance! Snag it!” Alexis called out.

“All right!” Michael said, getting a Poke Ball ready. The Snag Machine glowed, and infused its power in the ball. “Snag Ball, go!” Michael threw the ball, ensnaring Ledyba in it. The ball wiggled until it clicked, and Michael held up his new Poke Ball. “Oh yeah! LEDYBA SNAGGED!”

“Way to go! Two for two!” I said, patting him on the back.

“You’re something else, you know that?” Mark asked.

“Way to go, big brother! Jovi is so impressed with your battling!” Jovi added.

“Wow, you did great, young man,” the guy said. “I guess I was a little mistaken…”

“Well, we’re sorry, but we-” I started.

“I should’ve known better than to underestimate a youngster like yourself! You’ve got it made! And that little gizmo on your arm is pretty nifty, too! The way it lights up and such…I could’ve sworn you’d stolen my Pokémon! Heh…” Cyle said, still oblivious. “Still, it seems that since our battle, I’m missing one of my Pokémon! Do you know what could’ve happened?”

“…have NO IDEA where your Pokémon went! But if we see it, we’ll definitely let you know!” I said, finishing my earlier statement in a way I hadn’t anticipated. “Anyway, teetee for two, ta-ta for now! C’mon guys, let’s go!”

“But Mike, we-” Ed started.

“Run Run RUN…” I murmured. Ed nodded and we ran on out of there.

“Don’t be a stranger, kids!” Cyle called to us.

“As if!” Alexis said to us. “If I see that man again, I’m faking amnesia!”

“You and me both, sister!” Mark agreed.

“Well, now what, big brother?” Jovi asked.

“Well, we’ve gotta get this part back to Mom at the Lab. She’s starting that thing she’s been working on with Professor Krane!” Michael replied.

“What exactly is it?” I asked.

“She hasn’t really told me. However, Aidan told me it had something to do with Shadow Pokémon,” Michael answered.

“Maybe it’s a way to purify them!” Alexis said.

“Yeah, right! There’s gotta be more to it than that!” Ed responded. Alexis scowled.

“Okay, chatting time’s over. Floating time’s now. Metagross! Take us to the lab!” I said, sending out Metagross. We got on it and it flew us back towards the lab where we could hopefully make some progress.

 

[Legacy]

It's a good start. Your idea and enthusiasm of your characters are real strong points. You might want to just space out the paragraphs a little better so it's a little easier on the eyes tho. Also, your fic is predominantly dialog, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think you could make it even better if you added more description to supplement the dialog.

Anyways, I will look forward to seeing where you go with this. It's a very good start! Keep it up

 

[kemix0711]

It's a good start. Your idea and enthusiasm of your characters are real strong points. You might want to just space out the paragraphs a little better so it's a little easier on the eyes tho. Also, your fic is predominantly dialog, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think you could make it even better if you added more description to supplement the dialog.

Anyways, I will look forward to seeing where you go with this. It's a very good start! Keep it up

Thank you. Try as I might, I can't space things out at all. When I copy it from the original document to this, it looks the same in the preview, but clumps everything together. I don't get why. As for the dialogue, it's kind of a given what with Pokemon battles and all. I'll try to tone it down as I revise.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 160: Purification Situation

“So, let me start you off: I know I bad-mouthed you, but…” Alexis started.

“*sigh* I know I bad-mouthed you, but you were right and I was wrong to talk to you in such a way,” Ed said, grumbling.

“…and I promise to give Mark tons and tons of food,” Mark sneaked in.

“You and your food…what is your favorite food anyway?” Ed asked.

“What ISN’T his favorite food?!” I answered.

“Shush! Mommy’s working!” Jovi told us. Sure enough, Lily, Michael and Jovi’s mother, was using the Machine Part we’d brought her for a contraption of some sort. It looked like just a normal room with wires hooked up to a stage in the middle, but there was definitely more to it than that.

“So, what is this room for?” I asked.

“Well, as you know, the only way to return a Shadow Pokémon to normal is to purify its heart. Until recently, we only thought that the Relic Stone was the only way to do that. However, we discovered a way to do it here! Professor Krane and Michael’s father began work five years ago, what with the first Shadow Incident, but then…well, let’s just say I filled in. We were nearly finished, but now with Professor Krane gone…” Lily said, then stopped. “…well, we can’t just give up, so we’re doing what we can to finish it.”

“I see. Well, should we do something?” Mark asked.

“There is one thing. How is your Shadow Pokémon progressing?” Lily asked.

“Teddiursa seems a lot better than before, but Poochyena and Ledyba still need work,” Michael answered.

“You caught more?” Lily asked. “…this is serious. Here’s what you all need to do: go to Agate Village and visit Eagun. I’ll phone ahead and let him and his wife know you’re coming!”

“Right! Where’s Agate Village?” Alexis asked.

“It should be southeast, towards the desert part of Orre,” Lily answered.

“Great! Jovi will be sure to lead her assistants to success, too!” Jovi said.

“Oh boy…” I said in despair.

“Jovi, that’s a little farther than you’ve travelled. I think it would be best if you stayed here,” Lily said to her.

“No no no! Jovi wants to go, too!” Jovi said adamantly.

“…well, the truth is, I need your help with some things here. Some things only you can do! Think you can help me? It’ll be helpful to Professor Krane!” Lily offered.

“Really? Okay, Jovi will stay here with Mommy and be her special helper!” Jovi said.

“And the first thing I need you to do is…” Lily said, leading her off.

“That woman is BRILLIANT,” I said.

“Aaaaaaand how!” Alexis replied.

“I know Jovi can be kind of a leech, but she’s got a good heart,” Michael reprimanded.

“So, I guess we’re going to Agate Village, huh?” Mark asked.

“Right. We’d better get going,” I said. We ran outside and I brought out Metagross. We got into its claws while Michael got on his scooter. We all rode off in the direction that Lily pointed us to, and arrived there about half an hour later. Agate Village was a lush, peaceful town with trees and such everywhere. Clean rivers, a good atmosphere…the ideal place to live.

“It’s gorgeous!” Alexis said.

“This would certainly seem like a good habitat for many wild Pokémon!” Ed said.

“Unfortunately, because of the harsh environments of the rest of the region, I think the chances of finding wild Pokémon here are slim,” Mark said.

“Professor Krane once said that because of the wild Pokémon going scarce, various groups resorted to taking other Trainer’s Pokémon instead. That’s why they developed the Snag Machine,” Michael said, looking at the Snag Machine.

“That would make the Snag Machine a handy weapon to Cipher; with it, they could take all of the Pokémon in Orre and make weapons out of them! And we can’t let that happen,” I said. “Let’s go find Mr. Eagun!” We asked around, and found out that Eagun and his wife Beluh lived in the house on top of the village: one at the bottom of a tree.

“It’s quite…uh…what’s the word I’m looking for?” Mark pondered, looking at the house/tree.

“Whatever it is, share it with me when you get the chance,” I said.

“Let’s go in; Eagun’s gotta be expecting us,” Alexis said, opening the door. Despite its exterior, the inside actually looked like a home.

“Excuse me? Is anyone home?” I asked.

“Ah, yes. Are you the ones that Miss Lily called about? The visitors?” an elderly woman asked. “Well, I’m Beluh, Eagun’s wife. Eagun went out looking for you all a while back, so I’m sure he should be back soon.”

“Well, that’s good to hear…uwah!” I said. At that point, the door opened and hit me.

“Next time, move,” Alexis reminded me.

“Beluh! Have they come yet?!” an elderly man asked excitedly.

“Pika Pika!” a Pikachu added.

“That’s them right there, dear!” Beluh said. “Kids, this is my husband, Eagun!”

“Hello, sir!” we all said.

“Ahh! You’re Lily’s son, Michael! A pleasure to finally meet you!” Eagun said to Michael. “And…David?! My, you look shorter than when I last…met…there are two of you?” Eagun asked me and Mark.

“Um…actually, I’m Mark McCarver,” Mark said, confused.

“And I’m Mike McCarver,” I added.

“..oh! You’re not David, you’re his sons! I swear, you two are the spitting image of your father, I almost thought I was seeing him again!” Eagun said.

“You know our dad?” I asked.

“William David McCarver III? Of course I know him! He and I were great rivals back in the day! Of course, he went off into business while I rose to being the greatest Trainer! Alongside my partner, Pikachu!” Eagun answered.

“Pikachu!” Pikachu greeted.

“And you three must be their friends! Well, it’s an honor to meet you all! Now then, come! Come! We must hurry! Time is of the essence!” Eagun said.

“Where are we going?” Michael asked.

“Well, you are the one who snags the Shadow Pokémon, right? So we must work to purify their hearts! The solution is here, in Agate Village! Tell me, how are the ones you’ve collected so far?” Eagun asked.

“Um…Mike, how are they?” Michael said, bringing out Teddiursa, Poochyena, and Ledyba.

“Hmm…well, Poochyena and Ledyba could use some work…but with Teddiursa, I can hardly see a thing,” I answered.

“Amazing! You can see the Shadow Pokémon’s dark aura! Just like my granddaughter Rui!” Eagun said.

“Y-yes sir. Um, your granddaughter?” I asked.

“Well, it happened like this…” Eagun explained how his granddaughter worked together with a young man to free the Shadow Pokémon from Cipher’s grip five years ago. She could see the Pokémon, and he would take them with the Snag Machine. Then, they would progress to the next step, which is where we were. “And to that end, I’ve solicited some help to reduce the aura of your Shadow Pokémon to where the final lock on their hearts can be undone!” We then went to a central area in the village, where several Trainers had gathered.

“Well…this is going to be interesting. What are all these Trainers doing here?” I asked.

“This must be the ‘help’ Eagun was referring to,” Alexis answered.

“Everyone! I have here with me those who fight to save Orre!” Eagun announced. The audience then applauded for us.

“I…I…uh…” Ed said nervously.

“Uh-oh. Public speaking,” I said, noting Ed’s aversion. I remembered how nervous he was in Lavender Town, but reassured him it was all about Michael at the moment, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“These are the ones who will take the Shadow Pokémon and purify their hearts. And now, your assistance will be needed to make that happen! Are you all ready?” Eagun asked.

“YEAH!” the Trainers replied.

“Not good,” Michael said, horrified.

“And…GO!” Eagun announced.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 161: They’re Heeeeere…Again

“Well, I’d say that his Pokémon’s darkness is distinctly diminished,” I said. “So is my interest in this.”

“AND their energy,” Mark added.

“He’s been battling forever!” Ed commented.

“I’m sorry, did I miss anything? Oh, that’s right: another battle,” Alexis said sarcastically.

Michael had been battling for a while to make sure his Shadow Pokémon get to where they could be fully purified. The Trainers and their Pokémon just kept coming, but progress was going slowly. Michael was an excellent battler, but his Pokémon couldn’t take much more. The only one who could keep going was his non-Shadow Pokémon, Eevee.

“Something about Eevee makes me think about Mike’s Espeon,” Ed said.

“Espe?” Espeon asked, apparently not seeing it.

“What, you think it has Pokerus too?” I asked.

“No…it’s that fighting spirit. Whereas the Shadow Pokémon aren’t exactly in it anymore, Eevee doesn’t seem to back down from a challenge. Just look!” Ed said, noting Eevee taking out a Trainer’s Tyrogue with its Dig and Quick Attack combo.

“And the winner is Michael’s team of Eevee and Ledyba!” Eagun announced. “How are they doing now?” Eagun asked.

“Almost there,” I said, observing their aura. I was surprised that my scar wasn’t burning when they were around. I think maybe it’s because I’d adjusted to them, or that their aura’s strength determined how strong the reaction was.

“Well, maybe one more battle! Me and my Pikachu against you!” Eagun said.

“Whaaaaat?! But I don’t have that kind of experience!” Michael said, shocked.

“How about giving us a try?” a familiar voice offered.

“No…” I moaned. “Why them? Why here? Why NOW?!”

“Why not?” another familiar voice answered. Sure enough, when I turned around, it was Team Rocket.

“Of course! Any experience will do nicely!” Eagun said.

“Hold on! Maybe I should help Michael out!” Ed offered. “These guys are from Team Rocket, a group of evildoers who are seeking world domination!”

“WHAAAT?! Are you in league with Cipher?!” Eagun asked.

“Not a chance! But we like their style!” Ashley replied.

“And when we take YOUR Snag Machine, we’ll take the Shadow Pokémon and use them to take over the world!” Olson said.

“Jolteon and Vaporeon! Go!” They then sent out Jolteon and Vaporeon.

“Aggron! Get in there!” Ed said, sending out Aggron.

“Uh…Eevee! Let’s go!” Michael said, sending out Eevee.

“Good call. Michael’s Shadow Pokémon are too fatigued to battle Team Rocket’s fresh Pokémon,” Mark commented.

“I just hope Eevee isn’t!” Alexis said.

“Normally I wouldn’t say much of Ashley and Olson’s thievery, but they are pretty formidable battlers. It’s a shame they’re on the wrong side,” I commented.

“Aggron! Start off with Thunderbolt!” Aggron fired a Thunderbolt at Vaporeon.

“Jolteon! Intercept!” Jolteon took in the attack, gaining power from it with its Volt Absorb ability. “Thunderbolt right back!” Jolteon fired a Thunderbolt that did moderate damage to Aggron.

“Vaporeon, use Hydro Pump!” Vaporeon fired a Hydro Pump at Aggron.

“Aggron! Protect!” Aggron protected itself with Protect. “Michael, go for it!”

“Uh, right! Eevee, use Quick Attack!” Eevee ran at Vaporeon with Quick Attack.

“Vaporeon, Water Gun and Acid Armor!” Vaporeon fired a Water Gun at the ground and dissolved into it with Acid Armor. Eevee screeched to a halt in it. “Now use Take Down!” Vaporeon leapt out and nailed Eevee with Take Down.

“Aggron! Double-Edge!” Aggron rushed at Vaporeon with Double-Edge, hitting it hard.

“Jolteon! Thunder Wave!” Jolteon got ready to unleash a Thunder Wave at Aggron.

“Eevee! Sand-Attack!” Eevee used Sand-Attack to completely distract Jolteon and throw its aim completely off. In fact, it even got me.

“BZZZRRT!” I said, becoming paralyzed. “That…wasn’t enjoyable…”

“Here, eat this!” Alexis said, giving me a Cheri Berry.

“Aggron! Try a Brick Break!”

“Jolteon! Double Kick!” Jolteon’s Double Kick interrupted the Brick Break and struck Aggron for a super-effective hit. Luckily, it was a relatively weak attack, so Aggron still stood.

“Eevee! I have an idea! Use Tackle on Vaporeon!” Eevee ran towards Vaporeon.

“Acid Armor again!” Vaporeon dissolved into the water.

“Now, Eevee! Dig!” Eevee used Dig in the middle of the water, taking Vaporeon down with it. “Use Bite when it regains form!”

“POOOOOR!” we heard Vaporeon shout, meaning that it regained form and Eevee had bitten it. They then jumped out.

“Aggron! Use Earthquake!” Aggron used Earthquake to shake things up. In fact, we were shaken up as well. We all fell to the ground, and out of Mark’s backpack came a little shard with some moss on it.

“No! My Moss Rock shard!” Mark shouted. Eevee looked interested and walked over, picking it up with its mouth. All of a sudden, Eevee began to glow. Its body increased in size, its tail grew slimmer, and it grew something long on its head. When the glow faded, Eevee was now a pale yellow with green leaves for ears, tail, and one on its head. Jolteon and Vaporeon’s jaws dropped when they saw it.

“Wh-What?!” Michael said. “What did it evolve into?!”

“That’s a good question,” Alexis said, pulling out her Pokedex.

“Leafeon, the Verdant Pokémon. Leafeon is the evolved form of Eevee. With cells similar to those of plants, it can perform photosynthesis.”

“Wow! Eevee has seven evolutions!” Alexis said.

“Yeah! We’ve got the power now!” Ed said. “Aggron! Thunderbolt!” Aggron fired a Thunderbolt at the emerged Vaporeon.

“Jolteon, get in the way!” Jolteon ran in front.

“Leafeon! Razor Leaf!” Leafeon’s Razor Leaf guided the electricity to where it was making a circle around the two Pokémon. The Razor Leaf moved in on Jolteon while the Thunderbolt zapped Vaporeon. The two Pokémon fell to the ground, knocked out.

“We’re not finished here!” Ashley said, recalling Jolteon. “Orson, let’s go!”

“THE NAME’S OLSON!” Olson shouted while recalling Vaporeon. The two ran off into the cave beneath the town.

“They’re heading for the Relic Stone! After them!” Eagun said. We chased after them to find a giant stone structure. Above it was Team Rocket’s hovercraft and a claw.

“So we lost the battle, but YOU’LL lose this stone!” Ashley said.

“Lowering claw NOW!” Olson said, lowering the claw to grab the Relic Stone.

“Espeon! Stop them!” Espeon used Psychic to tie the claw up in a knot, causing Team Rocket to freak out. “Now use Giga Impact!” Espeon ran at Team Rocket’s hovercraft with Giga Impact, causing an explosion.

“Our debut in Orre was a total bust!” Ashley said in the air.

“You can’t say we didn’t steal the show today, though!” Olson said.

“…yes I can!” Ashley argued.

“THAT’S A WRAP!!” they shouted, disappearing into the sky.

“I thought we wouldn’t have to deal with THEM here…but I guess I was wrong,” I said.

“Wow! Espeon sure has been well-trained!” Michael said.

“Leafeon…” Leafeon said, completely awestruck.

“Espe!” Espeon said, introducing itself. Leafon nervously shook paws with Espeon.

“Well done! Well done indeed! And the Relic Stone is unharmed! Which means now we can perform the ritual! Bring them on out, my friend!” Eagun said.

“Right. Teddiursa, Poochyena, Ledyba!” Michael said, bringing them out. They looked at the Relic Stone, and the dark auras became visible.

“W-What the hell?!” Mark asked.

“What are those auras?!” Alexis asked as well.

“Those are the auras that I’ve been able to see. Looks like they’re about to be permanently destroyed,” I said. Sure enough, a green light emerged from the Relic Stone and went to each of them. It created several circles around the three Pokémon, and just like that, the darkness dissipated into nothing. The three Pokémon looked around in confusion.

“Are you guys all right?” Michael asked them. At once, they piled on top of him, laughing. “Ah, hahah! Okay, okay! Cut it out!”

“It worked. It actually worked!” Ed said. “I’d say we’ve found our weapon!”

“It’s just like Raikou said,” Mark said.

“Things sure are looking up, huh?” Alexis asked.

“Yeah. With this, we’ll definitely be able to save the Pokémon…and hopefully, that Shadow Lugia,” I said. I knew the dangers were on the horizon, but now that we had a way to fight the darkness, we could continue with hopes high.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 162: Climb Every Mount Battle

“So, that was a Moss Rock?” I asked.

“Yup. It can be found in Eterna Forest in Sinnoh. When an Eevee touches it, it evolves into Leafeon. However, this piece broke off during a practice battle, so I decided to keep it. I didn’t think it still worked!” Mark explained.

“I’m glad it did! We’ve always wanted Eevee to evolve into something far from the norm!” Michael reassured.

“Indeed. It is certainly unique! I’ve never seen a Pokémon like it!” Eagun said. “But I digress. You must go forth and gather more of the Shadow Pokémon from Cipher before they are further distributed to unknowing Trainers.”

“Right, but that would involve us taking the fight to them, and we don’t even know where they are!” Alexis said.

“Not so, young miss!” Beluh said. “We recently received a call from our friend Vander! He’s an Area Leader of Mt. Battle, and he’s seen them!”

“Mt. Battle?” I asked.

“It’s a 100-battle climb to the top of that mountain!” Ed said, pointing to the highest mountain in Orre.

“Wow. That’s sure a lot of battles,” I said. I imagined going through a hundred trainers in a row, kinda intimidated.

“Well, they offer breaks in between, so it’s not so perilous,” Ed admitted. That kinda broke the illusion for me.

“And Vander is the head?” Mark asked.

“Head of the first Area. If you go find him, he’ll tell you about it!” Eagun said.

“But why can’t we just call?” Michael asked.

“Hmm…good question. Well, good luck!” Eagun said.

“Don’t question the hard way,” I said. Michael shrugged, unconvinced.

“I guess Eagun doesn’t know what it means to call,” Alexis replied. With that, we traveled to Mt. Battle. At the base was a garden leading to the reception area.

“Okay, all we’ve gotta do is go in, battle our way to Vander, and find out what we need to know. Easy,” Michael said.

“Hold your horses. Firstly, battling all the way up to an Area Leader can’t be a walk in the park. Secondly…look,” I said, pointing to the man in red that we saw in Gateon Port. For some reason, he was there, staring at the top of Mt. Battle. Suddenly, he turned around.

“Ahh, Mt. Battle. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I battled here. It’s quite the place to test your skills,” he said. He then turned to me. “I don’t believe we were properly introduced back in Gateon Port. My name is Eldes.” He held out his hand.

“…I’m…uh…Mike McCarver,” I said, uneasily shaking his hand.

“Well, best of luck in your future endeavors,” Eldes said, walking off.

“Why do I not trust him?” I asked.

“Why do you keep asking questions?!” Alexis asked, irritated.

“…sorry. Let’s go,” I said. Inside, we explained the situation to the receptionist, and she had her Abra use Teleport to take us to where Vander was training a student. It was a floating platform connected to others.

“…and that’s the secret to Double Battles!” Vander said. “…oh, hello. What can I do for you? You know, battling is closed for the day, so-”

“Vander, we’re friends of Eagun. We’re here to find out what you know about Cipher!” I said.

“You’re from the Pokémon World Enforcers, aren’t you?” Vander asked.

“Wha-?! How’d you know?!” I asked, astonished.

“It’s pretty obvious from that patch,” Vander noted. “Say, before that, could you all could help me demonstrate battling? You see, I’m training the new trainers for my area, and…y’know.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you do it!” Mark volunteered.

“Great! Okay, then! Two Pokémon each should work fine!” Vander said. “Whismur! Linoone! Go!” Vander sent out a Whismur, a round, pink Pokémon with long ears, and Linoone, a ferret-like Pokémon and the evolved form of Zigzagoon.

“Empoleon! Aerodactyl! Action!” Mark said, sending out Empoleon and Aerodactyl.

“Nice Pokémon! I’ll take the first move! Whismur, use Screech!” Whismur shrieked so loud that Empoleon and Aerodactyl grabbed their ears.

“Ouch! That’ll do some damage!” I said.

“Linoone! Use Rock Smash!” Linoone hit Empoleon with a Rock Smash, doing moderate damage.

“You won’t win with moves like that! Empoleon, Aqua Jet! Aerodactyl, Iron Head!” Empoleon used Aqua Jet to knock Whismur into the air, while Aerodactyl’s Iron Head did the same with Linoone.

“Whismur, Rollout! Linoone, get on top of Whismur and use Thunderbolt!” Whismur started using Rollout, while Linoone, atop its back, fired Thunderbolts at both Empoleon and Aerodactyl.

“Empoleon, Aerodactyl! We’ve gotta end this quick! Combine Steel Wings!” Empoleon and Aerodactyl flew at their opponents with Steel Wings barely touching. The two then spun around to create a white circle that formed a disc. It struck the two opponents with incredible force.

“Whoa! That was powerful!” Vander said. “And…quite flashy!”

“That’s a Top Coordinator for you!” I said.

“Coordinator? You mean…like in Contests?” Michael asked.

“Yup! Mark’s won four Ribbon Cups!” Alexis affirmed.

“Whismur! Use Supersonic!” Whismur sent out Supersonic towards Empoleon.

“Empoleon! Drill Peck!” Empoleon spun into a Drill Peck, gathering the Supersonic onto its wings. It then used the spin to redirect the attack towards Linoone, causing it to become confused.

“No! Linoone, Thunderbolt!” Linoone inadvertently fired a Thunderbolt into the air.

“Aerodactyl! Thunder Fang!” Aerodactyl gathered the Thunderbolt into its Thunder Fang, causing the electricity to dramatically increase. It then bit into Whismur, carrying it in its mouth. “Now use Hyper Beam!” Aerodactyl fired a Hyper Beam, sending Whismur zooming along with it. “Empoleon, Hydro Cannon!” Empoleon fired a Hydro Cannon at Linoone, sending it flying. The two opponents collided and fell to the ground, wiped out.

“Whismur and Linoone are unable to battle! Empoleon and Aerodactyl are the winners, and victory in this match goes to Mark of Hearthome City!” I announced.

“Wow! I’m impressed, Mark!” Vander said, recalling his Pokémon. “You all seem like excellent Trainers! I can see why Eagun chose you all!”

“Well, I don’t mean to brag, but…” Mark said.

“Anyway, Eagun had told us about your knowledge of Cipher’s whereabouts,” I reminded.

“Of course. Come with me, I’m just about wrapped up with training these new Trainers anyway!” Vander said. He led us back to the receptionist area. “You see, I’ve been seeing signs of Cipher lately. They’ve been appearing and disappearing lately around that abandoned laboratory out there. It used to be a Shadow Pokémon development lab, but thanks to two old acquaintances of mine, their research was on hiatus, so to speak.”

“Well, they’ve apparently ended that hiatus,” Ed said.

“So, that’s where they are now?” Michael asked.

“Yes. Several of their members have been going in and out of that area a few days now, so I’m sure that they’re using it for some kind of Shadow Pokémon research,” Vander answered.

“Okay, team. Guess we’ve gotta break in there, take whatever Shadow Pokémon we can back from Cipher, and shut down their research. Ready?” I asked.

“Yeah!” the others said.

“Thanks for your help, Vander. See you again!” I said as we rode off.

“Good luck, kids!” Vander called.

And with that, we were off to put a serious dent in Cipher’s plan, and hopefully find Professor Krane.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 163: Here Come the Hexagon Brothers!

After riding across the desert, we finally made it to Cipher’s old research lab, where Vander had pointed us to.

“Well, here we are. I wonder why there’s not a very good defense,” I said, noting the poles that could’ve easily formed an electric fence.

“Maybe when this place was broken into before, they disabled the fence,” Michael guessed.

“Let’s just go in already!” Alexis said with a hint of attitude. This trait had been worsening recently, and I’d had enough.

“Okay, that’s it!” I said. “Your attitude is getting worse with every rude comment you make. What is the deal?!”

“…well, I’m in a little bit of pain, and it’s kinda affecting my mood, and…” Alexis said, looking from side to side.

“Oh. Um…Alexis, I’m really sorry,” I said.

“About what?” Michael asked.

“NOTHING!!” the rest of us said.

“Meta,” Metagross sighed.

“Anyway, I’ll do whatever I can to help you feel better,” I said, holding her.

“Thanks, sweetie,” Alexis replied. “It’s just about passed. I should be able to calm down by the time I finish this sen-”

“File in!” We turned to hear the source of that voice. Six Cipher Peons filed out in red, blue, brown, yellow, purple, and green.

“Oh, look. It’s the rainbow brigade,” Mark said.

“R-Rainbow brigade?! We are the HEXAGON BROTHERS!” the red one said. “Sound off!”

“One!” the blue one said.

“Two!” said the one in brown.

“Three!” said the one in yellow.

“Four!” said the one in purple.

“Five!” said the one in green.

“….wait, five?” the one in red asked. “Are we missing someone?”

“Oh, for the love of…” I started.

“ANYWAY, what do you want with us?” Ed asked.

“What we want is for you to not to enter here!” the one in brown said.

“We’ll keep you out with our sixfold power!” the one in green said.

“Then put your money where your mouth is!” Alexis said confidently.

“Sure thing, girly! Houndour, let’s go!” the one in red said, sending out a Houndour.

“Gah!” I said, feeling my scar burning. “It’s a Shadow Pokémon!”

“I see it!” Michael said, bringing up the Aura Reader. “Well, I’ll just be ready on the sidelines!”

“Okay! I’ll keep an eye out for an opening!” Alexis said. “Crobat! Let’s do this!” She sent out Crobat.

“Houndour! Shadow Blitz!” Houndour leapt at Crobat with Shadow Blitz.

“Crobat! Cross Poison!” Crobat hit Houndour with Cross Poison before it could reach.

“Houndour! Another Shadow Blitz!” Houndour recovered and ran at Crobat.

“Crobat, use Supersonic!” Crobat sent out a Supersonic to confuse Houndour.

“Oh no! Houndour, another Shadow Blitz!” Houndour rammed its head into the ground in confusion.

“Crobat! Let’s finish things up with Brave Bird!” Crobat flew downwards, entering a Brave Bird. It then angled itself at Houndour and struck with incredible force. Houndour struggled to get up. “There! GO!” Alexis shouted to Michael.

“Right!” Michael said, readying the Snag Machine. “Snag Ball, go!” He threw a Snag Ball at Houndour, drawing it in. It wiggled until it clicked. “Oh, yeah! HOUNDOUR SNAGGED!”

“Nooo! My Shadow Pokémon!” the one in red said.

“Don’t worry, Resix!” the one in blue said. “We all have Shadow Pokémon, too! Browsix! Yellosix! Purpsix! Greesix! Let’s do it!”

“Right!” they all said. “GO!!” They sent out five Pokémon. Blusix sent out a Spheal, Browsix sent out a brown puppet-like Pokémon called Baltoy, Yellosix sent out a sheep-like Pokemon named Mareep, Purpsix sent out a green blob-like Pokemon called Gulpin, and Greesix sent out a seed-shaped Pokémon, Seedot.

“Urg-GAAHH!” I screamed, my scar burning. All five of the Pokémon were Shadow Pokémon, so their auras were all being sensed by my scar at the same time. That was pain like I’d never experienced. I’m almost sure a tear came out, and here’s why:

“Mike!! Wh-what’s wrong?...and why are you crying?” Alexis asked.

“It…it hurts…so much…” I said, clutching my face, almost unable to hear her.

“Leafeon! Combine Dig with Quick Attack!” Michael said, sending out Leafeon. It dug into the ground, and came out beneath Gulpin with great force. “Now use Bite!” Leafeon bit into Gulpin, causing a critical hit. “Snag Ball, GO!” Michael utilized the Snag Machine, taking Gulpin into the thrown Poke Ball. It wiggled until it clicked. “GULPIN SNAGGED! Are you any better?”

“Uhh…a little…” I said, able to hear again, but still in pain.

“Then keep snagging!” Mark said.

“It takes time to recharge! Tag out, tag out!”

“Baltoy! Use Shadow Blitz!” Baltoy rushed at us.

“Lickilicky! Come out and use Power Whip!” Ed said, sending out Lickilicky. It used Power Whip to send Baltoy flying.

“A little more! Keep ‘em busy!” Michael said.

“Baltoy, again!” Baltoy moved towards Lickilicky.

“Rollout to dodge!” Lickilicky’s Rollout got it out of harm’s way.

“Use Shadow Mist!” Baltoy spun around and spread a dark mist everywhere. Lickilicky stopped, unsure of where things were. “Now use Shadow Blitz!” Baltoy hit Lickilicky with Shadow Blitz.

“Lickilicky! Gyro Ball!” Lickilicky spun at Baltoy, sending it flying.

“Got it! Okay, Snag Machine ready!” Michael said, activating it. “Snag Ball, go!” He threw a Snag Ball at Baltoy, taking it in. After the wiggling, the ball clicked. “YEAH! BALTOY SNAGGED!” At that, the ball warped away. “Huh?”

“You have six Pokémon! It was sent back to the HQ Lab!” Mark said. “Anyways, look out! They’re still coming! Empoleon, you’re up next!” Mark then sent out Empoleon.

“Seedot! Shadow Hold!” Greesix’s Seedot sent out dark lines that enveloped Empoleon.

“I don’t know what that did, but it can’t be good. Empoleon, Blizzard!” Empoleon used Blizzard, but Seedot swiftly jumped out of the way. “Try a Steel Wing!” Empoleon flew at Seedot with Steel Wing, but it dodged again. “Try Drill Peck!” Empoleon flew at Seedot with Drill Peck, but yet again, Seedot jumped to dodge. “This isn’t working! Empoleon, return!” Mark tried to recall Empoleon, but the recall didn’t work.

“Hah! Shadow Hold keeps the Pokémon from being recalled! Seedot! Shadow Wave!” Seedot sent out a Shadow Wave that hit Empoleon, although it didn’t do much damage.

“Empoleon! Try using Hydro Pump!” Empoleon fired a Hydro Pump, which Seedot didn’t dodge because it didn’t do much. “I got it! Use Aqua Jet and Drill Peck!” Empoleon zoomed forward with Aqua Jet, and spun using Drill Peck. The attack did a ton of damage to Seedot. “Do it now!”

“Right! Snag Ball, let’s go!” Michael said, throwing a Snag Ball. It took Seedot in, wiggled, and clicked. “SEEDOT SNAGGED! Well?” Michael asked me.

“I…okay, doing good. Now let’s waste ‘em!” I said, the pain mostly gone.

“Mike, I don’t want you to strain yourself. You sure you’re better?” Alexis asked.

“Yeah, thanks. It’s just about passed,” I answered, winking. Alexis smiled at this. “Metagross, you ready?”

“Meta!” Metagross replied. It and Crobat then took their places.

“Oh, so you’re teaming up against the two of us, is that it?” Blusix asked.

“That’s fine!” Yellosix said. “Mareep, use Shadow Blitz!” Mareep charged forward with Shadow Blitz.

“Crobat, dodge it and use Heat Wave!” Crobat used Heat Wave to hold Mareep back.

“Spheal, use Shadow Wave!” Spheal fired a Shadow Wave at Crobat and Metagross.

“Metagross, use Light Screen!” Metagross’s Light Screen repelled the Shadow Wave.

“Mareep, use Shadow Shed!” Mareep sent out a wave of shadows that engulfed the Light Screen and destroyed it.

“Hmph. Clever. Metagross, use Earthquake!” Metagross’s Earthquake shook things up, causing Spheal and Mareep to fall down. “Lexi, they’re all yours!”

“Righty-o! Crobat, another Heat Wave!” Crobat fired a Heat Wave at both Spheal and Mareep. Spheal stood up after it hit, but Mareep was down for the count. “Michael, hurry!”

“Okay! Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, throwing another Snag Ball. This one went a lot quicker than the others: snag, wiggle, click…in a few seconds. “MAREEP SNAGGED! One more to go!”

“Spheal, let’s get them back with Shadow Wave!” Spheal fired a Shadow Wave.

“Metagross, dodge and use Take Down!” Metagross used Take Down to launch Spheal into the air. “Grab it and use Gyro Ball!” Metagross grabbed Spheal and used Gyro Ball to spin in place. “Ready, Michael?”

“Almost…almost…okay, three more seconds!” Michael said, checking the Snag Machine.

“Good enough! Metagross, Reverse Release!” Metagross stopped short and flung Spheal in Michael’s direction.

“There! Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, throwing a Snag Ball. It took Spheal in and wiggled, but this time, Spheal broke free.

“What did you expect? Shadow Wave!” Blusix said. Spheal fired a Shadow Wave.

“Crobat, take in that attack!” Crobat took the full force of the Shadow Wave for Metagross.

“Lexi…I won’t let that be for nothing! Metagross, Psychic!” Metagross’s Psychic lifted Spheal up. “Now combine Gyro Ball with Thunderpunch!” Metagross spun with Gyro Ball, hitting Spheal with multiple Thunderpunches. “Now finish it off with Meteor Mash!” Metagross’s Meteor Mash sent Spheal flying into the air.

“This time it’d better work! Snag Ball, GO!!” Michael shouted, throwing a Snag Ball.

“Uh-oh! Spheal, return!” Blusix said, trying to recall Spheal. But it was too late; the Snag Ball’s reach made it before Blusix’s Poke Ball. The ball snagged Spheal, wiggled a little, then clicked.

“All right! SPHEAL SNAGGED!” Michael said.

“I don’t believe it! They beat all six of us!” Yellosix said.

“What now, bro?” Purpsix asked Resix.

“I guess we have no choice but to let them in. Meanwhile, we can find out who’s missing among us!” Resix said, getting them in a circle. “Sound off!”

“One!” “Two!” “Three!” “Four!” “Five!” “Six!” “Seven!” “Eight!” “Eight?” “Hmm…there’s a traitor among us!” they said.

“These guys certainly don’t have all their colors on one palate, pardon the pun,” I said. “Excellent job, Michael! You snagged six Pokémon at once!”

“Aw, shucks. If I hadn’t had you guys to help me, I probably wouldn’t have been able to!” Michael said.

“Great effort, team!” Ed said. “Now let’s get in there and see what we can find!”

“YEAH!” we shouted together. And so, using the power of teamwork, we proved that five is finally greater than six. Keeping our camaraderie at its highest, we ventured into the laboratory.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 164: Putting a Spinarak on Things

After defeating the Hexagon Brothers, we rested up inside Cipher’s Laboratory. We were using a revitalizing machine to restore our Pokémon’s health after the battle.
“Aaaand…that’s it! All done!” Ed announced, handing us our Poke Balls.

“Houndour! Gulpin! Come on out!” Michael said, sending out his two new Shadow Pokémon. “Well, they seem to be okay. I’ll use them in my battles from now on!”

“What about some of the others that you’d caught?” Alexis asked.

“Hmm…good point. Well, I’ll just use that phone over there to call Mom and have her send some over!” Michael replied. He went over to the phone and called Lily.

“Michael, how are you doing?” Lily asked.

“Pretty good. We just infiltrated Cipher’s old laboratory and are going to search now! I called because I need a favor. Could you send me some of those Shadow Pokémon I caught?”

“Well, sure, but BE CAREFUL. You all take care of him!” Lily said to us. Lily then exchanged Spheal, Mareep, and Baltoy for Teddiursa, Poochyena, and Ledyba.

“Great! Thanks, Mom!” Michael said. He then hung up. “I think we need to get a move-on, guys! Professor Krane could be in here!”

“Right! Let’s do this!” I said. We opened the door and found an elevator. “All right. Be ready, guys. Cipher Peons could could out at any-”

“….why’d you stop?” Alexis asked.

“For dramatic effect?” I guessed. That earned me a punch to the back of my head. “Owww…okay, let’s just get on the elevator.” We rode the elevator down. Surprisingly, there was only one other level to go to.

“All right. There’ve gotta be some clues down here as to where Professor Krane could be!” Mark said as we made our way towards a locker room.

“Or as to what they’re doing with him,” Ed added.

“There’s another elevator. Let’s get on,” Michael said, noting the elevator. We rode it down to a room filled with all sorts of computers.

“Over there,” I said, noting a scientist to the side, not looking at us. We hid nearby. “Lexi, think you can have Sceptile use Grasswhistle on him?”

“Okay. Sceptile, come out and use Grasswhistle!” Alexis said, bringing Sceptile out. It then used Grasswhistle to put the guy in a trance.

“Mark, Ed. Help me out,” I said. We crept over and knocked him out. We then pulled him aside and next thing we knew, I was masquerading as a Cipher R&D. “How lucky that it’s a perfect fit!” I said. “Okay, let’s go,” I said. They acted like they were being held hostage.

“We just need one more person…” Alexis said.

“Hold it!” a voice said. We looked, and down from the ceiling fell a female Cipher Peon. “What are you doing with these kids?”

“More prisoners for the commander!” I said.

“…what’s your name?” she asked, suspicious.

“Uh…Mesak!” I said.

“Well, I admit your name matches the one on your ID card, but why doesn’t your photo match?” she asked, smugly pointing towards the ID card I’d forgotten to take off.

“Uh-oh,” I said.

“I’ll dispose of you intruders right here! Swinub! Shuppet! Let’s go!” she said, sending out a Swinub, a brown, pig-like Pokémon with fur, and a Shuppet, a puppet-like Ghost Pokémon.

“Guess we have no choice!” I said. “Golduck, Girafarig! Let’s do this!” I said, sending out Golduck and Girafarig.

“Shuppet! Start off with Night Shade!” Shuppet fired a Night Shade at Golduck.

“Golduck, Confusion!” Golduck used Confusion to stop the attack, and Girafarig ran into it, nullifying it with its immunity to Ghost-Type moves. “Girafarig, Thunder!” Girafarig fired a Thunder at Shuppet.

“Swinub, take that attack in!” Swinub jumped up to intercept the Thunder attack, nullifying it with its immunity to Electric-Type moves.

“Golduck, Aqua Jet!” Golduck nailed Swinub with an Aqua Jet.

“Swinub, Powder Snow!” Swinub fired a Powder Snow at Girafarig in midair.

“Golduck!” Golduck said, blocking the attack. Girafarig looked happy at this.

“Girafarig, now’s your chance! Use Psychic!” Girafarig used Psychic to send Swinub flying into Shuppet. The two then passed out. “Great job, guys!” Golduck and Girafarig nodded to me and then to each other. “So how ‘bout it, lady? Ready to give up?”

“Not in the least! Spinarak, it’s all you!” she replied, sending out a Spinarak.

“Uhh…Grrk!” I said, feeling my scar burn. I then saw the aura.

“It’s a Shadow Pokémon!” Michael said, pulling up the Aura Reader.

“Wait…how do you guys know?” the Peon asked.

“We’ll get to that another time! Golduck, use Hydro Pump!” Golduck fired a Hydro Pump at Spinarak.

“Spinarak! Dodge and use Shadow Blitz!” Spinarak leapt up and nailed Golduck with a Shadow Blitz.

“Girafarig, Double Hit!” Girafarig’s Double Hit knocked Spinarak back a ways.

“Spinarak, another Shadow Blitz!” Spinarak went for Golduck again. Golduck was still reeling from the last attack.

“Rig!” Girafarig said, catching Spinarak with its tail head’s Crunch.

“Great job, Girafarig!” I said. Golduck gave its thanks as well, then snapped back to focus. Girafarig then tossed Spinarak back.

“Spinarak-!” the Peon said, breaking down.

“Golduck, Hydro Pump! Girafarig, Mirror Coat!” Golduck fired a Hydro Pump towards Girafarig, which Girafarig reflected with Mirror Coat. “Golduck, use Confusion! Girafarig, Thunder!” Golduck’s Confusion held Girafarig’s Thunder and the reflected Hydro Pump in place together. “Let’s go, Golduck! Fusion Aerial Ace!” Golduck entered the concoction with Aerial Ace, zooming towards Spinarak with the attacks spiraling around it. Golduck hit Spinarak, delivering the finishing blow. “Michael, NOW!”

“Right! Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, throwing a Snag Ball. It took Spinarak in, wiggled, and clicked shut. “Oh, yeah! SPINARAK SNAGGED!”

“RRRGH! You won’t get away with this!” the Peon said. She began to run off.

“Sceptile, if you please!” Alexis said to Sceptile.

“Sceptile,” Sceptile said, then used Grasswhistle. The Peon, entranced, came right back.

“I’ll be right back, gentlemen,” Alexis said, taking the Peon off somewhere. Next thing we knew, Alexis was back, wearing the uniform and holding the helmet. “It feels so good to be BAD!”

“Wow! You make a hot Peon!” Ed said.

“Very nice,” Mark added.

“Careful, boys,” I said, irritated.

“So. Ready, mister R&D?” Alexis said, taking my arm.

“You bet, ma’am!” I said. We had a quick peck, then put our glasses and helmet on, respectively. “Ready, prisoners?” I asked.

“Ugh…y’all are taking this thing a little too far,” Mark said.

“Silence, prisoners! Move it!” Alexis said. We chuckled to each other. To the right, I noticed Golduck and Girafarig doing the same. And so, with another Shadow Pokémon to add to the list, we moved forward in our search for Professor Krane.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 165: A Numel Sensation

Disguised as a researcher and a Cipher Peon, Alexis and I took our friends further into the Shadow Pokémon Laboratory under the guise of taking hostages.

“How you guys holding up?” I asked from up front.

“We’re good. Still on the lookout for Professor Krane,” Mark replied.

“Guys, I’m pretty sure we’re being followed,” Alexis said.

“Look over there!” Michael said. We stopped to see a glass wall. On the other side of it were Naps, Professor Krane, and a girl with long pink pigtails.

“We’d better listen in! Close the doors and hide!” Ed said. Alexis and I used the keycards in our outfits to jam the doors shut.

“Come on, Professor. When are you going to tell me about your research?” the girl asked.

“Never!” Professor Krane replied.

“Oh, please so don’t be like that! Tell me about your purification studies!” the girl said. “With your research, I could so finish perfecting our ultimate project: XD001! I, like, so made it myself!”

“You must be kidding! I’ll never help you! Especially not with something like THAT!” Professor Krane said.

“XD001?” I wondered.

“Mike! Bad! Bad! VERY BAD!” Deoxys shouted frantically. I clamped my mouth shut.

“What is it?” I whispered.

“I just peered into her mind! XD001 is that Shadow Lugia!” Deoxys said.

“…oh no…” I said. I knew then and there if Shadow Lugia hadn't yet reached its full potential, we were in DEEP trouble.

“Lugia?” Michael asked.

“We’ll talk about it some other time,” Alexis answered.

“Come on! How can you refuse an offer like this?” the girl asked.

“Because shutting the hearts of Pokémon is inexcusable! You must put a stop to it!” Professor Krane said.

“Oh, no way! You’re just way too closed-minded! Naps, this is your fault!” the girl said.

“W-what? Me?!” Naps asked.

“You were so rude in inviting Professor Krane here that he’s become cross! You so should’ve taken better care of him!” the girl said.

“Lovrina! How can you say that?! He’s been saying all along that he won’t help our Shadow Pokémon plan! If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s his!” Naps accused.

“I’m not listening! Lalalalalala! The Shadow Pokémon plan is perfect and he will make it so!” Lovrina argued.

“Yeah, it’s totally perfect when XD001 drops a ship in the middle of the desert and attracts the attention of the local authorities! Dope,” Naps said, turning away.

“Well…I…it’s your fault, regardless of what you say! You’d better do something about it, or else!” Lovrina snapped. She then strutted out the door.

“…you’re Naps, right?” Professor Krane asked.

“What’s it to you?” Naps retorted.

“Well, you have my sympathies. It must be a nightmare to have HER as your boss,” Professor Krane explained.

“Tch. You know, it really IS your fault for being like that! Come on, help us with the plan!” Naps said angrily.

“Well, let’s talk first…” Professor Krane said. We moved away from the glass, confident that we’d heard all we needed to hear.

“Well, I think we know what we need to know. Let’s find a way into that room!” I said.

“I can’t let you do that!” a voice said. Another Cipher Peon fell from the ceiling. “Ralts and Voltorb! Let’s go!” The Cipher Peon sent out a Ralts and a Voltorb, a Pokémon that looked like a Poke Ball.

“This one’s all me! Houndour! Gulpin! Let’s do this!” Michael said, bringing out Houndour and Gulpin. “Houndour, start off with Shadow Blitz!” Houndour rushed at Ralts with Shadow Blitz.

“Voltorb! Sonicboom!” Voltorb’s Sonicboom stopped Houndour in its tracks.

“Gulpin, Shadow Blitz!” Gulpin leapt at Voltorb, hitting it with Shadow Blitz and doing major damage.

“Ralts, use Confusion!” Ralts started using Confusion on Gulpin. Just then, Houndour entered Reverse Mode.

“Man! Houndour, use Shadow Blitz!” Houndour used a Shadow Blitz, doing much more damage than usual and knocking Ralts out.

“Ralts, return! Go, Bagon!” the Peon said, switching Ralts for a Bagon. “Skull Bash!” Bagon leapt at Gulpin with Skull Bash.

“Gulpin, look out! Houndour! Protect Gulpin!” Houndour suddenly snapped out of Reverse Mode-thus weakening its black aura-and ran in front of Gulpin, colliding heads with Bagon. It then pushed Bagon back and used Bite on its little arms. “All right! Now, Gulpin! Use Shadow Blitz!” Gulpin jumped into Bagon and used Shadow Blitz, knocking it into Voltorb.

“Voltorb, Thunderbolt!” Voltorb fired a Thunderbolt, which Houndour and Gulpin dodged.

“Houndour, use Shadow Blitz again!” Houndour hit Bagon with Shadow Blitz, but entered Reverse Mode yet again. “I don’t get it! What's with all the Reverse Modes?”

“Must be that way just before purification!” Mark guessed. Michael called out to it again.

“You may be right; its aura has diminished greatly,” I said, looking at Houndour’s aura as it shrunk yet again.

“Bagon, Ember!” Bagon fired an Ember.

“Houndour, Ember back!” Houndour fired an Ember to cancel out the other. “Gulpin, Sludge attack!” Gulpin fired a Sludge at Voltorb, knocking it out.

“Rrgh! Voltorb, come back! And now, Numel! Come on out!” the Cipher Peon said, recalling Voltorb and bringing out a Numel, a yellow camel-like Pokémon.

“Ack!” I said as my scar burned. “There’s another one!”

“Right! I’m on it!” Michael said, viewing Numel through his Aura Reader. “Gulpin, Shadow Blitz!”

“Two can play at that game! Numel, Shadow Blitz!” Gulpin and Numel jumped and headbutted each other with Shadow Blitz. Upon landing, neither one seemed to take any damage, but then Gulpin entered Reverse Mode.

“Oh, come on!” Michael said. “Houndour, another Shadow Blitz!” Houndour hit Bagon with Shadow Blitz, knocking it out. The Peon recalled it.

“Numel! Another Shadow Blitz!” Numel charged at its opponents with Shadow Blitz.

“Houndour, hold it with Bite!” Houndour grabbed Numel with Bite, keeping it in place. “Gulpin, you’ve gotta snap out of it!”

“Gul…” Gulpin said angrily.

“The shadows are too much for it!” Alexis said.

“C’mon! You’re better than this!” Ed cheered.

“Come to the light! Come to us!” Mark called.

“Keep fighting!” I added.

“GULPIN!” Michael cried out. Upon hearing that, Gulpin looked surprised. It then grinned as it reverted to normal, and used Toxic on Numel. Numel shuddered as it felt the poison.

“All right!” “That’s the way!” “Awesome!” we cheered from the sidelines. Michael nodded and continued on.

“Numel! Fight through it! Use Shadow Blitz!” Numel ran towards Gulpin.

“Gulpin and Houndour! Shadow Blitz together!” Gulpin and Houndour used Shadow Blitz from both sides of Numel, doing enough for a critical hit. Numel was looking weak, but it suddenly dropped for a bit from Toxic’s effect.

“Here’s your chance, dude! GO!” Ed called.

“Yeah!” Michael said as the lights from the Snag Machine transferred to his Poke Ball. “Snag Ball, go!” Michael threw the ball which took Numel in, wiggled, and finally clicked shut. “NUMEL SNAGGED! And you’re finished!” Michael said, pointing to the Cipher Peon.

“I…uh…I’ve got something in the oven!” the Peon said, trying to run off.

“Deoxys, if you please!” I said, bringing out Deoxys.

“Whoah!” Michael said in complete shock.

“Here we go!” Deoxys said, picking up the Peon with Psychic. It then whacked him over the head with its tentacles, knocking him out cold.

“Yoink!” Ed said, taking his uniform. “And now we’ll definitely look less suspicious with THREE Cipher Peons!”

“All right. We know where Professor Krane is. We just need to figure out a way to get there!” Alexis said.

“Deoxys. I need you to scout ahead. See if you can find us a way to reach Professor Krane!” I said.

“You got it, Mike! I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Deoxys said, sending out its aura. I then returned it to its ball, but couldn’t help but notice Michael looking at the ball in complete awe.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Uh? Oh, yeah! It’s nothing!” Michael said nervously. Even though I doubted that, I said nothing as we moved ahead.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 166: Taming of the Shroomish

Disguised as Cipher members, we continued our search for Professor Krane inside the Shadow Pokémon Laboratory.

“Okay. Let’s look in here!” I said. We opened the door to find several researchers there. They glanced at us, then started talking amongst themselves.

“Huh. One of them would provide me with a good disguise, too,” Mark murmured.

“Hello, my friends. Where are you taking these two?” one of the R&D’s asked us.

“Lovrina asked us to bring them to her. We caught them outside the laboratory, and apparently, they have some kind of connection to Professor Krane,” Alexis answered.

“Huh, this could prove interesting. With hostages like them, we could convince Professor Krane to help our research! Very well! You, come with us! We’ve got to pay a visit to Miss Lovrina!” the researcher said, calling a Cipher Peon over.

“Yes, sir!” the Peon said, saluting. They came with us, leading us ahead. Soon, we got to where Naps was holding Professor Krane.

“…and you see, that’s why it’s wrong to make these Shadow Pokémon! Please, just defect and help us!” Professor Krane was saying, trying to persuade Naps.

“Look Prof, I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t. I can’t turn from Cipher, and I can’t help you!” Naps said.

“Professor!” Michael said.

“Michael?! What are you doing here?!” Professor Krane asked.

“We found these two outside,” I said to Naps.

“Hey, you’re that pipsqueak who snagged my Teddiursa!” Naps said. “Well, I’m gonna get you back for that, right here and now! Murkrow and Rhyhorn! Let’s go!” Naps sent out a Murkrow and a Rhyhorn.

“Wait, really?...Oh well. Leafeon, Houndour! Let’s do it!” Michael said, sending out Leafeon and Houndour. “Leafeon, Razor Leaf!” Leafeon hit both Murkrow and Rhyhorn with Razor Leaf. Murkrow easily recovered, but Rhyhorn suffered a critical hit and was on its last legs.

“Aw man! Murkrow, use Peck attack!” Murkrow flew at Leafeon.

“Houndour! Intercept with Shadow Blitz!” Houndour hit Murkrow with a heavy Shadow Blitz. “All right!”

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” a Cipher R&D asked, entering the room.

“Nothing…I mean, go get Lovrina! She’ll want to see this!” Naps said.

“Yes sir!” the R&D replied, then went off.

“Now then, where were we? Ah yes! Rhyhorn, Rock Blast!” Rhyhorn fired a Rock Blast, doing major damage to Houndour.

“Use Shadow Blitz!” Houndour used Shadow Rush to knock Rhyhorn on its back.

“Murkrow, Faint Attack!” Murkrow flew at Gulpin with Faint Attack.

“Houndour! Shadow Blitz again!” Houndour intercepted Murkrow’s attack and flung it back with Shadow Blitz. “And now use Ember!” Houndour hit Murkrow with an Ember powerful enough to knock it into Rhyhorn, taking both of them out.

“GAH! How…how could you be so strong?!” Naps said. “Whatever. I’m still loyal to Cipher, and I’ll make you pay one of these days!” Naps then ran off.

“What powerful Pokémon! I say we turn ‘em into Shadow Pokémon!” the Cipher Peon said.

“You wish! Breloom, let’s go!” Mark said, calling out Breloom.

“Leafeon, Houndour! Return!” Michael said, calling back his Pokémon. “Gulpin, let’s go!” Michael then sent out Gulpin.

“Oh, I see. You want to face all of us?” the R&D asked, laughing.

“How about just you two?” I asked as we revealed ourselves. Ed then shut the door.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Ed said.

“Wha-?! W-well then, we’ll just battle our way past you! Shroomish, let’s go!” the R&D said, sending out a Shroomish.

“Carvanha, let’s not miss out on this!” the Peon said, bringing out a Carvanha, a piranha-like Pokémon.

“GAH!” I said, my scar burning. “It’s so much more powerful!”

“They’re BOTH Shadow Pokémon?!” Michael cried, seeing them on his Aura Reader.

“It’s such a shame. I’m normally interested in unique Pokémon, but these things aren’t Pokémon anymore,” Ed said.

“You got that right! They’re weapons now! Weapons that we’ll use to conquer the world!” the Peon said. “Carvanha, use Shadow Blitz!” Carvanha leapt at the opponents with Shadow Blitz.

“Dodge it!” Gulpin and Breloom dodged.

“Breloom, Mega Drain!” Breloom used Mega Drain to drain some of Carvanha’s power. “Now use Sky Uppercut!” Breloom then nailed Carvanha with Sky Uppercut, but got hurt due to Carvanha’s Rough Skin.

“Hey, help me out here!” the Peon said.

“Shroomish! Shadow Blitz!” Shroomish ran at Breloom with Shadow Blitz.

“Gulpin! Stop that with Sludge!” Gulpin fired several Sludge attacks. Most of them missed, but one finally hit Shroomish’s eyes, rendering it unable to see.

“Shroomish! Use Shadow Mist!” Shroomish shot a Shadow Mist everywhere, making everybody else but Carvanha unable to see.

“Now, Carvanha! Let’s hit ‘em with Shadow Blitz!” Carvanha used the opportunity to slam into Breloom with Shadow Blitz. As soon as the fog cleared, Carvanha couldn’t move. “What?! What happened?”

“Heh! That’s Breloom’s Effect Spore! You make contact with it, you’d better be ready for the consequences!” Mark said. “Looks like it just paralyzed your Carvanha!”

“Shroomish! Use Shadow Blitz!” Shroomish ran forward with Shadow Blitz, and ended up headbutting the wall instead, since the Sludge still kept it from seeing.

“Gulpin! Give it a Toxic!” Gulpin fired out Toxic. Breloom covered its mouth while Carvanha was badly poisoned.

“Carvanha! Shadow Hold!” Carvanha fired a Shadow Hold, which prevented Gulpin and Breloom from being switched out.

“Breloom! Mind Reader!” Breloom glowed, sensing the next moves.

“Carvanha, Shadow Blitz!”

“Shroomish, Shadow Blitz!”

“Now, Breloom! Dynamicpunch!”

“Now, Gulpin! Sludge Attack!”

Carvanha and Shroomish jumped at their targets, but Gulpin fired a Sludge to throw them off, allowing them to be hit by Breloom’s Dynamicpunch. Shroomish just barely got up, but Carvanha was looking down and out.

“Hurry hurry hurry,” Michael said frantically, readying the Snag Machine. It finally activated after a bit. “Right! Snag Ball, go!” Michael threw the Ball, which took Carvanha in, wiggled, and clicked shut. “CARVANHA SNAGGED!”

“Oh, man!” the Cipher Peon said. He then ran off.

“It’s okay, just ditch me and let me finish the rest! No biggie or anything...jerk. Shroomish, use Shadow Blitz!” the R&D said. Shroomish ran forward with Shadow Blitz.

“Breloom! Grab it!” Breloom stopped Shroomish in its tracks by picking it up. Shroomish started yelling, but Breloom wouldn’t let go.

“Rrrrrgh! Stop playing with me!” the R&D said.

“Fine. Gulpin, let it have a look into your mouth!” Gulpin opened its mouth and closed it over Shroomish’s upper half. “Now use Toxic!” It looked like nothing happened, but Breloom had a seriously worried look on its face. When Gulpin came off, Shroomish was dazed and shivering. “Right! Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, throwing the Snag Ball. Like before, the ball took its prey in and clicked shut after a while. “SHROOMISH SNAGGED!” Michael said.

“No-ho-ho-ho! It can’t be!” the R&D said. Mark then stepped up to him.

“Oh, it be!” Mark said. He then punched him unconscious, took his lab uniform, and put it on. “There we go! All right. I think we’ve got everything in hand!”

“You all…I can’t thank you enough,” Professor Krane said. “And Michael…you’ve become so much more confident and skilled since I last saw you!”

“Well, what can I say? I’m a quick learner!” Michael said, winking at us. The four of us then looked at each other and smiled, knowing he meant that he was learning from us.

“Okay. We’d better get out of here and fast! I don’t know what Lovrina is planning to do with this XD001, but it can’t be good!” Krane said.

“About that…it’s a Shadow Lugia. And apparently, one that can’t be purified. So…we might be in trouble,” I explained.

“…I see…well, we’ll worry about that when it comes! For now, let’s just run!” Krane said. And so we did.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 167: Beauty Before Age

“C’mon, work! This keycard should work, shouldn’t it?!” I grunted, struggling with the key.

“Hurry up! We’ve already been found out!” Ed said.

We were trying to find our way out of the Shadow Pokémon Laboratory and got stuck at a door that required a special keycard.

“Okay, let’s just calm down, guys,” Mark said. “We ARE in disguise, so if we ask around, one of the R&D’s will help us through this door.”

“Are you out of your mind?! They’re not just going to HAND us a keycard like-” Alexis started.

“Hey!” a voice said. We turned around to see an R&D behind us. “What’s the matter?”

“…I lost my keycard and can’t get through this door,” I said, trying to remain calm.

“No problem! I have a card. Uh, where are the prisoners going?” the R&D asked.

“Miss Lovrina asked us to bring them to her. She thinks that with persuasion, we’ll be able to coerce the good PROFESSOR here to help with her project,” Alexis said, acting all syrupy-sweet.

“Really? Oh, wow. What does it entail?” the R&D asked, opening the door for us.

“Something like this,” I said, punching him and knocking him out. “Here you go, Prof.”

“What was the point of talking to him?! Why not just knock him out to begin with?!” Mark asked.

“Because shut up,” I answered.

“Got it,” Mark replied.

“Okay! In disguise and ready to go!” Professor Krane said, slightly sticking out.

“Sure you are. Let’s move!” Ed said. We went through the door.

“Hold on! Look!” Alexis said. We found some computers detailing the XD001 plan. “It looks like they’re going to keep on developing XD001, even without Professor Krane’s help!”

“Good luck with that! I bet they’ll get nowhere without the proper research!” Michael said.

“I don’t know just what they could do with MY research, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to help them!” Professor Krane said.

“Okay. We know that XD001 is still a threat, even when it’s incomplete. What will we do if we encounter it?” Mark asked.

“Got me. Like the Professor said, we’ll have to deal with that when it comes. Anyways, let’s move!” I said. We then moved further, back to the elevator we came in on. However, we saw that it was in use.

“Great. How do we get out now?” Ed asked.

“Wait until someone uses it, I guess. Then we’ll just tell them we’re moving Michael to the secret base,” Alexis said.

“And where is this secret base?!” Michael asked.

“Uh…don’t know. We’ll just bluff our way out!” Alexis responded. At that time, the elevator came down.

“Okay, get ready to…oh no!” I said, seeing Lovrina on board with the researcher who Naps had ordered to get her.

“Well well well! What have we here? A prisoner?” Lovrina asked.

“It’s them! They’re the ones who are in disguise!” the R&D said.

“Drats. Looks like we’ve been figured out again,” I said, taking off my costume. The others followed suit.

“Well! You’ve certainly been oh-so naughty! Sneaking the Professor out? Oh no no no! He’s going to be oh-so busy working on XD001, my own creation! Just wait ‘till you see it!” Lovrina said.

“Believe me lady…I don’t want to see it again,” I said.

“Again?!...well, no matter. It’s going to be perfect the next time you see it!” Lovrina said.

“We’re returning to the lab. Stand aside, miss,” Professor Krane commanded.

“You’re being so silly! I’m not letting you go! You’re going to help me perfect my project!” Lovrina said.

“Absolutely not! Now stand aside!” Krane said.

“Oohhh! You just won’t give in, will you? C’mon, big guy! Try to talk some sense into him!” Lovrina said, sauntering over to Ed.

“M-me?!” Ed said, his face turning red.

“Surely a guy like you could convince the good Professor to help me! Pretty please?” Lovrina asked, acting all cute.

“This is why I tone down the cuteness with you,” Alexis said to me.

“I see. Thanks for that, by the way,” I said to her. We exchanged a quick kiss before getting back to matters at hand. “Lady, I’ve had enough of you using Pokémon like this! In the name of the PWE, you are under arrest for inhuman crimes against Pokémon!” I said.

“Oh. A little boy telling ME what to do? I’d better teach you all some manners!” Lovrina said.

“Bring it on!” Ed said. “Michael, give me a hand!”

“Uh…right,” Michael said, unsure.

“Oh! So the big boys are going to gang up on me, are they? Well, let’s see if you can stand up to these! Delcatty! Luvdisc! GO!” Lovrina said, sending out a Delcatty and a Luvdisc.

“URGH!” I said, my scar burning more than usual. “It’s…it’s Delcatty!” I said, seeing a strong shadow aura around Delcatty.

“Got it! Now let’s see if I can get it!” Michael said. “Leafeon, let’s do this!”

“Crawdaunt, I choose you!” Ed said, sending out Crawdaunt to accompany Michael’s Leafeon.

“Oh, my! Why’s that Crawdaunt green?” Lovrina asked curiously. “I’ve seen a pink Crawdaunt, but not a green one!”

“Crawdaunt, Crawdaunt! Crawdaunt!” Crawdaunt explained.

“Uh, I think I can translate. When it was a Corphish in Lilycove City, it once got into an art shop and accidentally found some green hair dye…and I think that the rest doesn’t bear repeating,” Deoxys translated.

“Huh. Anyway, let’s get this battle on! Luvdisc! Use Water Pulse!” Luvdisc fired a Water Pulse.

“Crawdaunt! Use Crabhammer!” Crawdaunt’s Crabhammer cancelled out the Water Pulse. “Now use X-Scissor!” Crawdaunt rushed forward with X-Scissor.

“Delcatty! Shadow Wave!” Delcatty’s Shadow Wave cut the attack off and hit Leafeon in the process.

“Leafeon, use Razor Leaf!” Leafeon fired a Razor Leaf.

“Dodge and use Shadow Rush!” Delcatty jumped to dodge, then rammed into Crawdaunt, doing major damage.

“Leafeon! Strike back with Tackle!” Leafeon tackled Delcatty.

“Luvdisc, Sweet Kiss!” Luvdisc fired a Sweet Kiss at Leafeon.

“Crawdaunt!” Crawdaunt said, grabbing Leafeon and pulling it aside, making the Sweet Kiss miss.

“Thanks, Crawdaunt!” Michael said.

“Let’s do this! Crawdaunt, Sludge Bomb!” Crawdaunt hit Luvdisc with a Sludge Bomb.

“Delcatty! Another Shadow Rush!” Delcatty’s Shadow Rush did major damage, nearly wiping Crawdaunt out.

“Leafeon, we’ve gotta shut that Delcatty down!” Michael said. “You can do it! Try Energy Ball!”

“Leaf!” Leafeon said. It then fired an Energy Ball at Delcatty, landing a critical hit.

“Oh no no NOOOO! What the heck just happened?!” Lovrina shouted, surprised.

“That’s the way! Leafeon, use Aerial Ace!” Michael said. At that time, I noticed the Snag Machine glowing.

“Right behind you, pal! Crawdaunt! Use Guillotine!”

Leafeon hit Delcatty with an Aerial Ace while Crawdaunt was able to hit Luvdisc with Guillotine, knocking it out.

“Rrgh! Luvdisc, return! I may only have Delcatty left, but that’s so all I need! You’ll never beat it! You won’t esc-” Lovrina ranted.

“GO!!!” Michael said, throwing a Snag Ball. It took Delcatty in, wiggled for a good while, and finally clicked shut. “We did it! DELCATTY SNAGGED!”

“Delcatty and Luvdisc are unable to battle! Crawdaunt and Leafeon are the winners, and victory goes to the team of Ed and Michael!” Professor Krane announced.

“Great job!” Ed said. He and Michael high-fived, and Crawdaunt and Leafeon followed suit.

“OOOHH! That does it! You’ve been oh-so naughty and NOW you’ve taken my Shadow Pokémon! But I’ll get the last laugh! Just you wait and see!” Lovrina raged, then fled.

“Way to go, you guys! We got another Shadow Pokémon and ended up defeating an Admin!” I said.

“And we saved the Professor, too!” Alexis added.

“Now let’s get back to the HQ Lab! That thing to help purify Shadow Pokémon isn’t going to build itself!” Mark said.

“At least, not without the Professor,” Ed said.

“Right! Let’s hurry, everyone!” Krane said. We then went to the elevator, but it wouldn’t open.

“Did you get the elevator key?” Michael asked.

“GAAAAHH!” I screamed. Everybody laughed as it was just taking a while for the door to open.

And so, we defeated a Cipher Admin and accomplished our rescue mission, so now it was back to the HQ Lab to complete the machine that would help us purify the Shadow Pokémon.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 168: Go With the Flow

After defeating Lovrina and rescuing Professor Krane from the Shadow Pokémon Laboratory, we decided to make our way back to the HQ Lab. Unfortunately, we got an unwelcome visit from some friends on our way out.

“Hey! You’re back!” Resix said. “And just in time! We want a rematch with you all! Let’s go!” The Hexagon Brothers then sent out some new Pokémon: Numel, Horsea, Hoothoot (a little owl-like Pokémon), Magnemite, Koffing (a poison gas bag Pokémon), and Shroomish. Fortunately, none of them were Shadow Pokémon.

“All right! Make my day!” I said as we all got out Poke Balls. Suddenly, claws reached from above and grabbed their Pokémon.

“HAHAHAHAHAH!” came the usual laugh.

“Hey! What’s up?” Blusix asked.

“Why, I believe we are! We’re up, up, and away with your Pokémon!” Ashley said.

“They’ll make fine presents for the boss!” Olson said.

“We can’t just sit by and watch this happen!” Michael said.

“Why not? It’d put the Idiot Brothers at a huge disadvantage!” Mark said.

“I have an idea! Deoxys! Come out and use Double Team and Constrict!” I said, sending out Deoxys.

“Can do! Okay, boys! GET ‘EM!” Deoxys said as it sent out its clones to grab Team Rocket’s hovercraft and the Hexagon Brothers.

“Hey! We won’t lose that easily! Will we, Olson?” Ashley asked.

“…oh, yeah! That’s my cue!” Olson said sheepishly. “Rotom! Blow us out of here!” Olson said, sending out Fan Rotom. It began to blow its fan to try and escape from the Deoxys clones.

“Heheheh…” Deoxys chuckled. “Oh, we’ve got something special planned for you!” It clones then grabbed onto the claws holding the Hexagon Brothers’ Pokémon, holding them in place while they were trying to take off.

“Alexis?” I asked.

“Right! Sceptile! Come on out and use Leaf Blade!” Alexis said, sending out Sceptile. It then used Leaf Blade to cut the arms, causing Team Rocket to accidentally blast off.

“AAAAHHHH! NO FAIR!!!” Team Rocket shouted as they disappeared into the sky.

“Well, here’s your Pokémon back! What will you do now?” I asked as they got the Poke Balls back.

“Hmm…well, boys, there’s only one thing to do at this point,” Resix said to his brothers.

“RETREAT!” the Hexagon Brothers said, running away with other Cipher members following.

“All right, guys! Job well done!” I said. “Let’s head on back!” And so, we rode back to the HQ Lab, where Professor Krane was greeted with much enthusiasm.

“Welcome back! I knew you’d come back!” Jovi said.

“Well, it was really thanks to your brother and his friends!” Professor Krane said. “Now then! I assume it’s completed?” he asked Lily.

“Yes, Professor. Come this way,” Lily said. She led us to the room with the Purify Chamber. “Michael, please step into the circle!” Michael did so, and all of a sudden, the room went black, save for the circle. Platforms made of light appeared above him, and a computer screen in front.

“Mom, what is this?” Michael asked.

“Shadow Pokémon are to be placed in the center of the discs, where other Pokémon may be used to help purify them,” Lily said. “Do you have any Pokémon that can be purified right now?” Lily asked.

“Houndour and Gulpin are ready,” Michael said.

“There are nine sets to place Shadow Pokémon in, so go ahead and place them in,” Lily said. Michael worked the computer to where Houndour was placed in the center of a disc. At once, it underwent the same process that Teddiursa and the other Pokémon went through in Agate Village, and was purified with Teddiursa on an adjacent disc.

“Wow! Okay, now for Gulpin!” Michael underwent the same process with Gulpin, and it was purified. “So, is this basically a carbon copy of the Relic Stone?”

“At times, but we can also help the process along! Let me show you with that Baltoy!” Lily said. Michael then rearranged sets to place Baltoy in the center of one. “All right, now to increase the flow and tempo. The more Pokémon are placed in it, the stronger the tempo. But the positioning of them is the key to the stronger flow!”

“Flow?” I asked.

“See how there’s a rotation around the Shadow Pokémon?” Lily asked. “Well, that determines the flow! Place your Houndour in front of Baltoy!” Michael did so. “And so, both the flow and tempo increase! The flow increases when there’s a Pokémon in front that the one behind has an advantage over!”

“Ahh! I get it! This is because Baltoy’s a Ground-Type, and it has an advantage over a Fire-Type like Houndour!” Ed said. “Does this cycle continue?”

“Indeed it does! What would be the next choice?” Lily asked us.

“I know! Shouldn’t it be Ledyba?” Alexis asked.

“Right! So let’s do that!” Michael placed Ledyba in front of Houndour on the circle below, and the flow and tempo increased. “Now, then. What shall we put in next?”

“How about Poochyena?” Mark suggested.

“Good choice! Now, if you please?” Michael nodded, and placed Poochyena in front of Ledyba. “There’s not much we can do now, so let’s wait,” Lily said. We waited a while, and a little later, Michael’s PDA went off.

“Oh! Baltoy can be purified! Let’s go!” Michael said. We went in, and Michael activated the process. At once, Baltoy’s aura disappeared, and it was purified.

“Way to go!” I said. “Now put Baltoy in front of Poochyena!”

“Oh, yeah! Baltoy’s Psychic-Type has a disadvantage against Poochyena, a Dark-Type!” Mark said.

“Right! Let’s do Numel next!” Michael said. After making the adjustments, the flow and tempo seemed much greater than before. After an even less time of waiting, the PDA signaled that Numel could be purified, so we had it purified.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“Well, we can’t just wait around forever. I’m switching Numel with Houndour!” Michael said, making the adjustments.

“Why’s that, Michael?” Professor Krane asked.

“Because Leafeon, Houndour and Gulpin are fine and have been with me from the start. Everyone else needs to stay here to be purified. I’ll keep in touch about what Pokémon to do next, Mom,” Michael explained.

“I see. Well, okay. Put Spheal in before you go, okay?” Lily asked. Michael nodded and made more adjustments.

“I think you should take this,” Professor Krane said, handing me a Data Rom.

“What does it contain?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but I managed to pick it up inside the Shadow Pokémon Laboratory! It could have valuable information about Cipher’s plans stored on there. I need you all to take it down to Pyrite City. There, Nett of the ONBS station should be able to examine it for you,” Professor Krane explained. “He and his friends assisted in the fight against Cipher five years ago as children! So they should know about Cipher quite well!”

“Sounds good! Let’s get a move on!” Alexis said.

“Sorry, but we’ve got some business to take care of first,” I said, my scar activating. I could see through the dome of the Lab, and saw Team Rocket falling in from their previous blastoff. We went out there to see them flailing at us.

“No problem! Moltres! Fly out there and intercept with Air Slash!” Alexis said, throwing out her Poke Ball. Moltres popped out and used Air Slash to send Team Rocket flying again.

“Noooo! And after we just flew in!!” Ashley shouted.

“Reunions aren’t what they used to be, are they?” Olson asked.

“WE’RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!...AGAIN!” they shouted, disappearing into the sky.

“My goodness! Friends of yours?” Lily asked.

“Don’t ask,” Mark answered.

“Moving on, Pyrite City should be south of here. Let’s go!” Ed said.

“Yeah!” we agreed. And so, after making more headway into restoring the light to the Shadow Pokémon, we continued our mission, with Pyrite Town as our next stop.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 169: Chasing Your Cail

“Well, it’s quite lively,” I said.

“Really active here!” Alexis added.

“Loooots of stuff happening,” Ed said.

“Could this place BE any more exciting?” Mark asked.

“I may only be fourteen, but I’m no stranger to sarcasm, guys,” Michael said to us. We shrugged and moved ahead.

We’d finally arrived at Pyrite Town, where we were to deliver the Data Rom to Nett of the ONBS Station. Hopefully, he could decipher what it meant. Unfortunately, the initial parts of town were quite gloomy and boring.

“*huff huff huff*” a guy with green hair and a jumpsuit said, running by towards the entrance to the town.

“Well, there’s ONE person who puts down our initial impressions,” I said.

“That’s Cail, the gatekeeper to Pyrite Town. I’ve heard of him from Aiden. He’s a pretty good battler, but was accidentally in possession of a Shadow Pokémon at one point five years ago,” Michael explained.

“The poor guy. Well, let’s go to ONBS!” Mark said. So, we moved on to the building called ONBS. There, we entered to see a young girl and her Shroomish at the front desk. She gasped when she saw us, turned away, and turned back around, much to our confusion.

“…Wel-welcome to ONBS! My name’s Megg, the receptionist! How can I help you?” she asked us nervously.

“Uh…we’re here to see Nett. Professor Krane sent us to deliver something to him,” I explained.

“Okay, well, Nett should be on the top floor, but you’ll need to see Secc. He’s on the second floor, first door you see,” Megg explained.

“Great! Thanks!” With that, we went through the studio and took the elevator to the second floor. We found a manager, looking to be about in his late teens, sitting there.

“Hello. My name is Secc. What can I do for you?” he asked. So, we explained the situation to him. “Are…are you serious?! Cipher’s back?!...no wonder the S.S. Libra went missing,” Secc said.

“Well, the best we can do right now is to examine this Data Rom. Maybe it can shed some light on Cipher’s plans and give your station the perfect story to expose their actions!” Ed suggested.

“Yeah! Good idea! Okay, Nett should be on the top floor. I’ll inform him that you’re on the way!” Secc said. With that, we moved further through the building, going up another floor and to the roof.

“Excuse me, but could we please see Nett? We have something for him,” I said to the guy standing in front of the door.

“Sorry, but Nett’s kind of busy right now. I’m afraid-” the doorman said.

“Is everything all right?” a speaker said. “I’ve heard that I have five visitors. Please let them in!”

“Of course!” the guy at the door said. “Please come in!” We stepped inside and saw two guys about as old as Secc. One was at a desk, and the other, who wore a peculiar hat, was discussing something with him.

“Ah, yes! Welcome! I’m Nett! Pleased to meet you!” the one at the desk said.

“And I’m Bitt!” the one in the hat said.

“Hi! We’re here to give you this!” I said, handing him the Data Rom. “It was found in the Cipher Shadow Pokémon Laboratory.”

“Th-the WHERE?!” Nett asked.

“The Cipher Shadow Pokémon Laboratory. And not too long ago, I might add,” I replied.

“Meaning that Cipher’s gotta be back in business, Nett!” Bitt said.

“…all right. I guess you all need me to analyze this Rom. That I can do. However, it’ll take some time; it looks heavily encrypted,” Nett explained, taking the Data Rom.

“I know what they could do in the meantime! They should find Duking! He was also involved with the original Shadow Pokémon plot!” Bitt suggested.

“Great idea!...hmm, I believe we’re scheduled to have a team interview him at the Rock Poke Spot,” Nett agreed.

“Then that’s where we’ll go!” Alexis said proudly.

“Poke Spot?” Michael asked.

“Didn’t you know? Lately, wild Pokémon have started to come back to Orre! And these Poke Spots are where they appear!” Bitt said.

“So much for YOUR theory,” Ed said to Mark, smirking.

“Do you WANT Aerodactyl’s fangs around your neck?!” Mark snapped. Ed shirked back, afraid.

“Anyway, Duking was the one to discover these areas, and we wanted to have a word with him about them. So you should go east to this point!” Bitt said, pointing at a place on the map.

“Will do! Thanks, guys!” I said as we headed out.

“Well, this’ll be fun! Seeing wild Pokémon out in Orre! I can’t wait!” Michael said.

“Slow down there, bucko. First, we’ve gotta get there!” I said. We’d just made it to the path out of town when we got sidetracked.

“Hey, yo! You guys are new around here, aren’t ya?” the rogue Cail asked.

“Yeah, what if we are?” I asked.

“Well, I’m the gatekeeper to this town, so if you want in, I think you need to show me what you’re made of!” Cail said, moving towards me.

“…um, but aren’t we ALREADY inside-” Alexis started.

“If you won’t tell him, I won’t,” I whispered back. “Okay, Cail! Bring it on!”

“Right! Let’s get started! I haven’t been burning for a fight like this in years! Go, Kirlia and Granbull!” Cail said, bringing out a Kirlia and a Granbull, a bulldog-like Pokémon with fangs.

“I’ve got just the combination for you! Metagross! Deoxys! It’s showtime!” I said, bringing out Metagross and Deoxys.

“Whoah, man! That’s killer!” Cail said, astounded. “But nothing we can’t handle!” As he said that, Granbull’s gaze caused Deoxys to shirk back like Ed did.

“Hey, what’s wrong?!” I asked.

“It’s Granbull’s ability, Intimidate! It strikes the opponent with fear to the point of cutting their strength!” Deoxys said through me.

“Meta!” Metagross argued.

“Oh, right. Metagross’s Clear Body prevents such stat loss!” Deoxys corrected.

“Well, that clinches it then. Deoxys, Defense Forme!” I said. Deoxys went to Defense Forme. “Metagross! Start off with Meteor Mash!” Metagross flew at Granbull with Meteor Mash.

“Kirlia! Fire Punch!” Kirlia jumped in front of Granbull and hit Metagross with a Fire Punch, stopping the Meteor Mash.

“Deoxys! Use Psychic!” Deoxys’ Psychic moved Kirlia out of the way. “Now, Metagross! Hit it with Hammer Arm!” Metagross flew at Granbull again, this time hitting it with a powerful Hammer Arm.

“Granbull! Use Bite!” Granbull jumped up, ready to come down on Metagross with a Bite attack.

“Deoxys! Counter!” Deoxys moved in front, using Counter to deal double damage to Granbull, who ended up on its last legs.

“Kirlia! Use Shadow Ball!” Kirlia fired a Shadow Ball at Deoxys.

“Deoxys! Take it in and use Avalanche!” Deoxys bore the attack, then struck back with Avalanche. “Now, Metagross! Gravity!” Metagross used Gravity to bring everybody down. Deoxys managed to get on top of Metagross’s head.

“Granbull! Solarbeam!” Granbull took in sunlight, charging up a Solarbeam inside its mouth.

“Wait for it…” I said. We waited, eyes shut. Listening…through the darkness, we could hear around us. Everything, every sound…and that’s when we heard the maximum charge of Solarbeam. “NOW! Double Confusion!” Metagross and Deoxys used Confusion right as Granbull was about to fire, burying its face in the ground. A huge explosion ruptured the ground beneath, and Kirlia was caught in it. When the explosion and the smoke cleared, Granbull was struggling to get up, but Kirlia was out.

“Granbull! Use Thunder Fang!” Granbull, no longer under the influence of Gravity, ran at Metagross and bit its arm with Thunder Fang.

“Metagross! I think it’s time we returned the favor in kind! GYRO BALL!” Metagross spun around with Gyro Ball. “Deoxys, hold out a Focus Punch!” Deoxys jumped off of Metagross and readied a Focus Punch, but simply had it to where Granbull smacked into it every time it passed. Deoxys extended its aura and used it to replicate the number of times Granbull had hit Deoxys’ fist. As soon as it got to 66, Metagross stopped. Granbull was still holding on, but not in the way I’d usually mean.

“Granbull and Kirlia are unable to battle! Metagross and Deoxys are the winners, and victory in this match goes to Mike of Littleroot Town!” Ed announced.

“Dude! That was awesome! Your Pokémon are great!” Cail said. “Of course, you guys did great, too!” Cail said to Granbull and Kirlia. They weakly smiled as they went back into their Poke Balls. “All right. You guys are free to go in!”

“Thanks! Well, we’ll be seeing you!” I said, turning to leave.

“Wait, the town’s that way!” Cail said.

“We wanted to tell you that we were just leaving! We’ve actually been here for a while!” Mark explained.

“Way to take all the fun out of a situation, BRO,” I said to Mark.

“Oh. Oh! So, that battle just now…” Cail started.

“Yup. Didn’t even have to happen,” I said.

“But you said you hadn’t gotten fired up in a long time, so maybe it helped!” Michael said.

“You know what? It did help! The town’s so boring nowadays, so I didn’t think anything would happen, really. But now here you all come, bringing the spark back to me! And I’m sure you’ll bring it to everybody you meet! Good luck, pals!” Cail said gratefully.

“Thanks! We’ll be back soon!” we called back.

Upon bringing a soul the fire to keep going, I sure felt a fire brewing in mine: the fire of adventure. Only continuing on in our journey could keep that flame lit, so the adventure continued.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 170: The Plusle of Being Duking

After delivering the Data Rom to Nett and leaving Pyrite Town, we decided to find a man by the name of Duking, who was apparently the Pyrite Colosseum’s owner. Upon reaching our destination, we got off Metagross and Michael got off his scooter. There was little else but desert as far as the eye could see.

“So, this is the ‘Rock’ Poke Spot, eh?” I asked.

“Well, there are some rocks over there,” Alexis said.

“As well as some other people! Let’s go check it out!” Ed said. We walked over to see this big guy in a black tee being interviewed by a newswoman with a TON of makeup and her cameraman.

“So tell us, Mr. Duking! Tell us about this Poke Spot!” the newswoman said.

“Yes, ma’am! I searched fifteen long and toilsome years to find this Poke Spot, yes I did!” Duking, the big guy said.

“Really? Fifteen years?!” the newswoman asked.

“…uh…yeah…let’s not let details get in the way of things, eh Polly?” Duking replied nervously.

“That’s POFTY!” the newswoman yelled.

“Anyway, I think it would be nice to get a little demonstration!...ah…you! Over there!” Duking said, pointing to me.

“Me, sir?” I asked.

“Yeah! Come on over here and help me out, would you?” Duking requested. So I walked over, and he handed me some wedge-like things. “Now, these are Poke Snacks. Place any amount on that plate over there, and you can bet your booty that a wild Pokémon will come along and start munching on one of ‘em!”

“Oh! Okay!” I said, taking the snacks. I placed three of them onto the pedestal.

“Right on, mate!” Duking said to me. At this point, Mark and the others were close as well. “Y’see, you just gotta place ‘em there and then wait as long as need be for a wild Pokémon to come up and go to town on ‘em! And to help you know when they’ll start a’gobbling, here’s a Spot Monitor I made myself!” He handed me a little disc, which I gave to Michael. He put it into a slot on his PDA.

“Really? You made it yourself?” Pofty asked.

“…uh…right…maybe we’d best not cloud up the story with details, ain’t that right, Betty?” Duking responded again.

“I told you, that’s POFTY!” Pofty exclaimed.

“So, with that Spot Monitor, you kids should be able to know when a Pokémon has shown up! It beeps when a Pokémon is within the right range of the plate!” Duking explained.

“Wow! This should prove to be a really useful method for aspiring Trainers everywhere! And that’s Duking of Pyrite Town, followed by-” Pofty went on over to the cameraman.

“Hey, mate. Bring your pals to this area here,” Duking whispered to me, pointing to a spot on an Orre Map. He then ran off.

“…huh. Okay,” I said, confused.

“Mike? What did he want?” Alexis asked, coming up to me.

“He said he wants us to come to…uh…here!” I said, looking up the map on my Pokegear.

“That area’s supposed to have an oasis, as far as I’ve heard! Sounds great in this harsh desert environment!” Ed said.

“I don’t know if we have time for this. We’re supposed to be looking for ways to take down Cipher, remember?” Michael reminded us in a no-nonsense tone.

“But we won’t know anything if Nett doesn’t get that Data Rom fixed, so we might as well do this for now!” Mark said, patting him on the head. “So let’s get moving!” With that, we were off to the oasis. As soon as we got there, we saw some Poke Snacks placed on a plate similar to the one in the desert.

“Huh. Is somebody here?” Alexis asked.

“Shh! Get down and stay quiet!” a voice said. It was Duking’s voice, coming from the bushes. We got down and waited. Finally, a Surskit, a round Pokémon with four legs and a skinny antennae on its yellow hat appeared. “I’ve got you now, mate! Plusle! Let’s go!” Duking then sent out a Plusle, Minun’s counterpart. “Plusle, use Thunderbolt!” Plusle fired a Thunderbolt, which got Surskit’s attention. It then fired a Bubblebeam at Plusle. “Dodge and use Encore!” Plusle jumped to dodge the attack, then sent out a sparkling light at Surskit. It caused Surskit to be developed in a glow, but Surskit just used Bubblebeam again.

“What’s Encore?” Michael asked.

“It’s a move that sort of locks your opponent!” Mark said.

“Once Encore is used, the last move the target used will be the only move they can use for a while,” Ed explained. “It’s kind of annoying, really.”

“Plusle! Use Spark!” Plusle adopted a yellow, electric glow around it, then charged at Surskit, ramming into it like Raichu’s Volt Tackle. The attack knocked Surskit far back, but Surskit got back up and used Bubblebeam again. “Dodge and use Fake Tears!” Plusle then started putting on a scene, crying loudly, making Surskit ease back awkwardly.

“Fake Tears is an attack that drops the opponent’s Special Defense! This is Duking’s chance!” I said.

“Plusle! Finish it with Thunder!” Plusle fired a Thunder that zapped and fried Surskit. “Oh yeah! Poke Ball, GO!” Duking threw a Poke Ball, drawing Surskit in, wiggling, and clicking shut. “Yeeha! I caught a Surskit!”

“Way to go, Duking!” we said, cheering for him as we came running up.

“Thanks, kids! I was glad to have you all around to see that! Especially you, McCarver boys!” Duking said, pointing to me and Mark.

“How do you know us?” Mark asked.

“Why, you two are the spitting image of your daddy! Ah, but Michael there…he has his mother’s eyes. I’m glad to see you two have grown up to make something of yourselves,” Duking said, patting our shoulders.

“Ah, so you’re…” I started, pointing to my patch.

“Yup! Bona fide!” Duking said, getting his out. “I thought it was David at first, but seeing how young you looked, I knew it had to be his sons! And…I recognize you! You were Michael’s little playmate!” Duking said to Alexis. “Well, ain’t you just a fine young woman now!”

“Why…why thank you,” Alexis said, blushing. I would’ve been cross had it not been for Duking just being a gentleman.

“And Mr. Takeshi’s boy! He told me about you winning in the Battle Frontier some time ago! I’m happy to finally meet ya!” Duking said to Ed.

“The pleasure is all mine, sir!” Ed responded, shaking his hand.

“And you are…?” Duking asked Michael.

“My name’s Michael. I’m…from the Pokémon HQ Lab. Lily’s son?” Michael stated.

“Indeed! I remember Miss Lily quite well. Anyway, we got two Michaels, do we?” Duking asked.

“Nah, I shortened my name to Mike. It makes things easier, especially in this situation!” I answered.

“Ah, that it does. So, what brings you all out to Orre?” Duking asked. And so we explained the situation to him. “…I see. It certainly brings back memories of five years back.”

“What happened back then?” I asked.

“Mayor Es Cade of Phenac City turned out to be the leader of Cipher, working with Team Snagem to take Trainers’ Pokémon and turning them into Shadow Pokémon! If it weren’t for those two kids, Cipher would’ve conquered the world by now!” Duking said. “But they’re gone now. I was wondering what that little device you had there was!” Duking told Michael.

“Yup! The Snag Machine is helping us take back the Shadow Pokémon!” Michael said, holding up the arm with the Snag Machine.

“Ho ho! Well, you certainly have my support. And if there’s anything you all need, just come see me. My resources are yours, and I’m sure the same goes for Secc and them!” Duking said as he began to leave. “Good luck. The fate of the world is definitely in capable hands.” With that, he left.

“Wow. What a gentleman,” Alexis said, dreamy-eyed. Now I WAS cross.

“So, what next?” Mark asked.

“He didn’t mention this Cave Poke Spot that was listed near Mt. Battle,” Michael said, checking his PDA.

“Okay. Let’s check things out there and then boogie on back to Pyrite,” I said.

“They have a word for words like boogie. What was it? Ah yes, 50’s,” Mark said to me.

Unbeknownst to Mark (or to any of us, for that matter), the word was actually fitting, considering how much “boogie”-ing our next little episode contained…

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 171: Saturday Cave Fever

After visiting the two Poke Spots set by Duking of Pyrite Town, we decided to visit the final one, located in a cave just south of Mt. Battle. We went inside to find a plate shining in the light from the sun, beaming through holes in the ceiling. And by it were two guys, one with blonde, spiky hair, and one with a blue cap, and both were wearing goggles.

“Well, ain’t this a howdy-do, Trudly. We got company here!” the blonde dude said.

“Wah! Oh, I thought that red-haired one was the boss. Don’t scare me like that, Folly!” the other one said, surprised.

“And just what do you mean by that?!” Alexis and Michael snapped.

“Chill, kids. You’ll have to forgive him. He’s a little jumpy because of our boss, Miror B., the future ruler of the world!” Folly said.

“Yeah! He’s gonna start Team Miror, take all the Shadow Pokémon, and then dominate, baby!” Trudly added.

“Yeah. That’s why he’s having you raid A CAVE,” Mark said sarcastically. Suddenly, something beeped. Folly pulled out a small transceiver.

“Uh-oh! It’s him!” Folly said. “He’s coming!” Sure enough, in moonwalked a tall, tanned, skinny dude in a blue vest and pants, high-heels, and a giant afro looking like a Poke Ball.

“Oh-ho, my posse! Say, round up any Pokémon yet?” he asked. He then saw us. “Whoa! Stop the music!” He then eyed us through his thick sunglasses. “Mmm, you all look to be Pokémon Trainers! And you probably have some rare Pokémon, too! How about you all join my crew? Join Miror B., and we could rule the world!”

“Yeah, uh…no thanks,” Ed said.

“Shouldn’t you arrest him or something?” Alexis asked.

“He hasn’t committed a crime, so technically…” I answered.

“That afro is a crime,” Mark whispered.

“DON’T YOU DARE INSULT THE FRO!” Miror B. snapped. “I had a feeling you’d say no! Unfortunately, I can’t let you you leave just like that! You see, I deal with these kinds of threats by nipping them while they’re still buds yet! Here we go, fwohohohoh! LET THE MUSIC PLAY!” Miror B. mocked as a funky disco music started playing. He then threw out four Poke Balls, all of them bringing out Ludicolo.

“Okay, NOW he’s commiting a crime! And where the hell is that music coming from?!” I asked.

“Plot device, dude. Plot device,” Ed responded.

“I don’t follow,” I said.

“Let’s try a different tune! Umbreon, Empoleon, Aerodactyl! Action!” Mark said, bringing out the three mentioned Pokémon.

“What can you do with them? Lu, use Rain Dance! Di, use Water Sport! Co, do a Hydro Pump! And Lo, use Ice Beam!” As a result of all of these attacks, Rain started pouring, a Hydro Pump was enhanced by the Water Sport, both were frozen by Ice Beam, and the resulting icicle did moderate damage to Umbreon, major damage to Aerodactyl, but little damage to Empoleon.

“Heh, nice opening! But I’m more of a big finish kind of guy myself! Umbreon and Aerodactyl! Use Hyper Beam! And Empoleon, Steel Wing!” Umbreon and Aerodactyl fired Hyper Beams, while Empoleon used Steel Wing to fly with them, catching the attacks and making the wings guide the Hyper Beams.

“What is this technique?!” Michael asked.

“I picked this up from Chris! BIG BANG BOOM!” Empoleon then clapped its wings, causing the Hyper Beams to collide. There was a massive explosion that caught all four Ludicolo in it. It looked like a critical hit, and the Ludicolo were all knocked out. Empoleon saluted us.

“Way to go, you guys!” I said.

“That was awesome! How come you’ve never shown us that before?” Ed asked.

“It requires three Pokémon to be executed perfectly. And triple battles are only legal in the Unova Region right now,” Mark answered.

“Excuse me, but I think you’re a little more percussion-oriented. Music must be about balance! And you dance to the melody! You and your three Pokémon lack that kind of style, you see!” Miror B. said.

“I wouldn’t talk; you’re off key!” Alexis said, continuing the rhyme.

“Ooh, that does it! I am so going for YOU now!” Miror B. said irritably.

“C’mon, Mike! Let’s knock this flat freak off his high horse! Mightyena, I choose you!” Alexis said, sending out Mightyena.

“Right behind you, Lexi! Gallade! Showtime!” I said, sending out Gallade, who seemed to like the music.

“Voltorb and Nosepass! Go for it!” Miror B. said, sending out a Voltorb and a Nosepass.

“GAH!!” I screamed, my scar throbbing.

“Mike! What is it?!” Alexis cried, worried.

“T…two Shadow Pokémon?! Is that even possible for one person?” Michael asked, checking his Aura Reader.

“Urgh...I’m…I’m okay. Just *urk* a little distracted. Let’s do this! Gallade, try using an Ice Punch!” Gallade started off with Ice Punch, but Voltorb rolled out of the way.

“Mightyena! Use Iron Tail!” Mightyena ran at Nosepass with Iron Tail, but Nosepass followed Voltorb, dodging the attack.

“I see! Voltorb rolls around, and Nosepass’s magnetic nose follows electricity!” I speculated.

“We’ll just have to change that around!” Alexis said. “Mightyena, GO!” At that, Mightyena used Thunder Fang to bite Nosepass.

“Whoa! But Mightyena can only learn that move by breeding!” Ed said, astonished.

“Apparently, its father was a Donphan,” Deoxys said through Michael.

“…Oh, please don’t say any more!” Mark begged, disgusted.

“Music comes with all sorts of twists and turns! But let’s turn things around again! Shadow Rush!” Miror. B said. Voltorb rolled back around and used Shadow Rush to intercept Mightyena’s attack.

“Gallade! Now, while Nosepass is heading towards them! Use Leaf Blade!” Gallade leapt onto Nosepass’s nose and hit it with Leaf Blade, doing major damage.

“Nosepass, get it off you! Shadow Wave!” Nosepass fired a Shadow Wave from its nose (ew), causing Gallade to take damage and fall off.

“Mightyena, use Thunder Fang to lure Nosepass around!” Mightyena ran at Nosepass, then circled around it with Thunder Fang. Nosepass, while struggling, circled to follow the electricity.

“Voltorb, let’s get down! Use Shadow Panic!” Voltorb sent out from its aura two dark spirals. Gallade jumped to dodge one, but Mightyena got caught in the other one. It stopped running and started spinning around in a daze.

“NO! It’s confused! Mightyena, snap out of it!” Mightyena, however, smacked its head with its tail.

“Voltorb! Use Shadow Rush!” Voltorb’s Shadow Rush caught Gallade off guard and did major damage, sending it careening into Mightyena.

“We’ve gotta turn this around! Mike, have Gallade distract them and I’ll get Mightyena ready for some payback!” Alexis said, pissed.

“…y-yes ma’am! Gallade, here’s an idea! Use Close Combat…as a disco dance!”

“Gallade?” Gallade asked, confused. I nodded, and Gallade started to do its thing. It started doing disco moves, while inadvertently hitting Voltorb and Nosepass at the same time. It even went so far as to throw Voltorb in the air. It then punched Voltorb, nearly knocking it out.

“My turn! SNAG BALL, GO!” Michael said, throwing a Snag Ball. It took Voltorb in, wiggled a while, then finally clicked shut. “Yeah, VOLTORB SNAGGED!”

“I must say, I like your style! It’s too bad you wouldn’t join up with me, though. Nosepass, Shadow Wave!” Nosepass fired a Shadow Wave.

“Gallade, Confusion!” Gallade gathered the attack onto its hand with Confusion and kept attacking with Close Combat, doing some damage to Nosepass.

“Mightyena! Please, if you can hear me! SNAP OUT OF IT!” Alexis said to Mightyena. At once, it came back to reality and began to nuzzle her. “Good to see you too, but we’ve gotta help Mike!”

“Rar! RAAAR!” Mightyena agreed, then roared as it jumped in front of Nosepass and used Swagger. Nosepass then started ramming itself against rocks in the cave.

“Ahh…now THAT’S music to my ears! Swagger’s bound to do more confusion damage since it raises the target’s attack!” Ed said.

“Oh, no no no! Get it together, you big Potato-head! Use Shadow Wave!” Nosepass, however, jumped up and slammed itself against the ground, knocking itself out.

“Ready! Snag Ball, take two!” Michael said, tossing a Snag Ball. It took Nosepass in, wiggled a while, then snapped shut. “All right! NOSEPASS SNAGGED!”

“NOOOO-no-no-no-no-no! This just won’t do at all! You’ve thrown off my rhythm! Someday I’ll make you pay for it! Let’s vamoose, crew!” Miror B. said.

“Right, boss!” Folly and Trudly agreed as the three of them skedaddled. I noticed that Folly dropped the radar he was talking about.

“Might be handy to have this around,” Mark said, picking it up and putting it in his pack.

“Alexis, you were great!” I said, hugging Alexis. “That was brilliant, having Mightyena use Swagger!”

“Really? Well, I couldn’t have done it without your help, sweetie!” Alexis replied, giving me a kiss.

“Seriously, you’re not far from becoming a Gym Leader. I just know it,” I said to her.

“Yeah! And I can’t wait to have an official Gym battle with you when you are!” Ed said.

“Hey, I’d like to battle YOU when you’re a Frontier Brain!” Mark said to him.

“Wow, you’ve all got such big dreams. Makes me wonder what mine will be?” Michael pondered.

“For now, just make it anything but getting an afro,” I advised him. We laughed at that, then decided to head back to Pyrite Town. Surely Nett would’ve found out something on that Data Rom, and hopefully would be able to help us figure out Cipher’s plans.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 172: You’ve Got a Friend in Me

“Hey, hey! Wake up!” Michael said. The big guard was unconscious.

“Shroomish! Shroom, Shroomish Shroom!” Megg’s Shroomish said frantically.

We had returned to Pyrite Town to check on how Nett’s study into the Data Rom was going, but we arrived to find that Megg was missing from the front and a guard was passed out at the desk at ONBS.

“I just don’t get it. Who could’ve attacked this station?” I asked. “Guys, keep an eye out! If there are any Cipher goons around, we might be able to find them and make them talk!” Suddenly a robotic arm reached out and grabbed Shroomish. “No!”

“HAHAHAHAHA!” came the usual laugh. Team Rocket jumped out of the shadows and used the robotic arm to place Shroomish inside a glass container.

“Team Rocket! You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves!” Alexis shouted.

“To be honest, we didn’t do a thing!” Ashley said.

“We’re just taking advantage of the situation and stealing all the Pokémon we can!” Olson said.

“Gotta go!” they said as they ran around the corner.

“GET BACK HERE!” I yelled, giving chase. Right then, they were sent flying back into the room. The impact inadvertently opened Shroomish’s cage, and it ran into Alexis’s arms. “Whoa. Didn't think THAT would work!”

“Look!” Mark said, pointing. A Cipher Peon came around the corner, with a Surskit and a Makuhita at his side.

“Agh…there’s one over there,” I said, pointing to the Makuhita.

“All right, I’m on it. Arcanine! Lickilicky! You’re on!” Ed said, bringing out Arcanine and Lickilicky. “Use Overheat!”

“Surskit! Use Bubblebeam to put out that flame!” Surskit fired a Bubblebeam.

“Terribly sorry, but this wasn’t for you,” Ed said. Arcanine launched an Overheat at Lickilicky. “Intercept with Lick!” Lickilicky’s tongue caught the attack, creating a fiery tongue. “Now, let’s put it out, Ed-style! Power Whip!” Lickilicky ran around, slamming its Power Whip/tongue against the ground, accidentally hitting Makuhita and Surskit in the process. This went on until Makuhita and Surskit were knocked out. “Michael, do it!”

“O…okay. Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, getting a Snag Ball out and throwing it at Makuhita. It took Makuhita in, wiggled, and clicked shut. “Yeah! MAKUHITA SNAGGED!”

“Way to go, Ed! That was awesome!” I said, patting him on the back.

“Aw, shucks. It was just a technique I came up with for double battling,” Ed replied.

“How-how could you win in just one move?! Rrgh, Exol WILL hear about this, and you WILL pay!” the Peon said as he rushed away.

“So now we’ve got a Fighting-Type to add to the list!” Mark said.

“All right, let’s get this one healed before anything else!” Michael said. We looked around until we saw a restoration machine nearby. As we were healing up, I went over to Michael, who looked a little down.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked.

“Well…I just feel a little weak,” Michael replied.

“Weak? What’s there to feel weak about? I mean, you’re snagging Pokémon left and right, becoming Orre’s savior! Why would you feel down?” I asked, astonished to hear him say that.

“Because it’s not me. I couldn’t get this far without you guys. I just…feel like I’m still just a kid, depending on somebody else,” Michael answered, biting his lip.

“That’s just plain silly. I mean, I rely on others as well!” I said.

“Huh?!” Michael responded.

“Look, it’s true that you need to believe in having your own power. But at the same time, think about what it’s for. Is it for personal glory? Is it for getting the job done? What is it?” I asked.

“I…I guess, it’s…I really don’t know,” Michael answered evasively.

“Well, for me, it’s for helping the people around me,” I said. “Trust me, it really helps. Doing things for them, being there for them…it gives them hope. And their support in return gives me hope. I’m nothing without the bonds I’ve made with each of my friends, for they are what gives me the strength to go on, even in the toughest situations,” I said, thinking back on many of my adventures: facing Paul in Hoenn, numerous encounters with Team Rocket, battling Suicune to rescue Alexis, and other things.

“I see…I think I get it,” Michael said.

“And our bonds with you will most definitely give YOU power, buddy!” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “You just gotta believe!”

“Believe…” Michael wondered. He then got up. “Okay, let’s get moving! There are people to save!”

“Ooh, so sorry, little boy!” a voice said. A female Cipher Peon came walking around the corner. “You won’t be saving anyone today, since I’m bringing you in to Exol!”

“Just try it! Leafeon, Makuhita! Let’s go!” Michael said, sending out Leafeon and Makuhita.

“Dustox! Vulpix! Get in there!” the Peon said as she sent out a Dustox and a Vulpix, a red fox Pokémon with six tails.

“Uh…yeah, there’s one,” I said, feeling my scar activate again and seeing the shadowy aura around Vulpix. “Funny, I’m becoming more and more used to the pain!”

“Leafeon! Dig! Makuhita, follow it with Shadow Blitz!” Leafeon dug into the ground, while Makuhita used Shadow Blitz to follow.

“Dustox, get ready! Once they come out, use Poison Sting!” Dustox got ready, but both Leafeon and Makuhita resurfaced beneath Vulpix instead, doing major damage. “What?! I mean, do it!” Dustox fired a Poison Sting, which hit Leafeon for a critical hit.

“Makuhita! Another Shadow Blitz!” Makuhita careened into Dustox with Shadow Blitz, knocking it on the ground. “Leafeon, use Aerial Ace!” Leafeon leapt at Vulpix with Aerial Ace.

“Shadow Wave!” Vulpix let out a Shadow Wave that stopped Leafeon’s attack and caused Makuhita to look behind itself like it had an itch.

“Makuhita, Shadow Blitz!” Makuhita went for Dustox with another Shadow Blitz.

“Dustox, Confusion!” Dustox picked up Makuhita with Confusion, then flung it into Leafeon. “Face it, kid! You can’t hold a candle to my Pokémon!”

“No! There’s no way!...I can’t believe this…” Michael said, breaking down.

“C’mon, Michael! Don’t give up here!” Mark cheered.

“We believe in you!” Ed added.

“You’ve got her! You just need to keep going!” Alexis called out.

“And you need to believe!” I reminded him.

“…believe…of course!” Michael said, remembering our talk. “You know what? Power isn’t what matters, lady! It’s heart! And my Pokémon and I have the heart to win!”

“Leafe!” Leafeon agreed. Makuhita simply nodded. Just then, Leafeon used Synthesis to restore energy.

“No way! Well, we’ll still take you down! Dustox, use Confusion!” Dustox got ready to use Confusion.

“Now, Leafeon! Use Dig!” Leafeon dug into the ground. “Now use Energy Ball!” An Energy Ball fired out of the ground, distracting Dustox until Leafeon’s Dig struck, doing major damage.

“Gah! I can’t believe it!” the Peon said as Dustox reeled.

“No worries!” a voice said. A male Cipher Peon came up. “I’ll help you out!” he said, sending out a Duskull, a ghostly black Pokémon with a skullface covering a lone red eye. My scar activated, but I was too angry to care that Duskull was a Shadow Pokémon.

“Just in time, Lobar!” the female said. “Vulpix, use Shadow Wave!” Vulpix let loose another Shadow Wave. Leafeon just stood there, still a little fatigued.

“Espeon, Signal Beam!” I called. Espeon came out and fired a Signal Beam to stop the attack. Espeon smiled at Leafeon, who looked aside, embarrassed. “I think you guys need a lesson in proper battling! For example, calling in for backup in the middle of a battle is illegal!”

“Oh, please! We’re members of Cipher! The rules don’t exist in our battles!” the male Peon said.

“Is that so?” Mark asked deviously. “Aerodactyl, let’s show ‘em a thing or two!” Mark said, sending out Aerodactyl.

“Raichu, get in there!” Ed said, sending out Raichu.

“Let’s join in, Moltres!” Alexis said, bringing out Moltres.

“Uh…okay, maybe I stand corrected this one time?” the male suggested, backing off.

“No such luck! Moltres, Sky Attack!” Moltres glowed, then struck Vulpix with a Sky Attack, flinging it up high.

“Espeon! Follow that up with Giga Impact!” Espeon intercepted Vulpix with Giga Impact.

“Makuhita! Finish it with Shadow Blitz!” Makuhita came down on Vulpix with Shadow Blitz. “Snag Ball, go!” Michael threw a Snag Ball, which ensnared Vulpix, wiggled, and clicked shut. “VULPIX SNAGGED! One down, one to go!”

“Uh, hang on a second here!” the male said. “Never mind! Duskull, Shadow Wave!” Duskull fired a Shadow Wave.

“Raichu, use Focus Punch!” Raichu’s Focus Punch negated the Shadow Wave. “Now use Iron Tail!” Raichu used Iron Tail to send the other Shadow Wave right back, doing some damage.

“Aerodactyl, use Iron Head!” Aerodactyl smashed Duskull with an Iron Head, landing a critical hit.

“Leafeon, finish it with Aerial Ace!” Leafeon used Aerial Ace to hit Dustox, causing it and Duskull to slam into each other. “All right, we’re recharged! Snag Ball, go!” Michael threw another Snag Ball, which went through the same process until it clicked shut. “Yeah! DUSKULL SNAGGED!”

“No!! But that’s not fair!” the female Peon said.

“We’ll report this to Commander Exol, and you WILL be sorry! Of course, you’d better surrender now, or the receptionist girl’s life will be forfeit!” the male Peon said. The two then escaped.

“Let them go! They’re just mad dogs anyway!” Ed said.

“Right! Let’s get their master!” I said.

“Guys, before that…” Michael started, “I just want to say…thanks for believing in us.”

“Hey, we know you’ve got great potential!” Ed said.

“And your skills are amazing!” Alexis said.

“But above all else, you’ve got a great heart,” Mark stated.

“And that heart is more powerful than any Shadow Pokémon Cipher’s got. Our hearts are connected by the bonds of friendship, just like I said. With that bond, we’re always with you, supporting you!” I explained.

“And that support gives us power…yeah! With this kind of power, we’ll be able to take down Cipher and anyone else who stands in our way!” Michael said. He then started to lead us to the stairs leading to the roof.

“Hey, my scar’s activating again!” I said. Just ahead was a Cipher Peon with a Shadow Ralts.

“Hey, you! Stop!” the Peon said.

“No time to deal with you! Michael, use this!” Mark said, throwing him a Quick Ball, which worked better at the start of a confrontation.

“Got it! Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, throwing the Snag Ball. It took Ralts in, wiggled, and clicked shut. “RALTS SNAGGED! Take that!”

“Wh-what?! But that’s impossi-” the Peon started.

“Yeah yeah, we’ve heard it before! Espeon, Psychic!” I said.

“Espe!” Espeon said, using Psychic to send the Cipher Peon flying into the closet, slam the door shut, and lock it.

“Yeah! Now THAT was awesome!” I said. Espeon and I then high-fived.

“Hang on, guys. Let me make some adjustments,” Michael said, getting on a PC. He adjusted things in the Purify Chamber and his party. “Okay, ready! Let’s go rescue Megg!” Michael’s confidence definitely looked boosted at this point.

“Yeah! Let’s get a move on, gang!” I said, leading us up the stairs that would hopefully lead us to getting Megg and the truth that Cipher was trying to hide.

 

[kemix0711]

Chapter 173: Inch By Inch, Mile By Mawile

“Stop! By order of the PWE, you’re under arrest for assault and theft, among other related crimes!” I said, charging into the room.

We had just made it to the roof, where Nett’s office was. Inside were Nett, Bitt, and a big Cipher Commander who was holding Megg.

“You can’t do anything to stop me! After all, I’ve got a hostage! Now then, the Data Rom, please,” the Commander said to Nett.

“…all right, you win. Here,” Nett said, handing over the Data Rom.

“Nett! You realize what you’re doing, right?” Alexis asked, astonished.

“I do, and it’s not very smart. Isn’t that right?” the Commander asked the screen behind Nett. A Cipher Peon appeared on it.

“Indeed, Commander Exol. We’ve erased all the data found on that Data Rom from the ONBS mainframe,” the Peon said.

“What?!” Nett asked, surprised.

“Good work. Get ready to clear out!” Exol said. “Well, don’t feel too bad. At least you tried,” Exol said.

“Aerodactyl, use Hyper Beam!” Mark said. His Aerodactyl fired a Hyper Beam at Exol, who ducked. Mark used the opportunity to grab Megg and take her over to Nett. “Guys, now’s your chance! Take him down!”

“Right! Espeon, you’re up!” I said. Espeon nodded and jumped in.

“Houndour, get in there!” Michael said, sending out Houndour.

“Loudred! Mawile! Let’s break ‘em apart!” Exol said, sending out a Loudred, the evolved form of Whismur (only purple and with speakers for ears), and a Mawile, a small, yellow Pokémon with a pair of giant black horns that doubled as jaws on top of its head. As soon as they saw these jaws, Espeon and Houndour were affected by Mawile’s Intimidate.

“AGH! Okay, there’s one,” I said, feeling my scar burn more than usual. Indeed, Mawile was exerting a shadowy aura.

“I see it too!” Michael confirmed, pulling up the Aura Reader.

“Looks like we’ll need special attacks for this one!” I said.

“That’s fine by me! Houndour, Ember!” Houndour fired an Ember at Mawile.

“Mawile, Shadow Wave!” Mawile sent out a Shadow Wave to cancel out the attack.

“Espeon, use…oh, man! Nothing works on a Steel-Type! Guess we’ll have to go for Loudred! Use Hidden Power!” Espeon fired a Hidden Power at Loudred.

“Loudred, dodge and use Stomp!” Loudred jumped to dodge the Hidden Power, then started to come down from midair with a Stomp attack.

“You thought it’d be that easy, didn’t you?” I asked. Just then, the Hidden Power whirled back around and hit Loudred, throwing off the angle of its fall.

“You know, for a second there…yeah, I actually did,” Exol said. “Regardless! Mawile, Shadow Rush!” Mawile rammed into Espeon with an extremely powerful Shadow Rush, doing major damage.

“No! Espeon!” I shouted. Espeon barely managed to hold on.

“Loudred, Water Pulse!” Loudred fired a Water Pulse at Houndour. Not only did it do incredible damage, but it caused Houndour to become confused.

“Houndour, come on! Snap out of it and use Faint Attack!” Houndour raced at Espeon with Faint Attack.

“GAH! Watch it! Espeon, Quick Attack!” Espeon jumped over Houndour with Quick Attack, but since Faint Attack never misses, it just nicked Espeon.

“Loudred, use Supersonic!” Loudred sent out a Supersonic from its speakers towards Espeon.

“Espeon, watch out!” I said.

“Houndour, get in front of Espeon!” Houndour mistakenly got in the way of the Supersonic, taking it in.

“Lucky little punks! Mawile, Shadow Rush!” Mawile ran at Houndour with Shadow Rush. Houndour suddenly snapped out of its confusion and blocked the attack with its skull.

“Houndour, Ember!” Houndour used Ember on Mawile, doing more damage at close range. “All right! Now use Smog!” Houndour used Smog to obscure Loudred’s vision.

“Loudred, blow it away with Hyper Voice!” Loudred fired a Hyper Voice to clear the Smog and hit Houndour as well. At this point, Houndour looked like it was about to kick the bucket, it was so hurt.

“C’mon, Espeon! We’ve gotta cover for them! Use Psychic!” Espeon used Psychic to lift Loudred into the air. It then flung Loudred at Mawile. Mawile, however, caught Loudred with its horns and threw it right back at Espeon.

“Stomp, now!” Loudred used the momentum from the fall to hit Espeon with a Stomp, then stayed on top of it.

“Espeon!” I said.

“Rapid-fire Shadow Wave!” Mawile fired Shadow Wave after Shadow Wave, draining more and more of Espeon’s stamina. “Kid, I admit you’ve fought well, but this match is over! My Pokémon have you pinned, and the Data Rom is mine! HAAHAHAHA!”

“N-no…” Michael said. “C’mon, Houndour! You’ve got to do something! HOUNDOUR!” Houndour tried to get up, then roared. It then glowed brightly, grew horns and a long tail, and increased in body size. When the glow faded, it had bones along its back, and its nose had grown.

“What?! That’s impossible! It evolved into a Houndoom!” Exol said, taken back.

“A Houndoom?” Michael asked.

“Here,” I said, getting out my Pokedex.

“Houndoom, the Dark Pokémon. Houndoom is the evolved form of Houndour. Its eerie howl is said to cause those who hear it to shudder in fear.”

“All right! Now let’s get things back in our corner!” Michael said.

“Rar!” Houndoom agreed, then used Sunny Day.

“A Sunny Day?...wait, yeah! Espeon, use Morning Sun!” Espeon used Morning Sun to gather up energy from the Sunny Day, replenishing its stamina. “Now use Giga Impact!” Espeon used Giga Impact, using Loudred as a battering ram. It then sped towards Mawile.

“Mawile, you’ve got to stop them! Use Shadow Rush!” Mawile charged forward with Shadow Rush. However, the attack was nullified and Mawile was sent flying into the air while Espeon rammed Loudred into the wall. Espeon then jumped back over to where we were, but Loudred still got up.

“There’s got to be some way that we can stop Mawile! Ember may not be strong enough, but what else works on a Steel-Type?” I pondered.

“The only attacks that do regular damage are Water and Electric attacks! But neither of your Pokémon know any…never mind,” Ed suggested, then stepped down, ashamed.

“Wait! There might be an attack! Two, even!” Mark thought. “Michael, tell Houndoom to use Thunder Fang!”

“Ehh?!” Michael said. “It can learn that?!”

“Just do it!” Mark shouted.

“O…okay. Houndoom, use Thunder Fang!” Michael said, still unsure.

“HAHAHAHA! What kind of attack is that, pipsqueak?!” Exol laughed, amused. Houndoom bit into Mawile with Thunder Fang. “HUH?!?”

“Didn’t see that one coming, did you?” I asked, grinning. “So Mark, what’s this other attack?”

“Wait, I think I know!” Alexis said. “Loudred’s Water Pulse!”

“Water Pulse?...eureka!” I said, understanding. “Espeon, Signal Beam!” Espeon fired a Signal Beam, which deliberately missed Loudred.

“Loudred, fight back with Water Pulse!” Loudred fired a Water Pulse.

“Gotcha! Confusion!” Espeon used Confusion to redirect the attack to Mawile. The deadly combo of water and electricity did enough damage to knock Mawile out. Houndoom, still holding Mawile in its teeth, turned to Michael and nodded.

“Thanks, pal! Snag Ball, go!” Michael said, throwing a Snag Ball. It took Mawile in, wiggled around for a while, then clicked shut. “We did it! MAWILE SNAGGED!”

“No! NO! This can’t be! It doesn’t matter, I’ll still take you kids down! Loudred, use Hyper Voice!” Loudred sent a Hyper Voice at us.

“Houndoom, use Howl then Faint Attack!” Houndoom howled to not only counter the sound wave with its own, but also to raise its Attack. It then hit Loudred with a Faint Attack, which took Loudred out.

“DAMN IT! You got lucky this time, but Cipher will rule the world! And I will dance on your graves!” Exol said, recalling Loudred and escaping through a hole in the floor.

“Man, that guy’s resourceful!” I said.

“Way to go, you guys!” Alexis said, coming out to us.

“Michael, your Houndoom is awesome!” Ed said, congratulating Michael.

“Thanks, you guys!” Michael said.

“Megg, you all right?” Mark asked Megg.

“Y-yeah. Thank you for rescuing me,” Megg said, blushing.

“Yeah, thanks for rescuing my sister,” Nett said, shaking Mark’s hand. “But I’m sorry for losing the data. Guess we’re back to square one.”

“We may be even worse off. I remember perfectly that Cipher was indeed behind the S.S. Libra’s disappearance, and they’re now planning a major attack on Phenac City,” Bitt chimed in.

“Are you serious?! But that’s where Marcia is right now!” Megg said.

“Exactly. So she’s probably in for a surprise when she gets there,” Bitt said, sighing.

“Who’s Marcia?” Mark asked.

“Duking’s daughter and our news reporter. If she catches anything on film while she’s there, you can be sure that Cipher will target her!” Nett said. “So be sure to find her and also inform the mayor of this incident!”

“Got it. Let’s get over there pronto!” I said.

“Yeah! And in the meantime, we’ll try to find the Data Rom again!” Alexis assured.

“One more thing. There’s the Prestige Precept Center in Phenac City, and its Gym Leader, Justy, is a good battler. I’m sure if you find him, he’ll be sure to help you take Cipher down!”

“All right! We’ll be sure to contact him AND save Marcia!” Ed said.

“And take back the Shadow Pokémon, too!” Michael reminded us.

“Thanks, guys. And be careful!” Nett said. And so, we were off on a race against time to protect Phenac City from Cipher.