Shadows of Kamon (Game, rated PG-13)

[CDrayan]

Also viewable at FanFiction.Net
Chapter 1: Kamon's Defrosting

© 2008 Eric Oakford. Pokémon © 1995-2008 Nintendo/Creatures/Game Freak.

--

I... am Kamon. I am unlike other people. In fact, I'm more like a cloned Pokémon. The story is a long one, but my life has never been the same again... well, actually, it’s never been normal.

In 2205, my father deserted me, and I was sent to live with the one I thought to be my uncle. I resided in Goldenrod City in Johto ever since. Team Rocket had started to reform and bring my father back to resume command.

In 2206, they abducted me, and tried to make me their new leader. Seeing that they tried to stop my friends from saving me, I turned my back on them. Team Rocket then invaded Radio Tower to send the signal to my father. As the Elite Four launched their counterattack, the Rockets failed, and disbanded for good. I lived happily ever after... for a year, anyway.

In 2207, when we moved to Hoenn, Duncan, Crystal, and I traveled the region, hoping to find clues to my father. We had run-ins with Team Magma, and our old foes Tabitha and Courtney. Their leader hypnotized me into awakening Groudon. Lance Envimorph of Kanto, and Steven Stone of Hoenn both assisted me in preventing the impending armageddon by awakening Rayquaza. All of this cumulated into the deaths of the Team Aqua leader, and Steven. I soon disappeared off the radar, and the Team Magma leader revealed a shocking truth to me...

His name was Maxie, and he was my true father.

"We froze Kamon in a cyro chamber should he ever become necessary later," said Maxie as he, along with Giovanni and two other men, entered a freezing storage vault.

"Hope he's up to it," said Giovanni. "I don't want to lose him again like after Team Rocket's fall."

Various Pokémon were frozen in blocks of ice, preserved for later use. Some of them, such as Kabutops and Omastar, were extinct.

One of these creatures, however, wasn't a Pokémon at all - it was a boy with long, red hair, and bore an uncanny resemblance to Maxie. He was still wearing his old, tattered clothes from his previous journey in Hoenn.

"Who is this Kamon?" asked one man.

"The ultimate human," announced Maxie.

"I raised him as my son," added Giovanni. "But Team Rocket later got ahold of him in Johto."

"Begin the unfreezing process... now!" ordered Maxie.

The two unknown men used lasers to separate the block of ice with Kamon from the podium it stood on.

A robotic arm lifted the block of ice, transported it to another chamber, filled with some kind of orange fluid, and dropped it into a steel net. The net lowered into the ooze.

As the ice melted, Kamon could feel new life coursing through him, and twitched his thawing fingers. He soon felt the warmth overcome the coldness, almost as if entering a warm shower after being outside on a cold winter day. He soon felt all of his clothes disappear from existence, until he was completely naked. All of his scars except for the “KAMON” branding faded from his body. Even the third-degree burns from stepping into lava had disappeared. Soon after recovering to his senses, he blacked out again.

Kamon was then placed on a stretcher, still comatose and covered in orange slime. A blanket was draped over the lower torso of his body.

Maxie ordered the others, “Take Kamon to be cleaned of the slime. I prepared his awakening for him.”

--

“Kamon...”

He heard someone call out to him. Kamon was in a trippy underwater chamber, with multi-colored tye-dye light pulsing through the walls. It felt so peaceful, and he enjoyed the crystal-clear water that rejuvenated his body.

“Kamon, the superhuman...”

Kamon heard that voice again. He felt that someone was watching him carefully, ensuring that he was safe. This was like a scene in a music video – complete with a calm orchestra.

"You'll wake up soon. For now, I'll tell you what you need to know. You are a science experiment, a KAMON; KAMON 2600. You were created by me to solve the world's problems and establish peace. I did this by studying Pokémon and discovering their source of power; they have Individual Values determined at birth, and Effort Values that increase as a Pokémon battles. You have these values as well, and are partially a Pokémon yourself!"

Kamon couldn't believe what he heard. He was part-Pokémon? He tried to deny it, but no voice would come out, as if he had no larynx. The scene around him faded away into blackness.

“Good morning, Kamon...”

 

[CDrayan]

Chapter 2: Kamon's Origin

Kamon heard the chirping of Pidgey and the flow of water from outside. He awoke, slightly dazed, as if he had been asleep for over a year.

“How was your rest, Kamon?” asked Maxie, with a warm smile on his face. He seemed harmless and gentle; a contrast to his time running Team Magma.

“You... you told me all about my origins. Why was I never informed of this?”

“Answers will come later,” said Maxie calmly. “Please relax for today.”

After a filling breakfast in bed, Kamon was led into the living room, where he noticed a familiar man staring out a window. “It's good to see you again, Kamon,” he said, with the strikingly familiar voice of Giovanni, as he turned around.

“You... what happened... where were you...?” Kamon was too confused to make out anything intelligible. This was the man who led Team Rocket until 2205, when he disbanded it. All this time, him being Kamon's father was a lie, and Maxie was Kamon's true father.

“I think my disappearance from your life for four years changed you somewhat,” said Giovanni. “I see that you can talk now.” From his looks, one couldn't see that this man commanded an armageddon a few years ago.

Kamon observed the outside world from the window. Leaves became colorful and fell from their trees as the weather grew colder. “What date is it right now?”

“December 13, 2208,” answered Giovanni.

“That means I'd been frozen for a year and a half.” Who knows what he had been going through during that time.

--

Kamon was led into a chamber of various knick-knacks, many of which he had never seen before. “You're a collector,” said Kamon.

“These are artifacts that I found in my journeys through the land,” explained Maxie. “For example, look at this.” He showed Kamon an unusual Poké Ball, which was gold on the top hemisphere and silver on the bottom. The initials “GS” were engraved on the gold hemisphere. “This is the GS Ball,” he started. “I had found it around the Ruins of Alph. Rumor says that if you place it in Ilex Forest's shrine, it will summon the legendary Celebi, which can travel through time.”

Kamon then had an idea. “Time-travel... that could be useful for learning more about our past!”

“But I've been afraid to unleash Celebi, since the time-travel could cause major paradoxes that confuse even me.”

Celebi... Kamon remembered dreaming about Celebi in the Radio Tower. “I've seen Celebi before.”

“You are lucky to have such fortune,” said Maxie. “You emit an aura signifying that you are a friend to nature. Only Pokémon can see that aura.”

In one cupboard was a silver wing, the one that Kamon wore around his neck! He compulsively opened the cupboard, reached for the metallic feather, then wore it around his neck. “I'd been wondering where this went.”

“There you go,” smirked Maxie. “Welcome back. I've had a long history of that metal feather,” he continued with pride. “Would you like to know more?”

“Yes, Maxie.” Kamon couldn't believe it. This was once Maxie's, and he had given it to him as an heirloom.

“It all started one day, as a child, when I vacationed in the Whirl Islands.”

“That's between Cianwood and Olivine,” said Kamon. He remembered sailing through the ocean at that point.

“One night, I relaxed on the beach, enjoying the moonlight, when I saw a young and mysterious majestic Pokémon flying by. I tried to identify it with my Pokédex, but the information just wasn't there. I then realized that I had discovered an unidentified Pokémon, who was later dubbed Lugia. The name is derived from the Latin word Lutetium, a silverish element, and the Italian word Luna, or moon.”

Kamon then asked, “What happened next? How did this feather come into play?”

“I'll tell you that now,” said Maxie. “It seemed to grow a fondness for me, for a reason that I didn't know at the time.” Maxie then told Kamon, “It's an aura that I had developed when I was born. My birth took thirteen months.”

The average pregnancy takes nine months, and Kamon himself had been gestated for six years. A rush of adrenaline filled his body, as he realized that his power was stronger than Maxie's.

“You never even had a birth mother,” remarked Maxie, “since you were in an artificial womb for six years.”

Kamon was shocked. Information about his birth was starting to unlock, for reasons beyond him.

“Yes, Kamon, you'll learn everything more on a need to know basis.”

“What about the feather?”

“Oh, please forgive me,” Maxie slapped himself in the face. “I got a little carried away.” He then continued, “Due to my aura, it could detect that I was with nature, and it carried me to its family. I was surprised!”

Kamon was confused. He was told constantly that such legendary Pokémon were not capable of breeding, and were one-of-a-kind. There was also the story that successfully capturing these Pokémon could destroy the balance of nature. It did happen a few years back.

“Contrary to popular belief, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and others can breed, but such method has not yet been discovered.” Maxie continued with his story. “I played with the Lugia family, and even saw the nest with Pokémon eggs. The mother had given me a feather that had shedded from her body, and everything else is history.”

“This is... that was... I don't believe...” Kamon felt tense. This feather that he had carried during his childhood came from a Lugia, and that super-rare legendary Pokémon were not necessarily one-of-a-kind.

“I can see that you need a break from learning.” He then asked, “Would you like to just play some games?”

Video games?! This man was a gamer? “What's available?” Kamon could not believe his ears. Who knew that a project leader – one that created him - had a fun side?

“Didn't expect me to have a fun side, eh?” smirked Maxie. “Nintendo and Sega are my recommendations. Take your pick – around a thousand games are available to play.”

Kamon had the funny feeling that this guy was more than Team Magma had let on. This wasn't a faceless, cold boss of a criminal organization (at least, not in the way that Giovanni was), this was a man who had a personal life like any normal sane person.

--

For Duncan and Crystal Caliduct, things had not improved since Kamon found his father. This could have been a happy ending for them, but for some reason, Crystal grew more and more depressed, rambling on about how relationships could end in heartbreak, and that life was unnecessarily complicated. She took it upon herself to check in to a mental hospital.

Duncan is now searching the Kanto region for pieces of the Kamon puzzle. Right now, he's at home with Crystal, putting those pieces together.

“Kamon is a human being,” said Crystal, who had gotten worse – emo, in fact - since Kamon's leave. “Is there something more to him?”

“He's also something else.” Duncan stared out the window. “Who knows? He probably found Giovanni by now.” The thought plagued his mind. He had to know exactly what Kamon had been doing these past few years, damn it! “Kamon... he's...” Duncan tried to find an abstract word that would identify Kamon without prejudice. “...unnatural.”

“Unnatural?” The man she fell in love with was an artificial creation? “You mean...?”

“Yeah. He's Maxie's clone. Ugh! I just said it.” Duncan felt guilty of calling Kamon a clone. Technically, he was, though. “Just... look in that box in my closet,” he told Crystal. “I've got some, uh, paraphernalia, that you could use to solve your problem.”

Crystal went into Duncan's closet, and found a large box. This seemed a little large to hold drugs...

Opening it, she discovered not drugs, but documents and DVDs. “What is all this?”

--

Night soon fell, and Kamon and Maxie were sitting near a fire, which felt comfortable at a cold winter night.

Kamon was surprised to see the various games available to play. Maxie sure was a collector, carrying cult classics such as EarthBound, and even had the hilariously bad laughingstocks, such as those CD-i Zelda games. He had also never realized that Final Fantasy II and III for the Super Nintendo were in fact Final Fantasy IV and VI.

“Now, let's get down to business,” declared Maxie bluntly. “We didn't tell you because we didn't want Team Rocket to get caught up in the core of this conflict,” answered Maxie. “To tell you the truth, I was possessed when I told you to awaken Groudon.”

“Who'd possessed you?” asked Kamon.

“I can't say for sure,” said Maxie, “but ever since Ultima died a few months after its release from Team Rocket, I've gotten reports of a new Pokémon being created, this time cloned from the DNA of the ancestor of all Pokémon - Mew.”

“I can't believe all of this!” shouted Kamon. “There's no way that I'm a clone of you!”

“I'm sure your old friends will also need time to take this in.”

Duncan and Crystal Caliduct... Kamon had been wondering what they had been up to. “What are you saying, Maxie?”

“I believe it is time for the Caliduct family to know the truth. Tomorrow, I want you to go to Viridian City. Your old friends have moved there,” said Maxie. “Bring them here.”

“Does that mean I'll see them again after a year and a half?”

--

“He's... KAMON 2600?!” Crystal shouted in shock.

“Hey, quiet!”

“I'm sorry,” apologized Crystal. “I'm just in shock. At least I know more about him now.” She wasn't sure it was a good idea to know, however. Perhaps it was best that this mystery remained unsolved.

BUZZ.

“Wonder who that could be.” Crystal trudged over to the front door, and opened it, only to find... “KAMON!! You're back!”

“After almost two years, it's no wonder you're crying with tears of joy,” he remarked as they hugged tightly. To him, it seemed he was only gone for a short time, despite their long wait. “I need you to come to Viridian Forest with me.”

 

[CDrayan]

Chapter 3: Revelation

Kamon directed Duncan and Crystal into that house in Viridian Forest. “Here's our hideout,” he announced. It was his home, ever since he was a child. Kamon took a breath of air to absorb the nostalgia.

Crystal shakily opened the door. “He- hello?”

“There's nothing to fear,” assured Kamon. “These people won't harm you.”

Kamon walked off into another room. Duncan observed the various artifacts on a shelf mounted to the wall. One of them was the legendary GS Ball.

“Wow... it exists,” he said in awe.

Crystal saw a picture of Kamon on the wall. It seemed to be old and torn; this couldn't be him, unless that happened to be Maxie. For some reason, it made her flush with sadness and sympathy. It must have had been really tough for the father and son pair to have reunited.

“Hello there,” said a man. Crystal yelped in surprise. “Are you Maxie?”

“Guilty as charged,” he joked. “You must be Duncan and Crystal Caliduct.”

“Uh, yeah,” said Duncan, surprised. “What was Kamon doing during the past year and a half?”

“Come with me, and I'll tell you all about it.” He was well-prepared to explain, but hoped that they wouldn't look at Kamon differently after that. This could psychologically damage Crystal even further! But they needed to know the truth.

--

In the peaceful Pallet Town, Kevin “Blue” Oak headed outside and pulled out the mail from the mailbox. “Just isn't the same as when those Pokémon were in the mail,” he mused to himself. At least they were in a safe place, locked so that only administrators could withdraw them. As he headed back inside, he checked the mail, checking if there was anything for him. There was a letter in a manila envelope to him from the Pokémon League. Opening it, he read, on professional résumé paper:

Dear Kevin,

This letter is to inform you that the Viridian Gym Leader position that you applied for is now yours. Congratulations! It is such an honor to become one of these powerful eight trainers. You now work 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

“Awesome! I'm a Gym Leader now!” Kevin exclaimed in delight. Also in the mail was a letter to Daisy, which he left on the nightstand. “Probably a love letter from that Bill guy.”

He then started to wonder what his former neighbors were up to these days. Karl “Red” and Hadley “Green” Caliduct had moved with their mother to Indigo Plateau, after their parents divorced. Guess their mother liked Koga better.

And what became of their Pokémon? Could they possibly have been tested for research at some lab? That seemed a bit hypocritical, considering that the goal was to stop the creation of genetically-engineered Pokémon!

--

Karl and Janine played Super Smash Bros. Brawl in Karl's bedroom. “Hey, Red, I can't believe you sold yourself out to Nintendo to put yourself in their game,” said Janine.

“At least they gave me a lot of money for it,” answered Karl. “Now, watch as I finish this match with Triple Finish!”

“Take this! Triple Finish!”

Janine, who was playing Marth, jumped out of the way. “Ha! You just wasted that Smash Ball.”

“Five... four... three... two... one... Time!”

“Sudden Death! Go!”

Marth slashed Charizard out of the arena.

“Game! And the winner is: Marth!”

Karl dropped his controller. “I can't believe this... I'd been playing for a few years, and you still beat me.”

Karl sighed. He headed to his bedroom and crashed onto his bed. He thought about the events that occurred a few years back.

I first battled Team Rocket at age twelve. They had captured Professor Oak's granddaughter, Daisy. With my sister Hadley “Green” Caliduct and neighbor Kevin “Blue” Oak, we reached Team Rocket's hideout in Celadon City's Rocket Game Corner. It was there that we saved Daisy from her imprisonment.

Soon, we were drawn into a secret plot. Team Rocket was contracting another company to create superpower Pokémon, including one that could allow them to control the world's climate! The effects of removing the legendary birds from their habitats really showed themselves, as Fuchsia City froze over, the Seafoam Islands became warmer, and volcanoes erupted unexpectedly.

We had found out that our Pokémon – a Charmander, a Squirtle, and a Bulbasaur – were a few of the super Pokémon themselves. Together, we foiled a future apocalypse at Pewter Canyon.

The sole surviving lab Pokémon are now in captivity at the Pokémon League Development Center in Indigo Plateau. Kanto is at peace, at least for the time being, and Karl partially returned to being his old self – still somewhat a lazy teenager, but one in training under his stepfather.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Hadley checked her e-mail on her computer. There was a message from Kevin.

Hey, Green! I did it! I'm the Viridian City Gym Leader now. Way cool, huh? I was thinking maybe you could be my door-girl or assistant. How about it? I'll pay you for it.

Hadley smiled upon receiving this letter. She replied to Kevin, saying:

Sure, Blue. I'll be your door-girl, when Red and I get back to my dad's house on Monday. I'll try to convince my mom to let me stay there. See you then!

Hadley knew that Koga would be an essential influence for moving back to Pallet Town, since, after all, at least she could say she was employed.

--

Maxie had taken a long time of relating to Duncan and Crystal the story of Kamon – telling about how he was genetically engineered, his true identity and purpose, how his workers had betrayed and almost killed him, and how they had contracted with Team Rocket to create powerful Pokémon clones.

“That last part just about sums up the events from a few years ago!” exclaimed Duncan. “Our cousins intercepted those Pokémon.”

“That was where your family came in,” said Giovanni. “I had actually met Karl Caliduct that night.”

Maxie deadpanned, “We're approaching the end of a long conflict.” The Caliduct family had come in, and they destroyed Team Rocket, bringing a blow to Nixyzon. The conflict, however, was not over just yet.

Crystal just stared at Kamon. He wasn't... natural. There was so much more to him, and her family had been dragged into the whole conflict.

“I think Crystal's in a state of shock,” said Kamon worriedly to Giovanni.

“Don't worry, Ms. Caliduct,” assured Giovanni. “I'm sure you'll get used to it. But I warn you; you must not tell anybody about what you heard today, even your relatives.”

Crystal said nothing.

“They'd think we're nuts anyway,” said Duncan. “And I think Crystal is too shocked to say anything more.”

“I think a therapy lesson with me should help,” offered Maxie. Crystal had to accept that Kamon was back; hopefully, he would set her straight again. No, he certainly could.

--

Karl and Hadley had returned to Pallet Town. Hadley, her father, and Koga had come to an agreement that Hadley could stay as long as she could support herself. Smirking, she knew there was no way Karl could do that.

Kevin hugged Hadley. “I'm so happy to see you again, Green,” he said to her.

“When do we start?” she asked.

“We'll start on Monday after school. Meet me at the Gym.”

“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Karl in jealousy. “You're working now?” He wanted in on what Hadley was given. After all, he was in the team too!

“Look, Red,” said Hadley, “We've been through adventures together, but we've gotta spend some time together, just Blue and me. You know what, we should just call each other by our real names now, Karl.”

“Hadley's right,” said Kevin. “I gotta save my money for long-term expenses like college.”

“Sure, Hadley and Kevin. Whatever.” This Color Triad thing was getting kind of old anyway. He had more pressing matters at hand, such as school. “Maybe you've got a point,” he continued bluntly.

 

[CDrayan]

Chapter 4: I'm Gonna Get You Karl

There's another story I should tell you about, but I don't think it was ever really told; a year ago, we went on vacation in the tropical Sevii Islands. I was sent by island locals to find two gemstones scattered throughout the Archipelago. These would be used in a machine that would link computer networks throughout the world, providing abundant bandwidth, or so they say. I don't know much about computers to understand.
The first, a ruby, was located in Mt. Ember. Easy enough, if you didn't count the intense heat and lava Pokémon. However, the second one, a sapphire, was one I had to go though a lot of trouble to get ahold of.
That trouble came in the form of a Pokémon Hunter, known only as the initial J. She traced me to Fortune Island's Dotted Hole, and beat me to the sapphire! It was up to me and my friends to steal the sapphire back. We succeeded, though J swore her revenge on me. At least she's in prison now.
----
Kevin slouched in his office chair. It had been two days since he had gotten the position, and there was little to no action going on. Nobody wanted to duel against Kevin, and there wasn't much to do. Hadley, mop in hand, cleaned the already-clean floor. "Yeah, Kev, I know it's already clean," she told Kevin, "but I'm kind of bored."
"One good thing I gotta say is, we're getting paid to sit on our asses," he replied. "They apparently don't realize that this is best done in the summer, you know, when the kids are like, out of school?!"
"Well, whatever. Tomorrow, we'll bring the Wii over here. That'll keep us occupied."
"Hey, don't take it out of our house!" shouted Karl as he ran into the office.
"You'll still be able to play it here," assured Hadley.
"Okay, but I don't want that Pokémon Hunter J to steal it!"
"J's in jail, you idiot!" exclaimed Kevin. "Besides, why would a Pokémon Hunter steal a game console?"
This scared Karl. For no explicable reason, he had just inadvertently blurted out Hunter J's name - or what was known of it anyway. "No... I don't wanna remember any of what happened in Sevii. J swore revenge, and I'm a goner if she follows through with that threat!"
"Karl, I don't think she was serious about it," said Hadley. "You were just a small nuisance."
"Fine then," said Karl breathily. "I'll just get the old Super Nintendo. It's in the basement."
"I'll get my TV," added Kevin. "I think I still have my Sega Genesis packed away as well." Oh, the nostalgic feelings...
----
"Maxie," Crystal said to him. "I now know that Kamon is your son." With intensive psychological treatment, she had become sane enough to speak again. She also accepted her loved one's true identity. "Should we break this to others?"
"No," said Maxie. "It may cause an uproar. Haven't you seen E.T.?"
"Oh, yeah," reminisced Crystal. "The kids had to keep E.T. a secret and away from the authorities." She also knew that Kamon was like an extraterrestrial, and that they may eventually have to go their separate ways again. "If I never see him again when we go our separate ways, I know that we'll always remember each other."
----
Later, that night, Karl searched in the basement. After opening various boxes, he found one that contained a yellowed machine, with purple switches with "Power" and "Reset" emblazoned on them, and a grey eject button between the switches. Also in the box were many grey cartridges, an AC adapter with a bulky box plug, and an RF switch.
Hadley turned on the TV.
"...and the Munchlax will never swim again. In other news, a notorious bounty hunter," said a news anchor, "has escaped from prison earlier this week."
"Uh, Karl?" asked Hadley. "I think you should see this."
Karl walked out of the back room, with the box in hand. "What is it?"
"Your worst nightmare!" Hadley pointed to the TV, which now had an image of a Wanted poster on it. The subject was none other than Pokémon Hunter J.
"Oh, no- she'll take her anger out on me soon enough..." Fearing for his life Karl fainted in shock.
"Well, I think you're gonna have to hide behind Koga," she said.
----
Kevin was asleep in his bed. If he was just going to stare out the window, it probably wouldn't have hurt to just stay home. In any case, he had his TV ready to be taken to the gym.
Meanwhile, hidden in the darkness of the woods surrounding Pallet Town was a mysterious woman. A woman on a mission – not to steal Pokémon, but to kidnap Professor Oak's grandchildren. Her client said that they were to be used as hostages to obtain the Pokémon that came from Team Rocket's laboratory. And personal issues, as well.
The woman, wearing night-vision visors, walked toward the house. Lock pick in hand, she worked to pick the lock on the door. To her surprise, the lock was of a simple type. Obviously, Professor Oak didn't see the need to have any special security, unlike for his lab. Upon undoing the lock, she stealthily sneaked into the house, up the stairs, and into Kevin's room.
Kevin rested comfortably, unaware that an intruder was entering the room. He could, however, hear clattering of things. Dazed and sleepy, he headed to the light switch to investigate. What he didn't expect, however, was to be grabbed forcefully. "What the-" He was pushed to the floor.
“Shh... just be quiet,” furiously whispered a woman, who had captured him. Kevin struggled to pull himself back up, but he felt a knee holding him down. He felt his hands being pinned together behind his back, with rope being wrapped around his wrists. He was then lifted onto his feet. “Come with me,” the intruder ordered.
“No way!” He elbowed the intruder, and the light switch. What he didn't realize until turning on the lights, however, was a that he was being held hostage by a dangerous bounty hunter. "Hunter J! Aah!" Kevin ran out of his room, trying to get his hands loose. Running down the stairs, he attempted to open the front door. "Damn it! Open up!" He frantically turned the doorknob, which was difficult due to his wrists being tied together. J ran down the stairs, and Kevin managed to get the door open.
"Give it up," said J, with a stun gun ready.
"Hell no!" Kevin ran out into the street, but fell face-first into the ground. He felt an electric shock coursing through his body, and later was lifted up by a Salamence. "Help..." he groaned as he was carried away into the forest and to an air base.
----
Daisy Oak put on her coat, then closed and locked the Trainer's Den entrance. What a party! After all of that and cleaning up the mess, she was glad to return home and get a good night's sleep. She entered her car and started it, turning on the lights.