Gnash the Krookodile's Story

Margriet had the perfect view of everything in the cavern all thanks to her mirror and it's reflective properties. She would pass over the two Rattatas, one Alolan and one Normal, sitting right next to each other. The mirror would pass over the Pikipek next, glowering with anger at a Pokemon that had yet to enter her view point. But before she could get there, she passed over the Raticate holding up the spherical object as if it were a prize. And Margriet would easily see why. If the white bottom and purple top weren't a clue, the pink-ish circles jutting out on the top would be easily recognizable. She wouldn't even have to see the large "M" printed on the front.

It was a Master Ball.

"Good Arceus!" the Pikipek named Cutley was the first to freak out, fluttering backwards as far from the iconic PokeBall as he could, "How'd you even find one of those?!"

"We know a kid," came the amused growl from the far left of the room. Margriet would undoubtedly point the mirror in it's direction to reveal a rather large Krookodile sitting on top of a stone pillar as if it were a bar stool. He was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped down and approached the Alolan Raticate, "Well done, Burke. I see our distraction was enough for you to snag the ball when the Champion wasn't looking."

A Starmie floated into the gaze of the mirror frame as it spoke, "A well placed Water Gun if I do say so myself!"

But the Krookodile didn't even seem to acknowledge him as he grabbed the Master Ball and went back, "With this, we can go ahead and begin our own search for some of the island's legendaries-"

Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!

The sound of large footsteps broke through the conversation and the Krookodile stopped, glancing to his left with suspicion and then spoke low...cautiously and with venom, "Cutley...you didn't lead the people you were supposed to be watching over here, did you?"

"No sir!" came the Pikipek's initial response, but as he began thinking about it, his answer became more unsure, "At least, I don't think so. I was so worried about the reincarnation of Demonbreath, I didn't really think about it."

"You better not have," the Krookodile's voice remained low and threatening. Cutley gulped in response.

"Chip! Fang!" the Rattata stood to attention, "You both go after that sound. Burke, you join them. And if it is our friend," he shot Cutley a glare, "Then bring her back to us so we can give her a 'proper' introduction."

"Yes sir!" the three collective voices cried in unison as they both scampered down the left path and gave chase. Meanwhile, Gnash began examining the Master Ball from his own perch, looking it over, "So this is what hell looks like..."

Margriet and her Delphox exchanged concerned looks as Margriet beheld the Master Ball. A Pokemon couldn’t possibly have any use for any Pokeball, let alone the rarest most powerful of them all. As she thought, she recalled the intel that had been gathered about the Psychic Rebellion. Specifically, the mention of their own technology, repurposed human technology.

Whatever they had planned for “The Champion’s own Master Ball”, it couldn’t possibly be good.

The loud clomping of someone’s boots somewhere else in the cave turned out to be a wonderful distraction. Margriet produced one of her pokeballs and flung it into the cave.

“Raikou! Discharge! Aim to paralyze!” She called as the magnificent beast burst forth. For a moment, she waited until Raikou’s blast of electricity washed over the room before throwing her second Pokeball. “Poliwrath! Target the Krookodile! Hydro Pump!”

After sending out her Poliwrath follow-up, Margriet strode into the open with her Delphox by her side. Her expression was that of a true Reginald: calm, cold, and calculated, as were her Pokemon. The Delphox flooded the room with a pale orange light. As Poliwrath began his follow-up, Margriet began unhitching her other pokeballs.

The pitter-patter of two Rattata moving to cut off Touko's flight were soon drowned out by the sounds of a fierce battle back in the main chamber. Kuso...did they come to blows over something? No. There were definitely the sounds of a Trainer giving orders.

"Well, so much for that approach. Claw, time to show me what you can do!"

"The fuck? You two separated at birth or somethin'? I'll bring you back together!" Claw made it a habit of bad-mouthing his opponents in the common tongue, it seemed, a habit of which Titania had warned her.

"Don't Earthquake in here, Claw, that'll bring the whole thing down on us. Use Rock Slide, that's more controlled!"

"Got it. Let's make it rain!" Claw jumped up to the ceiling, his body assuming a torpedo-like shape before striking hard at one of the rocks in the tunnel, triggering a controlled collapse right on top of both of the poor Rattata.

"I ain't stickin' around for their boss to show up. Let's move, kid!"

"Right! Claw, return!" Once again Touko hoofed it while Margriet was providing cover fire. There was the Escape Rope, hanging right there in front of her...

"Hang on, Touko! Just grab the rope and I'll pull you up!"

That was Titania's voice!

"Better plan. Margriet came around and is fighting them outright. Bust a hole and get down here, I don't know how long she can last by herself!"

"Right!" With that, Titania widened the hole in the ceiling with a well-placed stomp and dropped down. "Let's take 'em down, kid...together."

The three remaining individuals in the room whirled around to where the Reginald was standing. Gnash launched to his feet. Cutley made a solid "Eep!" sound before flying out of the room.

"Cutley, you TWERP!" the Krookodile roared in rage as the Discharge began running through the room. The Starmie floated behind the Commander, letting him take the full brunt of the attack, which would do literally nothing to him. When the Hydro Pump was sent in his direct, the reverse happened, Starmie floating above and in front of the Krookodile to take the brunt of that attack. It would do very little, despite the torrential power of the attack.

"Well hello there," Gnash snarled at Margriet. From his intel, he knew that she could understand him in his tongue, "I'm glad you could join us, actually. You have something I want."

He bared his teeth against his opponents: a classic Fire, Water, Electric trio. The Poliwrath would be a tough opponent to face for sure, given how much it actually had an edge on him. Delphox wasn't too impactful, but he had his Starmie here who could take care of her. However, his eyes were resting on the Raikou with hungry delight, teeth gleaming in Margriet's face.

"Saphira, bring that Delphox to it's knees," Gnash commanded, pointing at the Fox Pokemon.

"Of course, sir, but first..." The Starmie spun in place, the gemstone in it's center beginning to sparkle. In another instant, the purple, shadowy beam of Confuse Ray launched forward and struck the Raikou square on the forehead, rendering the Thunder Pokemon confused.

"A little precaution for my safety," he concluded as he turned to face the Delphox.

Meanwhile, the Krookodile let loose a mighty roar, one that shook the foundation around them. Barring a couple rocks falling down in a few random places, it wouldn't do anything in physical damage.

---

The Rattata were easily steamrolled by the Rock Slide, rendered still by the mighty gap of experience between the Excadrill and his opponents.

But as Titana and Touko caught up, so did a particular Raticate, who had lagged behind the two scouts and stumbled upon the scene where his fallen brothers lie. Turning to the two perpetrators, he smashed his fists together as he approached, ready to do some actual damage.

With one hand, Margriet sent out three more Pokeballs. “Cover me!” She called as she reached into her bag and produced a Full Heal. “Weavile, Night Slash! Crobat, Air Cutter! Poliwrath and Golem, cover Delphox! Delphox, Fire Spin!” She barked her commands loud, quickly, and without hesitation. The curt harshness was completely different to her typical softer voice. It seemed to instil a fighting spirit into her comrades. If Radegast were a strong trainer for not taking command, his sister was a stronger trainer for taking command.

From the first Pokeball, a blur of blue-black and maroon. A Weavile darted right up to the Starmie to unleash a Night Slash. Meanwhile, Crobat took to the air and flapped its wings to conjure blades made of the cavern air itself. The blades were launched at the Krookodile.

Meanwhile, billowing flames began welling up around the Krookodile, manifesting into a small, controlled twister of fire. It aimed to hold the Krookodile in place.

Without hesitation, Margriet bounded toward her beloved Raikou with her Full Heal in hand.

---

Logan glanced around the path as he waited for Margriet's return. His unease manifested as a rapid bobbing in his leg as he sat. Marth rose a paw to rest on Logan's leg after seeing it.

"Thanks," Logan said, "I wish I could fit throu-"

A loud boom echoed through the cave entrance, causing Logan to flinch and jump to his feet. Wordlessly, he quickly suppressed his panic, and produced a Pokeball. "Stealth be damned... Magmatron, clear us a path!"

The trophy Heatran emerged and began cleaving the cave opening bigger with its massive jaws. It took point as it cleared a circular, half-melted opening for Logan and Marth to follow through.

"Psh? A Raticate? This is easy." Again Touko sent out Claw. "Let's change it up! Drill Run!" Again the Excadrill assumed its bullet shape, then ran forward into a leaping corkscrew headbutt...and kept going, right through the pile of rocks with the two Rattata underneath to disguise his approach like a land-bound torpedo and towards the Raticate.

Titania took charge of worrying about the surroundings. Sounds like someone else took the "screw stealth" approach as well. Once the Raticate was dealt with, the two ran forward once again to a chaotic battle scene. One of the participants immediately caught their eye.

"Heatran? Oh...oh my god!" Titania was ecstatic. "I want one!!"

"After this, we can head over to Lentimas Town where I'm from, it's near a volcano we call Reversal Mountain, so you just might get your chance," Touko informed her older partner. "The wildlings...they sounded like they were arguing before. Oh man...they're really good at switching off to resist attacks meant for their partner. Looks like the best thing is to use something that's neutral on everybody..." Touko was watching the melee unfold. "Geez, how is she commanding that many Pokémon at once? Even I have a hard time with three..."

"I've got just the thing! You're on, Tsareena!" Titania cut off Touko's musings by sending out a regal-looking floral Pokémon that seemed to be rocking thigh-high stockings.

"I thought you were a Steel user?" Touko looked confused.

"I was. But ever since moving to Alola, I realized that I had to change it up. The thing about specializing in one type is that there are some things you just can't beat no matter how hard you try. More about that later! Use Trop Kick! Aim for the Starmie!"

If Titania's prediction was correct, Gnash would switch off and try to take the super effective hit like before...and still take damage, even suffer an attack drop in the process. And if not, she would shut down a potentially nasty Ice Beam or Confuse Ray. It was moments like these that she was able to show why she was a champion.

In one moment, the battle was easily in their favor. Both the Night Slash and the Air Cutter landed on their respective targets, doing a significant amount to the Starmie and an insignificant amount to the Krookodile. The Raticate gave easily to the might of the Drill Run and the extra mmph! added to the Rattata combo was simply overkill. The Fire Spin did ensnare Gnash from within and all seemed to go according to plan.

But just as Margriet's cavalry arrived...so did theirs.

The receiver of the Trop Kick wouldn't be Saphira nor would it be Gnash. In actuality, a Boldore would appear from the ground, taking the strike and returning the favor with a Smack Down. Two Oricorio, one P'au Style and one Sensu Style, launched forward and attacked. P'au Style took on the Poliwrath, striking with Acrobatics while Sensu Style collided with the Crobat using Revelation Dance. A Pangoro leaped over the action and smashed into the Weavile, followed by a Medicham who threw a Zen Headbutt at Margriet's Weavile.

Saphira took the opening brought by the Fighting duo to rush over to Gnash, applying Rapid Spin above him. The move would service nothing other than to dissipate the Fire Spin, rendering Gnash mobile again. As for the Krookodile, the first thing his eyes would lay upon was the Champion rushing forward with a Full Heal in hand.

Oh, no you don't... Gnash thought angrily as he vaulted himself forward and rammed his left fist against her sternum, his right swiping the Full Heal in the shock that would ensue from his own blow and likely send her against a wall. He was very strong after all.

"Saphira!" he called, flinging the Full Heal over towards the Starmie, "Get yourself healed again. I'd prefer you alive right now."

Saphira, in turn, caught the Full Heal using Tekekinetic abilities and began to heal itself from the drastic effects of Night Slash. All the while, Gnash turned and faced the Raikou, now unabated from his beat-down.

"You're mine now," he growled.

Before Gnash could close the distance between himself and Margriet, the Golem Rolled Out. It avoided the Pangoro with the speed of the rolling, and used the Krookodile’s tunnel vision as a way to secure a hit. Margriet side-stepped away from the Krookodile anyway to avoid a potential lucky hit and made it to her Raikou. However, a lucky hit did knock the Full Heal out of Margriet’s hand, but it was more a wayward swing of Gnash’s tail, which sent the Full Heal into a darker area of the cavern. It was completely lost.

It’s not like the Full Heal would have done anything for the Starmie; it was a Full Heal, not a Full Restore. All it did was status effects.

Weavile, on the other hand, took the Zen headbutt head-on… where nothing happened whatsoever. “Dude… Dark-type,” The Weavile’s mouth flattened in a flash of unamusement, before Margriet barked a rapid- seemingly impossible to follow series of commands, and a Psybeam launched from the Delphox towards the Medicham. The Weavile’s afterimage flickered, as its assault on the Starmie continued with a second Night Slash.

Poliwrath rolled to the side to avoid the Acrobatics, and as per Margriet’s instruction, focused a Hydro Pump at the Sensu-style Oricorio to give Crobat cover. Since the Full Heal didn’t work, Margriet had to use her Plan B.

“Crobat! Haze!” Margriet’s eyes seemed only to get sharper as she stared down the Krookodile with a bloodcurdling glare.

The Crobat, having retreated with Poliwrath’s cover, billowed a murky mist from its mouth and rapidly spread it throughout the cavern. The Raikou took a whiff, and its eyes suddenly regained focus.

“Charge Beam, big guy!” Margriet called.

The blast of electricity was aimed at the closer of two Oricorio- the Pau-style one, specifically. In mid-air, there wasn’t much the bird could do to dodge.

At this point, Logan arrived in full, and Magmatron (per Logan’s order) unleashed its own Fire Spin to trap the Krookodile. Gnash was closest to Margriet, so the bodyguard’s first target was trivial.

“Marth! Help Poliwrath!”

The Absol complied, and bounded up and off the cavern walls to reach the Sensu-style Oricorio, and unleashed its own Night Slash.

Logan could hardly follow the fighting; he was a particularly inferior trainer. However, every little bit helps in a real fight.

"There's too much going on! Tsareena, return!" Titania didn't want a grass-type to get caught in the middle with so many attacks getting tossed around. "All right, Touko, it's looking a bit more like a Battle Royale in here. You need Pokemon with strong defensive typing that can boost up before laying down the hurt. Got anything like that I should know about?"

"I've got one that you know about and one that you don't," Touko smirked. "Let's go, Claw! Juggernaut, you too! Claw, use Swords Dance! Juggernaut, Dragon Dance!" Touko was counting on Margriet to provide a sufficient amount of cover fire before charging in to break the defensive line of the wildlings.

Titania had her own idea of support. "Gardevoir! Use Misty Terrain!" A high-concept move to be sure, and one that earned an angry glance from Touko for nerfing her own incoming dragon attacks. She understood that after seeing the Confuse Ray earlier, status protection was more important, plus she had coverage moves.

The Krookodile staggered back from Golem's Roll Out, a critical hit landing and shock registering on Gnash's face. And then...the Anger Point set in. It blazed through his sinister glare as he looked back towards the Golem with nothing short of cruel intent and malicious thoughts in the forefront of his mind. It ripped through the atmosphere in a hot wave that encapsulated every participant. He bared his claws and let loose a snarl, gleaming fangs showing most prominent in the light of the cave.

Gnash lifted his foot...

For a moment, everything seemed to stop. The Crobat was unleashing his Haze. The Heatran had just bounded into the room and the beginnings of the next Fire Spin were about to circle around him. A Psybeam was hitting the Medicham while the Weavile was launching itself forward towards Saphira. Poliwrath was unleashing a Hydro Pump at the Sensu-Style Oricorio. An Absol was running to help aid the Poliwrath and three Pokemon, a Haxorus, an Excadrill, and a Gardevoir were prepping themselves up in their own ways.

It was already chaos...and Gnash was about to make things more chaotic...

The Krookodile slammed his foot down.

In an instant, the cracks spread from the focus point and began to shake the cave violently...much more violently than a typical Earthquake should typically make. But that was the result of the Anger Point coming through. The only source of light, the pedestal of Chargestone in the center of the room, blew apart amidst the rumbling of Gnash's attack, plunging the cavern into darkness. The shockwave that coursed through the floor would be enough to send any standing Pokemon off their feet. No one was immune to it, not even the Delphox in the far reaches of the room. In fact, the magnitude of this Earthquake was so strong, it would be felt across the landscape of Poni Island, scaring tourists and locals alike from the sheer force of the anomaly.

Eventually the shaking stopped.

A mixture of Haze, Mist, and dust filtered the air around them, making the already dark landscape that much darker and murky. Gnash was able to see through it, Master Ball still in hand. He wasn't even breathing heavy. The Starmie was hovering next to him, badly injured and in awe at what he'd just witnessed as he held the same view the Krookodile had.

"Oh my..." Saphira couldn't help but gape.

Everything was knocked out. From the insignificance of Heatran to the massive beast that was Raikou and everyone in between. Even his own Psychic Rebellion members, the Boldore, Pangoro, and Medicham, were all knocked out under the might of Gnash's Earthquake. The only ones that were standing through that was the Starmie and the two Oricorio that were flying throughout. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if the four humans hadn't fainted or fled from the force of that attack. Through the darkness and the mist, he couldn't see them from here.

"That's..." Saphira barely managed to croak out as he glanced towards Gnash's satisfied face, "...destruction..."

"Fall back," Gnash uttered back as he turned around and ran through the misty haze towards one of the cave's openings. The foundation around them began to rumble.

The Starmie followed as well, but voiced his protests, "But what of Raikou? This is our chance to claim him and add him to the Master Blaster's strength-"

"You NITWIT!" he roared back, the Starmie freezing in place, "We need them at full power! They're useless if they're already taken out! We've still got the Alolan Champion's Master Ball. We'll resort to Plan B for now."

Saphira shivered a bit before continuing, giving one last glance back towards the destructive power Gnash had left in his anger. The Oricorio found their exits from there. And were it not for the Crobat the Psychic Rebellion Members forgot about, they would've left Titania, Touko, Margriet, Logan, and all their Pokemon to die in the cavern as the foundation of the structured tunnels would began to fold and eventually crumble into itself.

"... argriet! Margriet!"

Her vision warped and rippled like a calm pond in the wind. She emitted a wordless groan as she brought a hand to her face. With a bare knuckle, she rubbed a temple lightly.

"Margriet!"

"Crobat?" Margriet slurred.

"Everyone's knocked out! The cave's collapsing!"

Margriet took a moment to register what was said. The Crobat swooped down and lightly bit his fangs into her shoulder. The sharp pain caused her to leap to her feet. "GYAH!" Her vision focused. "What was-" She was interrupted when a large stone slammed against the cavern floor in front of her.

After emitting a wordless shriek, her heart rapidly increased in a sudden panic. No, control it! Margriet grit her teeth as she produced the four pokeballs from her belt. Crobat returned the other two that had been carrying Raikou and Poliwrath.

"Keep me covered!" Margriet barked as she began recalling each and every one of her fighters in quick succession. The Crobat hovered close to Margriet and began launching air cutters to deflect rocks poised to smite the young lady. "Where's Logan?" She called over the sound of cracks and dull rocky thuds.

"Over here!" Logan stumbled into the cavern with a pained howl. With his left, he recalled the Heatran and the Absol, and sent out his Pidgeot. "Peregrine.. Urrgh..." He clenched his right, which hung limp on his side. He couldn't finish the command through the sharp pain.

"Find Touko and Titania. Get them out of there!" Margriet barked with the Reginald voice. "Use a Peck if you have to- just make sure they can move on their own!

"Yes ma'am!" The Pidgeot swooped swiftly between the increasingly thick rain of rocks, before vanishing to where Touko and Titania were. Logan leaned against the wall as he clenched at his currently useless arm. Pained tears flowed down his cheeks and stung the many cuts he had received from the Krookodile's desperate attack. The bodyguard only remained conscious by virtue of distance from ground zero.

"Fuck," Logan hissed, trying to dull the pain by cursing aloud. "Clever bastar-"

"Save your breath, Logan! C'mon!" Margriet grabbed Logan, and the two of them hobbled back through the cavern. Crobat, meanwhile, kept an eye on the ceiling, and launched Air Cutter at any rocks that threatened to strike the two wounded trainers.

But even Crobat was getting tired from so much flapping of his wings.

"Hang in there, Crobat!" Margriet called between clenched teeth. The bite had pumped in some adrenaline, but the girl had taken damage from that attack. She could feel pain, but couldn't quite identify exactly what happened yet.

Soon enough, however, they just cleared the threshold before Magmatron's chewed-out tunnel collapsed along with the rest. Margriet dropped to her knees and collapsed onto the ground.

"Margriet!" Logan called, still pained from his dislocated arm. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fu-u-u-u-uck!"

Some trainers on the path ran up. "Get help!" Logan barked, "Quick! Two more in the caves! I dunno if they got out or not! Please!" The trainers rushed North. Logan took the time to sit down on a rock and get to work relocating his arm. He was clearly not used to such a thing, and any attempt stung him to numbness. "I'm sorry... I'm not... str..."

Laying in the thick grasses of Poni Island, her vision faded as her eyes followed the leaving trainers, and then she saw the Battle Tree looming close by. Margriet's adrenaline surge faded as she lost consciousness.

A savage Earthquake ripped through the cavern, destroying the place and causing Claw to let out a particularly colorful string of curses before the safety lock on his Pokéball triggered an automatic recall. Same for the Haxorus and Gardevoir. At the last moment, Titania had dove on top of Touko and shielded her from the cave-in with her own body, trusting in her willpower and bodily strength from working on cars all these years to get out when it was over.

But even she couldn't hold out against that much weight. It wasn't that she was a stranger to this sort of treatment, though...but her sacrifice had given Touko time to act. Wriggling under the unconscious woman, the brunette managed to produce a Revive from her bag and administer it to Claw. "Can't go up...dig us out..."

Claw appeared outside the pile, the sun blazing down on them now. With no time to waste, Claw dug an escape tunnel for Touko and Titania to use, putting them near the entrance to the Battle Tree since that was where they left the path. Bleeding cuts and colorful bruises dotted both of their bodies. "Fuck...now I know how those Rattata felt," Titania murmured weakly, coughing up some blood in the process. "Thanks, old friend...did you see where the other two went? My legs don't want to move...every time I try, it just hurts even more..."

"Ooh, same here. I think my non-throwing shoulder is acting up again after that," Touko replied. "Itai! But enough about us, I think that Krookodile got away..."

Indeed, none of their combatants were visible from the surface, hinting that they must've taken a different route towards the surface. The only three that were left in the cavern at the time of it's collapse were the three unconscious Psychic Rebellion members. Their fates were sealed, like the tunnels around them and presumably on top of them.

Gnash got away with the Master Ball.

And the four that had fought him were pretty beaten up afterward. Margriet was full on unconscious, Titania not too close behind and barely able to move. Logan was in a rough spot with his dislocated arm. Only Touko was up and about after that bout. None of them were in any form to fight...not even with their Pokemon, who were all knocked out with the exception of Margriet's Crobat, Logan's Pidgeot, and Touko's Excadrill. The path to recovery awaited, but first they needed the medical treatment to get there.

Which was swift to arrive. The two trainers that heeded to Logan's plea caught up a moment later with Pokemon nurses, paramedics, and a large number of police officers that were fortunately close by. The nurses got to work examining the dislocated arm while the paramedics were preparing a stretcher to carry the Reginald down towards Seafolk Village. All the while the police were questioning Logan about what had happened.

On the other side, many of the Battle Tree participants had run down the Poni Path to investigate on their own, coming upon Touko and Titania. Two of the trainers were checking in the Iron Maiden, offering to help her down the path while other trainers were asking Touko what happened.

And as assistance was being offered and questions were being answered, a plume of sickly green appeared in the northeast and began spreading outward at the limits of the atmosphere. It lit up the twilight soaked region, adding a greenish tint to the air around them. Some glanced suspiciously at the odd spectacle while others were too busy to do so, tending to the wounded individuals taking priority. But all available helpers waived it off.

To the parties present, that was the least of their concerns.

Peregrine barely made it to Titania and Touko when the cave-in completed. Fortunately, its presence turned out to not be needed, and it followed them out of the hole.

When they made it out the cave, Peregrine attempted to take to the skies, only to find that a wayward stone had damaged his wing. “Urgh…” The Pidgeot emitted a wordless caw as he hopped on relatively healthy legs down the path.

“Logan!” Peregrine cawed as he picked up the pace.

A bunch of trainers rushed past on their way to the battle tree. Peregrine’s gaze followed them, noting that they looked in a state of panic. Did they get out? Peregrine couldn’t help but worry.

Logan looked obscenely pale, as he tried and winced and failed to relocate his arm. “Fuck…” The bodyguard cried. Peregrine hopped over and nuzzled his head under the right arm’s elbow. The pidgeot effectively propped it up.

“Thank you,” Logan mumbled through tears, as help finally arrived.

The sky turned green, and Logan recognized it from that old artist’s rendition. He couldn’t help but feel a deep sickness in the pit of his stomach at the sight.

A lone figure was sitting alone in a circular room, staring carefully at something sprawled across his desk. He was staring intently, eyes fixed at the marked points, and growling in frustration every so often. His sharp claws occasionally raked across the piece of paper he was studying, resting on a spot or two before grumbling in response.

The door opened behind him, bathing the figure in more light and highlighting the red streak of fur across his back.

"Master Zane, sir," a young Chimecho called softly.

"Yes ma'am?" Even while perceived as the head of the Psychic Rebellion and an individual to be feared throughout the planet, Zane did try to be polite to those who needed his attention...even if they barged into his personal chambers.

"Commander Gnash and Officer Staria are here with news from the Alola Region," the Chimecho chimed cheerfully.

Zane thought for a moment, a bit confused. Back from the Alola Region already? He thought they were staying to eavesdrop on the Reginalds they spotted approaching the Region. He glanced at his Distance Communicator resting on his desk. It was silent.

He didn't even call it in...strange...

"Lead them to the main room, if you would," Zane glanced down at the parchment once more, "I'll meet them there shortly."

"Of course, sir!" the Chimecho nodded once before closing the door behind her.

Zane continued to stare for a couple more seconds before he sighed and turned away from it, grabbing his Distance Communicator. He could study it later, he decided. With a fresh set of eyes.

With that in mind, the Zoroark calmly walked out from his chambers and began navigating the halls of his hand-carved base of operations.

The Psychic Rebellion Headquarters's interior was certainly no marvel. As flourished and posh as Zane was, he restricted himself from the dazzling red carpets and cushion-filled seats he was used to and resorted to a more tactical layout to his base of operations. The floors were wooden and carefully laid out through the passageways so no one would trip over planks jutting out. The walls were made of rock, giving the air a stone cold, damp feel despite the warmth from the torches lit alongside the walls. The rooms and hallways had no windows, so those were the only sources of light in the room as well as the only source of warmth.

Perhaps his time in prison had taught him a few things about practicality.

Speaking of practicality, there was a lack of people rummaging about through the hallways. He preferred it that way. Unlike the Isle Defenders (and presumably the Crimson Guild), he didn't like his forces placed in one particular hub of activity and preferred the spread out approach of small militias of Psychic Rebellion members gathered in large clumps across the regions. He could crop up an army in a matter of minutes anywhere he wished. But he also could spread his functions and many different tasks across the world, making it an impossible task to end their plans by taking apart one piece.

Now communication was another facet, but that was why he had the crew that he did. And why he had the Distance Communicators on his most trusted officials. And if anything else, it allowed him to keep his hideout secret from everyone, even most of the Psychic Rebellion's own ranks.

In stride, Zane rounded a corner and was suddenly in a large dome of a room. No windows like with everywhere else, but there was a significant amount of brightness in this spot, more so than anywhere else in the entire building. There were plenty of tables scattered and spaced evenly throughout the room, a cluster of chairs at each one. Across many of said tables were maps and charts detailing the layout of each region. Several pins were scattered across them, a majority of them colored red with a few green ones spaced out and a single blue one placed somewhere. In the center of the room was a large globe crafted out of rock and carefully painted to represent the global distribution of Ruula and all it's land components. Pins were stuck in the globe as well, but not as frequently.

Zane heard a noise on his right and recognized it as the heavy footsteps he as accustomed to hearing from Gnash. When he turned that direction, he saw the Krookodile and the Starmie walking and hovering respectively towards his direction.

"Master Zane..." Staria took to the formal greeting, bowing from his levitated standpoint.

Gnash wasn't about that formality, "It's cold in here."

Zane raised an eyebrow and gestured towards one of the lit torches on the wall, "So stand by the fire and tell me what happened."

Gnash wasted no time speaking, "Our eavesdropping mission was going exactly as planned-"

"Until?"

The harsh tone cut through the Krookodile's dialogue, causing a sharp intake of breath. Zane had made it clear he wanted to get to the point. Staria hovered from a distance, not wanting to edge closer.

Gnash stood up straighter, looking directly at the Zoroark, "One of our agents led the Reginalds to our stronghold."

Zane curled his lip in annoyance, but kept his tone of voice stable, "Collateral?"

"Completely wiped out, sir. The stronghold collapsed. Only four of us got out. That rat of a Pikipek is nowhere to be found. And our already small forces were made even smaller."

"That's two of them down..." Zane mumbled to himself before turning back to Gnash, holding up the device he carried with him, "Why didn't you use the Distance Communicator to let me know this had happened?

Gnash snarled, "The Distance Communicator is buried underneath all that rubble. There was no way I could retrieve it with the minimal assistance I had."

"You don't know Dig?" Zane asked incredulously.

"Don't need to learn it," the Krookodile snapped back, offended by the comment, "My skills are better applied in other aspects. We would've lost more if they weren't."

"I see..." Zane turned towards the globe, facing it, "We'll need to re-establish our Alolan contacts then, if their base of operations is indeed buried. I will entrust Staria to take over there."

"Of course, sir!" the Starmie interjected with his agreement to the task, "I shall get the cogs spinning again and begin the recruitment process once more."

"Sir, there is one more thing..." Gnash stepped forward, reaching into his knapsack.

"Hmm?" Zane glanced back towards the Krookodile, "What is it?"

"I didn't walk away empty handed," Gnash said with a wicked grin and held the Master Ball out.

The Zoroark took it and began examining it with care as Gnash continued, "I had another operation going on alongside the main mission...that's unoccupied by the way, so be careful with it. Anyway, I figured we could use this to catch a Legendary one day, just in case we get another chance to call an Articuno to our domain. And given the recent surge of Legendaries in the Alolan Region, I think we should utilize the opportunity."

"These are hard to come by," Zane noted, giving the Krookodile a curious glance over, "Where did you get this one, if I may ask?"

"Stole it right off the Champion," Gnash smirked proudly, "He didn't even notice."

"Well, in which case..." Zane spoke into the Distance Communicator, "Sonya, I need your presence in the main room."

A snarky response immediately followed, "Kinda busy here. Watcha need?"

"We have acquired a piece of tech you may wish to modify."

"Another TM?"

"A Master Ball, actually."

The silence on the other end lasted a second, but relayed all the surprise she felt, "I'll be right up then."

"Good," Zane clicked the device off before turning to Gnash, "We can take it from here. In the meantime, I have a particular assignment I would like for you to go on."

Gnash replied with a curt nod, "I won't fail you this time."

"Good," Zane rubbed his furry chin, "Because this one is too crucial to our plan for you to fail."

"Fuchsia City," an all too sinister looking Krookodile growled as he overlooked the city he stated, "You better be right about this."

"Trust me," the Wobbuffet to his right said, "The Wilding Network knows what's up."

"Lead the way."

The Wobbuffet stepped outside of the treeline and onto the freshly mowed grass of the home they were standing in front. Gnash followed, moving in a straight, tactical fashion towards the building, complete with an action roll. He plastered himself against the wall and was looking left and right. After watching, the Wobbuffet slowly sauntered up.

"Dude," he said, "You realize no one cares about wildings around here, right? There's a Safari Zone for a reason."

"Maybe not to you," Gnash shot back, "But I'm not a local around these parts. I'm not failing the mission because I wasn't careful enough."

The Wobbuffet shrugged, "Your call, then."

Gnash muttered some kind of insult under his breath before venturing onward.

Fuchsia City wasn't as big or populated as it was vast. There was a lot of forest sprinkled into the civilization, already giving it a rural feel. Adding to it's size was the long roadways that separated each buildings and the ever imposing Safari Zone. Most of the buildings represented an ancient civilization vibe with classical and oriental aesthetics that the region was known for. Apart from the Pokemon Center and PokeMart that always remained updated, most estates in the area were older in architectural design, including the Pokemon Gym. Walking through this charming city, one would typically be encapsulated by it's beauty.

All Gnash noticed was how much cover he had to work with as he moved. While the Wobbuffet walked casually through the city, Gnash was diving into bushes, sneaking through tall grass, and ducking behind buildings, remaining as invisible as possible. Despite his erratic pace in comparison to his companion, he kept up. Before they knew it, they were in the Safari Zone.

"Alright, this is where you go on and I go about my business," the Wobbuffet gave Gnash a salute and took a step back.

Gnash chuckled cruelly, "Nice try, but you're coming with me."

The salute dropped, fear registering slightly on the Wobbuffet's face, "'Scuse me?"

"I need to make sure you little 'Network' isn't trying to lead me on. Unless, you have a problem with that?"

Wobbuffet tsked, "I think you worry too much."

This was met a a harsh grab as Gnash lifted the Wobbuffet off his feet, "I'm never worried. I'm careful. And I'm careful because I can't afford to not get what I'm searching for. And I'll do anything to make sure I get what I want." His claws popped out and he held them against the Wobbuffet's light blue skin menacingly, "Remember that."

The Krookodile dropped him and they continued to walk in silence.

---

Their journey through the Safari Zone was uneventful apart from an encounter with a trainer from Goldenrod City. The encounter was short lived as the young boy ended up running down the road in terror with his backpack torn to shreds and two knocked out Pokemon. Gnash made no celebration other than a satisfied grunt before venturing onward.

Not too long afterward, they exited the Safari Zone and ventured through a small patch of forest before they came to a wall. Gnash closed his fist as a signal for the Wobbuffet to stop, who did not hesitate to. Gnash turned back to him and he nodded in confirmation. This was the place.

"Stay here," the Krookodile commanded, "I'm gonna scope it out."

As the Wobbuffet stayed put behind a tree, Gnash began moving within the shadows the treeline provided, remaining out of sight and out of mind. All the while, he was examining the wall he was beside.

About ten feet tall, he noted in his brain. Made of smooth clay, from the looks of it. Seems more decorative than I figured it would be...

He glanced to the left and the right, making sure no one was around and checking for cameras before he stepped forward to get a closer look. He gently placed a finger on the smooth surface, careful not to leave a mark or easily identifiable print. He blinked at what he felt.

It's cold...

Colder than what a wall in this climate would typically feel like. Gnash raked a claw against his scaly skin and tried to think up plausible solutions. Only one came to mind. He thought for a moment, then dug his finger into the ground. He had to feel around for a minute before his finger felt something that made him jerk it back out.

Ice.

Rubbing his finger and nodding in understanding, he covered up his tracks and the tiny hole he made before diving back into the treeline and continuing to walk the perimeter. A smirk formed on his face. They are as smart as they led us to believe.

His walk continued until the corner was reached. Gnash peeked around it and spotted more of what he needed to see: Two guards stationed up front by the gate, two PokeBalls apiece. It also told him this was the front entrance and probably the only way in without scaling the wall or trying to go under...both of which had their own caveats.

Sneaking in would be a pain...

To get a better vantage point, the Krookodile dove back into the forest, found a tall tree, and climbed it. From the top, he remained relatively hidden among the leaves and gazed towards the grounds below. It was mostly open with little to no cover leading towards the big mansion and a few more guards walking around. A few clumps of vegetation sprinkled here and there, he analyzed as he took note of the two extravagant gardens in the front and back and the stone building off to the side that made him think there was more to this place than even the huge house and immense garden provided. But it made sense, at least to Gnash. With expansion upward shown and expansion outward gated, the only way to expand in secret was down.

Now he was connecting the dots.

The Krookodile made his way down the tree by leaping from branch to branch, not bothering to take the time to slowly scale back down. He had plans to make and no time could be wasted. He landed with a soft thud! and made his way back to a smirking Wobbuffet.

"So...was I right or was I right?" the Wobbuffet retained a lot of his swagger after the last time they talked.

Gnash nodded curtly, "Heavily fortified, guards all over the place, no real way under or over without getting something's attention. Yep...seems like the place all right."

"I told you man," the Wobbuffet grinned, "The Network almost never fails."

"Then we'll keep in touch," Gnash glanced back towards the wall, "You're free to go."

As the Wobbuffet sauntered off, the Krookodile reached into his knapsack and pulled out the Distance Communicator. Flipping it on and adjusting the dial so that the receivers in the nearby labor camps and strongholds would hear, he began to relay his message:

{ZZZZT!} Attention Psychic Rebellion Officers! This is Commander Gnash. I request back-up outside Fuchsia City due north of the Safari Zone. Fifty members apiece. Make your approach silent and do not enter the point of interest until I say. All Labor Camps, bring a few of your captured individuals as well. You know the procedure for transporting them. Make sure none escape or make any noise. I'll explain the purpose when you get here. Over and out! {ZZZZT!}

“Care to explain your business?” A calm, yet booming voice echoed behind the Krookodile.

Before he could turn, an immense clawed hand gripped tightly around the beast’s neck, and wrenched him backward, seemingly into the wall behind him. Only there was no wall. Suddenly, the Krookodile found himself in the middle of the Safari Zone, in a location filled with Savannah and little cover to speak of.

“I told you they’d work,” A gurgling, hollow voice sounded, that of a Golurk. It was not the one that had grabbed the Krookodile, however.

Gnash tried to curse towards the large golen-like Pokemon, but couldn't find his voice due to a towering Palkia that glared at the pathetic creature that it held with an iron vice-grip.

“We have tightened up security ever since the last time a little Pokemon stole from the Family.” The Golurk noted robotically. He stated everything matter-of-factly, yet with an unnerving politeness. “But even those from the Safari know better than to encroach on the Reginald Estate. You are not from around here.”

“This one thinks it can loot the Catacombs," With its free claw, the Palkia swiped, and slashed open a hole in space. On the other side, a fancy living room could be seen.

“Oh, they caught one already? Go see who it is, would you Mark?” A raspy voice called from one of the sofas.

A man, like a fifty-something version of Radegast, shifted into view, and stepped through the portal. Unlike the boy that had bothered the Psychic Rebellion twice before, Marcus Reginald's hair was short and perfectly neat. His features sagged with age, but did nothing to ruin the trademark jawline. Gnash glared in hatred at the man, but there was something else in his eyes as Marcus spoke...it was fear.

“A Krookodile, huh? If you are the same, I must say it is a pleasure to meet someone who could bring my daughter to the ropes.” He spoke as if just barely containing an unfathomable amount of fury and disgust.

An older woman- appearing somewhat younger through artificial means, also stepped through. “It thought to sneak in through the back, near the catacombs, just like the first time.”

A Shedinja hovered down from a blind spot in the sky. “The Old Weaver’s brood detected the intruder easily. It is not subtle at all. It used a device that Pokemon don't normally have to call for backup.

“Pokemon with tech,” Marcus noted as he nodded to Palkia, “Not like your reinforcements can do anything to help you. Waste no time, Palkia."

With a swipe, a portal opened below the dangling Krookodile. The Palkia lowered Gnash half-way through the portal. With a snap of its claws, the portal snapped shut, severing the Krookodile in two. As the light left his eyes and he began his plunge into the spirit world, he heard the man's voice one last time.

“We are Reginald, the Shield of Light” Marcus warned coldly, though he still maintained a warm demeanour, “Our generations have surpassed worse things than you.”

As if he had done this a thousand times before, the Palkia opened another portal and tossed the top portion of the now lifeless Krookodile through it, effectively cleaning up the mess. Meanwhile, the Shedinja was approaching Marcus holding out a black, square box...the Distance Communicator.

"This is the device it held," the Shedinja plopped the receiver- which Gnash had dropped before- into Marcus' hands.

"It's still on," Celadon observed non-chalantly.

Marcus brought the mouthpiece close to him. "Stay the course, Psychic Rebellion. We'll be here to meet you. Just don't expect common courtesy." he said. Shortly after, he tossed the piece into the air, where the Palkia atomized it with a single swipe. He then turned to Celadon. "Now then, back to our lunch."

---

The Wobbuffet stood off to the side, having witnessed the entire scene from afar. Not only did he get to watch it, he got to listen in as well, since the Krookodile failed to turn off his Distance Communicator before he was nabbed and ultimately executed. When everyone was gone, he simply shook his head.

"Dude...that was brutal..." he said to himself, turning around and walking back into the forest.

Another black square box sat in his hand and he now lifted it up to his mouth to speak. "You satisfied with that?"

"Very," an all-too familiar voice answered with delight on the other end, "A nice display at the end to get to listen to them too. We got lucky there."

"We did," Wobbuffet answered back, "So am I in command now?"

"I'd say you've more than proven yourself...Commander Belowsky."

The ring of his name accompanied with the prestigious title sent giddy shivers down the Wobbuffet's spine, "I won't let you down like Gnash did."

"In the end, he proved to be useful," Zane stated almost dejectedly, "Now we know way more about the Reginalds than we ever did before."

"I'll call off the gathering," Belowsky began to switch the knob back to the public setting, but Zane interjected.

"No...let them come."

"Mmm?" Belowsky was caught off guard, "They'll be slaughtered, sir."

"No they won't...I can make sure of that. Just make sure they don't walk blindly towards their fortress like your former had."

"Y-Yes sir," Belowsky turned the channel and made the appropriate announcements, giving them specific coordinates to meet up at. When he was done, he turned the channel back to the direct line with the Psychic Rebellion's head. "Done, sir."

"Good. Now did you get an appropriate head count?"

"All present body you asked me to search for is accounted for. Margriet has been seen in town many times recently. So has the boy...Logan is his name? And you heard the other two a few moments ago."

"Is Radegast among them?" there was excitement in his voice when he asked the question.

But Belowsky provided the fruits of disappointment, "I'm afraid not sir. I would've let you know immediately. I checked the Network and everything. No sign of a boy with brown dreadlocks."

"And you checked. That Aegislash isn't among them?"

"I don't know, sir."

Silence on the other end, making Belowsky feel a bit awkward. Then, Zane finally replied, "Not a problem. I've got a plan in motion. I'm not going to stop now because of some metal sword who thinks he's something special. Get a hold of me when all listed parties arrive."

"Will do, sir!"

"And Belowsky?"

"Yes sir?"

"Don't be surprised if someone else shows up to your party."

A click on the other end and the conversation was over.