Sarik the Squirtle's Story

Cinder staggered from the pain. That Murkrow was strong, but she was still ok to fight. She stood up as the Murkrow was coming in for the Wing Attack.

"Cinder use ember! Flint--"

Cinder immediately used ember and hit the Murkrow. But poor Flint didn't have time to move out of the way and was sent flying. He hit a tree and was clearly knocked out.

"--return!" Seraphine held out his pokeball so that he could return to it.

"Be careful Cinder! Keep moving so he doesn't know where to strike!" She hadn't had time to teach Cinder double team yet but hopefully she could zigzag so that the Murkrow would have a harder time hitting. She was not going to lose this battle.

The Ember that struck the Murkrow nearly caused him to plummet from the sky. But he held on, flapping his wings and ignoring the throbbing aching bones all over his body. He held on to the positive thoughts...like the previous two attacks.

Two clean hits. Precisely what the Murkrow was going for. And a one hit knock out on the Fennekin was an added bonus. The rest of this fight would be a cakewalk so long as he could avoid being hit one more time. That would be easier now that he had one less Pokemon to deal with. The Murkrow circled around, keeping an eye on the Charmander below as he came up with a plan.

Meanwhile, Tag and Sarik gasped when Flint flew into the tree, fainting on impact. Even in the weakened state the Murkrow was, he could still pull that off. Granted, they didn't know Flint's fighting capabilities up to that point, but it was still shocking to see.

"Come on, Cinder!" Tag encouraged while Sarik could only stare, wide eyed. Crimson had been silent up to this point and now his voice rang through.

"Cinder! Use the trees!" he called, "Climb the trees and tackle when you get to a high enough vantage point!" he hoped the Charmander would take his advice and start climbing, but the method may seem a little unorthodox. It wasn't a common battle strategy, but it was the one Crimson was comfortable using. The environment played an important role when it came to these fights and he knew it would help Cinder and Seraphine win the fight here.

Cinder gasped for breath as her ember did some damage. Looks like one more good shot would do it, but she also knew another shot and she'd be done for, too.

"Cinder! Use the trees!" That was Crimson, not Seraphine, but that sounded like a good idea. Cinder jumped up to a low branch on the nearest tree and pulled herself up. She dug her claws into the trunk and started ascending the tree that way. Hopefully the cover of the branches would be enough that she didn't get hit.

Seraphine, for her part debated on what to do. She couldn't debate too long but this Murkrow looked like all it needed was one more good hit and she needed her pokemon alive for that hit. As she was thinking, she saw Cinder climbing the tree. Oh, that was a great idea. She could tackle from the air.

"Cinder, jump and tackle him when you have a vantage point!" She hoped Cinder could hear her.

Cinder climbed up to a branch that wasn't too high, but was above the Murkrow and waited for the perfect moment before jumping and tackling.

The Murkrow had the perfect strategy. He'd prepare another Wing Attack, except that he'd miss on purpose. He'd aim just a bit to the left, enough to scare the Charmander to the right. Then, he'd swoop around for a quick counter attack and land the final Sucker Punch, dealing with this pest once and for all. Satisfied with his plan, he prepared the Wing Attack and started scanning the ground for Cinder.

Except that she wasn't there. Confusion was the first emotion that went through the Murkrow's spine, followed immediately by irritation. She couldn't have went far. he thought. She's not very fast.

He flew a bit lower, looking for any signs of a burning tail other than the Chimchar's. Little did he know as he flew underneath the branch Cinder was on that an aerial sneak attack was coming.

"Wha-URK!" The Murkrow cried as Cinder leaped on top of him, the force of the tackle bringing him down to the ground. With a hard thud, the two Pokemon hit the dirt, a cloud of dust and sand particles erupting all around them. Seraphine gasped while Tag and Sarik moved hesitantly forward, ready to jump in in case the worst had happened. Crimson crossed his arms, waiting.

When the dust settled, it was Cinder standing there, a triumphant fist in the air while the Murkrow was on the ground unconscious. She had done it. Two mighty cheers came from the Turtwig and Squirtle as they ran over to her, congratulating her.

"That was awesome!" Tag cried, nudging Cinder.

"A good fight, indeed," Sarik grinned.

Crimson walked up, a patient smile on his face. "That was well-executed, Cinder. Good job."

"Thanks!" Cinder cheered before remembering something, "Flint! Is he okay?" She ran over to Seraphine and yanked on her leg, "Where's Flint?!"

Seraphine stared down, confused as first. Huh? What did Cinder want? She then noticed the anxiety in Cinder's eyes and realized, Oh, Flint! Seraphine squatted down to reach eye level with her Pokemon, "Don't worry. Flint will be okay. We just need to take him to the Pokemon Center and get him healed up. I think you should get healed as well. You battled pretty hard out there!"

Crimson nodded in agreement, "No Pokemon is invincible."

Cinder felt a pain in her chest, the remnants from the Sucker Punch earlier. Yeah, that may not be a bad idea...

"Alright then." Cinder replied as Seraphine got her Pokeball out and retrieved her. Putting it back on her belt, Seraphine then turned to the three of them. "Thanks, guys! Cinder really needed that victory."

"As did you," Crimson responded back, giving her a thumbs up. "You go take care of your Pokemon and get to know Flint a bit better. We'll take care of our buddy here." He motioned to the passed out Murkrow on the ground. Tag was already getting the talons while Sarik grabbed the wings. Together, they lifted the Murkrow onto Tag's back and went searching for a Berry Bush. They wouldn't have to travel far.

For Seraphine, it took a bit to understand what he was saying, but it appeared that the fire monkey was telling her to go back to the Pokemon Center. She nodded, "Alright, if you guys got your searching part down!" she turned and started heading towards the path before stopping and calling to the trio, "Hope we meet again soon!" And then she was off towards the Pokemon Center.

"Me too," Crimson muttered under his breath before making his way to wherever Tag and Sarik had gone. Luckily, he didn't have to go far.

"Jeez, it looks like a battlefield out here," he noted as he saw the uprooted trees, the cuts and slices of various attacks scattered all over, the leaves and grass bits collected in miniature piles, and the dust and dirt of shifting ground coating it all. The only bit of life standing in the clearing was a Berry Farm in which Tag and Sarik had approached. Tag dropped off the bird gently while Sarik plucked an Oran Berry. Crimson casually walked over to the two. "You guys have any idea what happened here?"

"Not a clue," Tag answered, looking out to the destruction around him.

"From the looks of the trees, I'd say Dobro had been here," Sarik said, "And made quite a mess of things."

Yeah. From what the Murkrow had said earlier, Crimson could easily deduce that the Pangoro had been here as well as Domingo. But they weren't here alone. Three Pokemon couldn't produce this much damage unless legendaries were involved. So who were the others?

And then a slight stir came from the Murkrow as he awoke. Sarik held the Oran Berry out for him, which he took without opening his eyes. Cursing, the Murkrow ate it as he groaned in pain. The three of them could see the Berry do it's work as the strain in the Murkrow's face relaxed, allowing an almost peaceful expression to enter his mind.

"Man..." the Murkrow groaned, rubbing the back of his head and re positioned his headband, "I got knocked out twice in one day..." he slowly got up and opened his eyes to see Crimson, Tag, and Sarik standing there.

"WAUGH!" The Murkrow squawked, forming fist and backing up into the Berry Bush, "I-I'll take you all on!"

"Relax," Crimson stepped forward, his hands held out in front of him, "We're not gonna hurt you. From the sounds of it, you've had enough battle for one day."

The Murkrow gave a quizzical eye, lowering his fists a little bit. The tension in his stance relaxed slightly.

"Why did you attack us earlier?" Tag asked.

The Murkrow sighed in annoyance, "You were trespassing on our land!"

"Your land?" Sarik raised a brow.

"This part of the forest is owned by us, the Sunrise Clan! And we're not going to stand for people walking up and thinking they can have some of our stuff!" The Murkrow shouted at them.

"Okay, okay," Crimson lowered his hands in a gesture to calm down, "We weren't trying to trespass on anyone's land. We didn't know your group lived here. We're new to the island."

The Murkrow's voice grew a bit softer, "Then how did you get here? The ferry doesn't let any Pokemon on board. Only Water-Types and Flying-Types are able to get here."

"By boat," Sarik responded matter-of-factly.

"By boat?" the Murkrow questioned, "You mean the ferry?"

"No," Tag took over, "By a boat we made ourselves."

The Murkrow thought about this, "Well, I guess that's possible. But that doesn't explain why your friends attacked us!"

Crimson shrugged, "We do know the Samurott and the Pangoro. They are in our group. But they wouldn't attack unless someone else threatens their life. Did you guys do that?"

The Murkrow rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...we, sort of were planning an ambush," he admitted, hopping onto his left foot, "B-but that's only because they were about to steal from our berry farm! In fact, one of them did!"

"Which one?" Crimson asked out of curiosity.

"The Joltik! He plucked the berry!"

This threw a bit of confusion over Crimson, "We don't know any Joltiks as far as I know."

The Murkrow looked confused as well, "What? You guys don't know any Joltiks?"

"Nope, not a one," Tag replied.

"Then what about the Gastly?" Murkrow asked, "And the Mankey?"

"Haven't met any as long as we've been here," Crimson answered.

"Wait..." Tag thought for a moment before looking at Crimson, "What about Radegast's Pokemon?"

"You mean the trainer we met at the academy?" Sarik asked, recognition lighting up in his eyes as he remembered.

"Yeah! He had a Joltik! And a Mankey! He even had a Haunter that had just evolved when we got there!"

Crimson looked back to the Murkrow, "Well, then we have met them before, or at least they have. But they weren't a part of our group. They were with a human trainer. We're wild Pokemon."

"You mean the human that fell down the hole and broke his arm?" the Murkrow was now relaxed and a bit more trusting towards them.

"The human was wearing a sling, too!" Sarik looked at Crimson, eyes wide in astonishment.

Crimson smiled, "There you have it. It must've been that guy. I don't know how his Pokemon work, but the ones that are with us don't spread malice and especially don't bully people. If you fight one of us, it's because you're in the wrong." And that was the truth. The Isle Defenders only chose the most moral of candidates to represent their guild and protect the Island of Mohka. If someone was fighting an Isle Defender, it meant that they were in the wrong, not the Isle Defender.

Well, Zane was pure evil, but there are exceptions to every rule...

The Murkrow lowered his wings, finally understanding, "I guess we did make ourselves out to be an enemy by surrounding their group. Sorry for that."

"It's okay," Crimson extended a hand for the Murkrow to shake, "We all make mistakes. But I'm willing to forgive and forget if you are."

The Murkrow paused before accepting the handshake, smiling for the first time, "I am."

Tag spoke up, "So should we head back to base camp and see how the others are doing?"

Crimson nodded, "They're probably back by now. We had the most area to cover." he turned to the Murkrow, "Thanks for understanding. We'll try to pass by this area if we can help it."

The Murkrow sighed, "It's gonna be a real pain cleaning this place up. Not to mention explaining to everyone else what happened here. But it's not a big deal. And you're welcome to pass through if you need to. Our apology for striking without reasoning first." The Murkrow waved to them as the three headed towards the mountains. "Wish you luck on your travels!"

---

When the three got back to their home base in the mountains, Crimson was startled by the sudden hug that Pert threw around him.

"Oh thank Arceus!" he cried, tightening his grip.

"Woah, why, what?!" Crimson looked past Pert to Dobro and Domingo, who had grimaces on their faces. As Pert released him, he put his hands on Pert's shoulders, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"It's Meryl!" the Plusle sniffed, fighting back tears. Crimson looked towards the other two for clarification.

"She's unconscious right now. She hasn't woken up yet," Dobro filled him in.

"What?!" Crimson ran over to the Minun's sleeping form. He could see the scratches and wounds all over her, "What happened?"

"Pert and Meryl got ambushed by Sableye," Domingo answered, peering at Meryl, "From the sounds of it, the attack was coordinated. There were more than ten there."

Tag and Sarik stood by Meryl, nearly bursting into tears themselves.

"So the Sableye did this to her?" Crimson got up, turning to face Domingo.

"Not quite..." Domingo answered.

"It was her own self," Pert choked, letting the tears run down his face once more, "She let loose a Shock Wave like I'd never seen. It was so powerful, it took care of the Sableye no problem. But this was the result," he gestured towards the fainted Pokemon, "I've never seen her take this long to wake up."

Crimson let loose a deep breath, trying to fight back his own inner rage. What he needed was a clear mind to figure out what to do, not to let his emotions take over. It was hard though. He kept having flashbacks to that final fight against the Psychic Rebellion...

---

The night sky was clouded with smoke. The once green rolling fields were now trampled by the fighting Pokemon, the ground covered in overturned dirt and scorched earth. The wind was harsh and laced with heat from fires blazing everywhere. The air was polluted with smoke and constantly moving dust from rock attacks. It was a battleground.

The fight was still going on. Crimson had morphed into the Dark-Type, launching a Dark Pulse at Neeko. The Nidoking was resilient, however, and took the blast like it was nothing, despite being weaker to the type. A glare of hate in his eye with a smile of confidence, Neeko struck back with Sludge Bomb, but Crimson dodged it to the left. He ran forward, Power Bat charged and ready to exert energy as he leaped into a close quarter combat situation, throwing a Dark Punch in his direction. Neeko swiped at him, a move that Crimson easily used to jump on his arm, then flip over him. Landing perfectly, he pivoted and swung the Power Bat, the massive load of power unleashing into Neeko. A grunt of pain was all Neeko could utter as he was launched back from the blast, hitting the ground hard and rolling a couple more feet. Crimson stepped towards him, watching as he picked himself up from the ground and let loose a slight chuckle.

"You see?" he laughed, lifting his hands up at the other battles raged around the two leaders, "With this other Moon Stone's power, I'm barely even fazed by your attacks! You barely hurt me!" He charged forward, A Giga Impact in store for the Dark-Type Chimchar. But he was more evasive than that and propelled himself back with Acrobatics, easily preventing Neeko's attack from hitting anything.

"Maybe not, but it doesn't matter if you can't hit me!" Crimson cried before twirling his bat and charging forward once more. The two exchanged blows, Crimson took on an Earth Power while Neeko got struck by the Power Bat, the two launched back from the respective impacts. Crimson rolled back onto his feet while Neeko never left his. He laughed once more and crossed his arms.

"Give it us, Crimson! I'm stronger than you now! You and the Isle Defenders are going down as we pave the road for a better future! It's time for the Psychic-Types to reign supreme!" Neeko rushed forward, another Giga Impact heading Crimson's way. Crimson remained focused, waiting until the last minute before blocking Neeko with his bat. It started to glow as it absorbed the energy expelled by the Giga Impact.

"Not today, it isn't!" Crimson shouted back, "Not ever!" He shoved Neeko's arms out of the way and used Dark Pulse once more. The attacked barely shifted Neeko's position, but Crimson was already changing types once more. Before Neeko knew it, Crimson was back to his typical Fire-Type self. He charged forward with Flame Wheel, hitting Neeko directly as he was still recovering from the powerful moves he's just used. Neeko flew back much further this time, landing on his back. Crimson stepped forward, a look of determination on his face as Neeko got up slowly.

"Don't you see what you're doing?!" Crimson called to him over the sounds of other Pokemon battles raging around him, "You'll destroy everything around you! You'll destroy everything these Pokemon have worked so hard to achieve! You'll take away their peace! Do you want that?!" Crimson watched a Flamethrower blast go over his head as Neeko got into a fighting stance once more.

"What achievements?!" Neeko shot back, "There's still fighting and bad guys and Pokemon who need help every day! You haven't done a thing to help them! They need proper leadership!" The Psybeam crossed right in front of his face, but Neeko didn't move.

"They need someone to protect them, not someone to command them!" Crimson said, pleading in his voice, "You have to understand that what you and Dr. Benson are doing here is wrong!" But the Neeko shook his head.

"No, we know the only true way to peace," he replied, "It takes sacrifice of the useless to make progress among the strong! And you are standing in the way of that!" before he knew it, Neeko was picking up the Master Blaster he'd dropped at the beginning of the battle and pointing it at his face, "I shouldn't have a problem taking care of you with this now! Your bat won't save you this time!" A wicked smile appeared on his face as he charged the weapon. A whirring sound was heard. Crimson placed his left foot behind him and held the bat in front of him. The last time he'd been struck by this thing, it had knocked him out for a month. And it would've killed him has the Power Bat not absorbed a good portion of the blast.

But Crimson was prepared this time. Crimson was stronger. The Fire Stone he'd absorbed earlier gave him an extremely large well of power he could tap into. He could resist the attack. He just knew it.

But Neeko thought for a split second about what Crimson had just said. Was he doing the right thing here? Was Dr. Benson, his master, actually in the wrong? He had perceived a better future from this, the strong would progress while the weak would be cast aside. But what would the weak actually be doing? Would they be serving to him? Or would they become experiments in Dr. Benson's lab?

"Do it now!" came a voice from behind.

Neeko turned to see a human in a lab coat pointing at the Chimchar, "You have him right where you want him!" Dr. Benson bellowed, "Finish this one off!"

But Crimson had seen the hesitation in his eyes, had noticed the tides turning in his morality. He called back to him, "Neeko! This guy doesn't mean well for the future of this place! He just wants to use us all for his big experiment! You can't let that happen! We have to end this! The fighting, the rebellion, all of it!" Crimson dropped the bat and held his hands up, "You don't have to listen to him! We can build a better future together!" Crimson took a step forward, piercing Neeko with a pleading gaze, "I'm willing to forgive and forget if you are."

Neeko stood there, the weapon shaking in his hand. He didn't know what to do. For the first time, he was torn. Even after everything...even after their fights and every time he'd hurt Crimson, the Chimchar was still willing to forgive him. Dr. Benson promised a better future for him, but from the looks of it, it seemed that following Crimson was the best way to reach that. However, he'd trusted his human master for so long...it was hard to tear away from his words.

Suddenly, Neeko felt the Master Blaster being yanked from him.

"Give me that!" Dr. Benson shouted, hoisting the device onto his shoulders and aiming at Crimson, "If you're going to be so worthless as to side with him, I'll finish him off for you!"

As he pointed the weapon at Crimson, he noticed a familiar figure emerging from the multiple Pokemon battles going on around them...a familiar green figure. Smiling wickedly, he turned the Master Blaster at the last second and fired at the green shape running towards them. Crimson watched the massive beam of energy shoot past him...

Right into Tag.

The Turtwig didn't even have time to react as the beam smashed into him. Enveloped by the energy, the blast itself had caused a massive bang, a sound that caused all the fighters around them to stop and notice what was going on. The pure power of the beam was distracting enough to do that.

The light faded as the beam had done it's work. The area of land the Master Blaster had engulfed was charred black, smoldering from the heat of the energy that hit it. In the center of this area of land was Tag. He was still.

"Tag!" Crimson cried as he ran over to him, practically sliding next to him. He could see wisps of smoke coming off of Tag as well, the indicator that the beam had indeed his his best friend. He felt his body, which was exceedingly warm, and started to gently shake it. "Come on, buddy, I need you!"

But Tag wasn't responsive. In fact, as Crimson realized suddenly, he wasn't even unconscious. His belly wasn't rising and falling. He wasn't breathing. A dull sense of dread ripped through Crimson's spine as he placed two fingers on Tag's neck. No pulse.

Tag was dead.

Crimson was numb. He couldn't move. He couldn't hear anything. He wasn't even sure he was breathing. Meanwhile, Dr. Benson stared at the Chimchar in triumph. He wanted this particular Pokemon to suffer. He'd been a thorn in his side since way back in the beginning. It felt great to have a little bit of retribution for it. Neeko could only look on in horror at what his master had done. Sarik, Pert, and Meryl stumbled out to see Tag's body lying limp. Pert had gasped and broke into tears first. Sarik and Meryl were close behind.

But Crimson didn't notice any of them. All he could feel was the heavy beating of his own heart.

Lub-dub.

He fell onto his knees.

Lub-dub.

He buried his face in Tag's belly.

Lub-dub.

He inhaled.

Lub-dub

He exhaled.

Lub-dub

All of a sudden, he started glowing. The other Pokemon who were watching him gasped and started to back up as the glowing around Crimson grew brighter and brighter. He was barely visible beneath it, then he was engulfed by it. The white light continue to spread, further and further outward, until suddenly it burst. The light was blinding as it washed over every Pokemon in that field. The few that had continued to fight during the Master Blaster blast stopped as the sudden light blinded them as well.

And just like that it was gone. Neeko, Dr. Benson, and the others blinked their temporary blindness away and turned back to the prone figure that was kneeling next to Tag's body. What lay in wait for them left everyone in awe.

Crimson was different now, that much was certain. His fur was now pure white, his tail emanating a white fire. Every part of him shimmered in light. The aura he had could be felt from everywhere across the battlefield. It was pure power.

Crimson got up, still looking at Tag's body as he did so. He turned around and looked at Dr. Benson for the first time. His eyes were a sparkling gold. His gaze was set and determined, yet it wasn't out of hate. Still, a single tear could be seen pouring out of his left eye, the only sign that he was upset. His body was shiny and his level of power could be denied. It was a wave of energy around him that no one had ever felt before.

Crimson had reached his ultimate form.

---

Crimson blinked the memory away. No, he thought. I can't let that happen again. I can't let anyone on my team die. He turned to the unconscious Meryl, his thoughts racing. I will avenge you, Meryl.

"Where was this?" Crimson asked Pert, a tone of deep seriousness in his voice. Pert glanced up at Crimson as he noticed his whole attitude had changed.

"In the swamp. But we already looked around and found nothing there," Pert told him. Crimson nodded in understanding as he looked towards Domingo, "You guys had a fight with a certain Sunrise Clan. I cleared your names for you." he said before walking over to the boulder, shifting it to retrieve the chest hidden within.

"Er...thanks..." Domingo noted the sudden seriousness Crimson had taken on, the calm patient Chimchar now moving with deliberation and purpose. Crimson opened the trunk and pulled out the Power Bat before turning to Tag and Sarik.

"Get your things," he said to them.

"Aren't we supposed to be incognito or something?" Sarik asked as he plucked out his own Power Scope.

"It doesn't matter now," Crimson replied, his gaze lingering on Tag meaningfully as the Turtwig put on his Power Boots, "Someone knows we're here and someone's trying to take us out of their picture. We need to eliminate them. Right now."

Just then, a suddenly massive beam shot out north of their position, heading above the clouds into space. Crimson's eyes narrowed as he recognized the beam. It was much bigger and presumably had more power behind it. But there was no denying it.

"Is that-" Sarik gaped, glancing up at the sky.

"A Master Blaster," Crimson confirmed it for him. "We need to move towards it. Now!"

Swooping in on a mighty black dragon, Touko was quick to join Radegast. "You, stay back. I got hurt like that once...errant Mach Punch. I got cute and didn't have my Pokémon where it could protect me during a battle, and paid the price. Anywhere else, and I wouldn't be standing here today. You head for the infirmary and get that wrapped up. I'll take the laser. Whatever the hell happened here, I'm going to find out. Anything that strong is a threat to this world and possibly worlds beyond, and nobody gets this powerful without having a plan to use that power. Let's go, Zekrom! For a world free of fear!"

And off Touko went, headlong into another adventure!

Tag was the first one to arrive on the northern portion of the island. With his Power Boots on, Tag could travel twice as fast as he normally would be able to. And he was already faster than anyone else in the group. Sarik took second, using the Power Scope to look around and find any signs of life, be it good or evil. Crimson was next, wielding the Power Bat in front of him ready to strike out. Pert and Dobro covered the rear, looking behind them for a potential ambush. Domingo had stayed behind to watch Meryl.

It was honestly a good team variety, Crimson realized as he kept an eye on Sarik to keep him from being surprise attacked while he was looking through the scope. The group had a lot of type variety. This meant a whole slew of attacks of all types could bombard anyone who dared to fight them. That's what Crimson wanted to prepare for. He knew the beam wasn't shot in the air randomly. It was a beacon...a beacon only their group understood the meaning of.

They reached the edge of the forest, walking into a small hilly area. The ground rose up slantwise the closer they got to the sea, which was churning. The wind ripped through the swaying grass. It wasn't cloudy, but the white puffy water particles above them sure did move faster thanks to the wind. The edge of the grass dropped off to a small beach far below, revealing itself as a cliff interface. It wasn't the most comforting heights to be seen.

Tag was running back to Crimson, "Nothing to report here!" he shouted over the wind.

Crimson nodded to him before looking at Sarik, who was eyeing the trees, "How's it looking around us?"

"Nobody," Sarik called back, giving the canopy of the forest one more scan before lowering the scope, "Whoever fired the Master Blaster is either really good at hiding or they fled after firing the shot."

"Nobody would run," Crimson said, glancing at Tag, "Not while holding a weapon like that. We were led here by it."

"But why?" Pert asked.

"I don't know yet, but it can't be good," Crimson shifted his gaze around. The fact that nobody was around yet made him anxious.

Dobro pointed at the sky, "What's that?" The others turned in that direction.

A black dot in the sky was slowly getting larger as it presumably got closer. Sarik pulled out the Power Scope and zoomed in on it, trying to figure out what it was. A moment later, he gasped, "It's a Zekrom!"

"A Zekrom?" Tag looked up at the dot with confusion, "Zekrom did this?"

"I don't think so," Sarik refuted as he continued to watch it, "This was a Master Blaster for sure. Zekrom wouldn't have the power to produce such a mighty blast."

That was one of the details that stuck out to Crimson. The Master Blaster didn't look nearly as big before when Neeko had used it on Crimson for more than one occasion. It was obviously improved and packed a massive punch. Crimson was sure it would kill any Pokemon it hit...any Pokemon. He was even sure a Pokemon like Zekrom and Yvelta weren't immune to it. The thought of such a powerful weapon existing frightened Crimson to the core. They had to destroy it...now.

"Wait, someone's riding the Zekrom!" Sarik pointed out as the Zekrom took it's landing to a position not terribly far south from their current position, "It's the one trainer lady with the brown hair and pink hat!"

"Touko..." Crimson recalled instantly, "Then that's definite proof it wasn't Zekrom. She's likely here to investigate, just like we are."

"Should I hide?" Dobro asked. Crimson turned to look at him with a thoughtful expression. Dobro and Touko didn't exactly start off on the right foot...

"No, I need you," Crimson told him, "You're the only Dark-Type besides myself when I want to be. If this is Neeko again, then he has an army of Psychic-Types behind him. You have the type advantage there. Touko will just have to put her differences aside."

"It's not just Touko," Sarik called out again, keeping an eye on the are where the Zekrom landed, "Radegast is there too."

"Excellent," Crimson noted, "The more the merrier. We could use a tiny army-"

Suddenly, a loud bark came from the forest, "Hey! Does that include us?!"

“Oh, this?” Radegast indicated the sling as he called back to Touko. “This is nothing!”

As he picked up the pace from a jog to a sprint, he watched the Zekrom take point in investigating the unusual sky-beam. He thought about why Suros didn’t like to fly. He never really minded it at-first, but now he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something about flying that the lazy Fletchling didn’t like.

Elder laughed and whooped after the massive Zekrom as the ghost hovered a couple of paces ahead of Radegast. The Haunter eventually caught up with the Zekrom once it landed. The hilly area broke off at a cliff side leading down to a beach head. The Haunter made note of the highly defensible position, and wondered why the user of that incredible beam did not set up any kind of fortification… At least, any obvious fortification. “I’ve never seen such a display of raw power before. Rage was actually impressed!” the Ghost said to the Zekrom more than anyone else.

“ONL-(LY MILDLY)” Rage had exited his pokeball just in time to deliver the retort. His retort was cut shockingly short when Crystal covered Rage’s mouth with a thick fin. “(WHO DARES!?!)” Rage’s muffled cry did not travel far.

“Ssh!” Crystal hissed. “We don’t know what caused that beam, but we don’t want to reveal our position." Rage’s eye twitched in annoyance, but he eventually nodded.

The normally lazy Suros even approached… though not without apprehension. “Was that what I thought it was…?”

“Suros?” Elder turned, as did the others. “Do you know something?”

The Operative’s eyes examined the Fletchling closely, as did Elder’s critical gaze. If Rage and Crystal were worried, they did a good job hiding that worry.

“Well, it could be an entirely unrelated beam of energy,” Suros reassured, “I thought…”

“Hey… no worries… dude,” Radegast panted as he approached with a slow walk, “Whatever we face… we face… together… man I’m so out of shape.”

Out of shape? Crystal thought, You ran non-stop from the human settlement.

Suros seemed to relax immediately at these words. Elder, however, did not seem convinced. “Kinda hard to say that when you’re wearing a sling. Unless you know something we don’t?” Elder grinned as he stole a glance at the Operative.

“That’s classified,” Radegast and the Operative robotically replied in unison, though Radegast’s free hand twitched ever-so slightly. “Anyway, Touko... what do you think? Rogue Legendary? Super weapon? Ancient prophecy- or wait, that's usually the same as a rogue legendary...”

It was then that Elder spotted the other wildlings. The Haunter waved, as calling out loud was deemed not an option. Elder approached the group. “Well-met,” He said when he was within ear-shot. He was close enough that his voice wouldn’t be too drowned-out by the rushing wind.

"In that case, watch my rear while I go on ahead," barked Touko to Radegast. "I don't believe in rogue legendary Pokémon. They're always exactly where they mean to be, we just don't know what they're up to yet." A friendly pat on her dragon's neck, which was returned with a surge of the distinctive smell of ozone.

Sharp eyes darted to Elder the Haunter as it waved to something in the bushes. The glint of sunlight off of a lens...there were Pokémon there. Hmm...the same ones from before. Maybe they were here to investigate as well...they seemed like a well-ordered and disciplined lot. Now that she knew what to look for and where, shapes started coming together. Chimchar. Turtwig. Squirtle. Plusle and Minun. And that lumbering oaf Pangoro from before. A well-disciplined and organized group that covered many different types, each with a defined role and responsibility much like how good Trainers assembled their teams. Hopefully sheer numbers could cover their relative lack of individual strength. The threat up ahead would require her incredible power to face head-on. Whatever tried to circle around behind would have to get through Radegast and the team of ferals, which was certain to be a long ordeal and buy her as much time as possible.

"Radegast. I'm counting on you here. There are friendly wild Pokémon in the area. I'm going after whatever's up on the ridge. I want them to come at me with everything they've got. If something tries to ambush me, you and your friends need to let me know, and buy me as much time as you can if you can't outright defeat it. I'm going on ahead to teach that thing a lesson about what happens to people that want to take over the world."

That was the main difference. She didn't want to rule the world and issue decrees from on high. She just wanted to change the hearts and minds of others so that they would act in accordance with her ideology that Pokémon and humans need not fear one another. That being said, being Unova Champion did come with pretty much everything a young woman could want...but first things first. "Let's go, Zekrom! Onward, towards the light!"

The suddenness of the voice that came from the forest made everyone in Crimson's group jump. They hadn't expected it. Crimson turned towards the direction the sound came from, spotting a form walking towards them. And then it all made sense. Crimson had recognized the voice and now seeing the Pokemon who possessed it, he felt rather foolish for letting it get to him.

"Am I ever so glad to see you, Pounce!" Crimson grinned.

The Houndoom's walk turned into a trot as he closed the distance between them, "Yeah, well I am pretty great, aren't I?" Several Pokemon rolled their eyes.

"Curb the pride, will you?" came a softer, yet just as menacing voice right behind him. They didn't even have to look behind Pounce to know it was Gova emerging from the shadow of a swaying tree. The Greninja held a reserved stance as her eyes shot daggers towards her partner. Pounce gave an overconfident look back.

"What? Can't handle it?" Pounce flicked his tail.

"Not the time nor the place for it," Gova replied cooly, shutting up Pounce as she walked past him and made eye contact with Crimson, "You saw it?"

"Who didn't?" Crimson gestured towards the group of Pokemon Radegast "held the reins on", so to speak, "They're allies, by the way. "

"I figured," she snorted, "You would've taken care of them by now had they been enemies." She approached them, eyeing down the Haunter, "Hope you can fight decently enough."

Normally, Crimson would be a bit disapproving about the way Gova greeted them, but this time..."She's right," he told Elder, "If you're on board with helping up, we'd appreciate it. But this won't be a typical battle...nor will it be easy. He glanced over towards Tag with a reminiscent look in his eye, "This fight will be dangerous. Lethal if you're not careful. That goes for all of you, by the way."

"Crimson, do you know who fired the Master Blaster?" Gova turned back to him, "Was it Neeko?"

"I doubt it," Crimson sighed, placing his hand against his forehead in deep thought, "He's changed since I saved his life. Dr. Benson as well, since I changed his. I don't think either of them could've gotten here."

Pounce shrugged, "I don't think anyone from Mohka could've gotten here other than all of us. I mean how would they have snuck past us undetected? We all dropped in the same spot."

"That's what's confusing about the whole thing," Crimson was staring at the ground.

"What's Touko doing?" Sarik thought out loud, gathering the attention of Dobro and Tag.

"What's up?" Tag asked.

"She's flying towards the peninsula cliff area with her Zekrom," he reported, keeping an eye on her through the Power Scope.

"Was that where the beam was fired from?" Gova was suddenly there.

"I don't know. None of us were close enough to see exactly where." Sarik thought for a moment, "Although, that would be a good place to fire it...too perfect...what if she's running straight into a trap?!"

Crimson raised his head, "We have to warn her then! Tag, Gova, you two are the fastest! Get over there as quickly as you can!" He turned to Elder, "Anyone on your team that's fast should go with them. The Fletchling for sure...maybe the Joltik as well. But I'll let you decide who. Everyone else should stay together as a group and watch the forest to prevent an ambush from hitting us all."

Tag and Gova had already bolted, halfway to the peninsula.

Radegast stuffed his free hand into his pocket and stood in that laid-back fashion as he always did. His eyes flickered an intense curiosity as he examined the surroundings with great deliberation. “People who take over the world… Heh,” Radegast turned to the Operative. “You got any plans, buddy?”

“The power source must be enormous,” the Operative clicked, “It’s unusual that there is no sign of a heavy trampling anywhere around the field… or prints at least.”

“That probably means it was either flown here, or sailed here,” Crystal added.

“Well, I know you guys will play to your strengths,” Radegast smiled, “I got some potions at the ready.”

A Greninja eyed Elder with a condescending gaze. Elder returned his signature critical gaze in turn. Thin, light, fast, flexible, but neither strong nor tough. It’s build indicates that it makes up for it’s weak strength with sheer speed. A ninja, like the species name suggests. A ninja is hardly a fitting class for an open-field encounter like this situation, though it was not without place. The tougher-looking Houndoom partner would work perfectly to compensate for that crippling overspecialization. The Haunter smirked and nodded his approval. “No worries, buddy. We can handle ourselves,” Elder replied. The Lord-Regent’s friends have, after all, experienced a comparable situation before… The Man in the Weird Suit.

“Anyone on your team that’s fast should go with them.”

Elder nodded at the recommendation for the fastest members of the team to go forward to warn Touko about a potential trap. The Operative was quick, to be sure, but Elder also considered the Joltik’s defensive applications, what with the electro-webbing she produces. “Rage, Suros,” Elder called.

Rage twitched repeatedly, evidently barely able to keep a lid on it.

“Either one, Touko may be walking into a trap. Move out to warn her.”

Rage and Suros stole a glance at each other. The Mankey (somehow silently) bolted down the hilly region at an intense pace. The Mankey was gaining on the Turtwig and the Greninja. Though a loud talk, the Mankey certainly could walk the walk. Suros did not make any motion to fly; she merely shrugged. “I kinda don’t wanna, but…”

Elder picked up the Operative and placed her on top of his Haunter head. “Crystal, you’re fast in your own right, but only in the water.”

“I gotcha,” Crystal replied professionally, “I’ll keep an eye on the Lord-Regent.”

“Honestly, I’d hate to split up like this,” Elder commented as the Haunter eyed the human’s sling, “If you didn’t dislocate your shoulder, everyone’d be able to go together.”

“Say no more, buddy,” Radegast removed and raised the free hand from his pocket. “I’ll come with you guys.”

“What?”

“Dude,” Radegast waved the hand, “I can handle myself even with this shoulder. Forget your own rules, eh, Elder?”

Elder blinked, and then nodded. “Wherever we go, we go together.”

“Still, we’re to watch Touko’s six,” the Operative chirped, “Onward, troops! Rendezvous with Rage!”

With Crystal carried over Radegast’s good shoulder, and Suros resting lazily on the sling, The team moved quickly after Touko. Radegast, Operative, and Elder in particular kept an eye out on the environment for any unusual details. After all, they’re to watch for an ambush, or any sneak attack meant for Touko.

Touko couldn't hear the screams and shouts of those that wanted her to take a more measured approach. Nor was there time. After hearing about what happened in Kalos and triggering the whole robot rebellion in Anistar, there was no way a super-weapon like this could be allowed to exist. The longer a hero like her delayed, the more the world would suffer from its existence. She absolutely could not let it get off another shot.

Landing at the top of the cliff, still astride Zekrom, she gave her one and only warning to whatever awaited her. "OI! Whatever you've got there, you've got to shut it down! This thing is a danger to all life on this world, and possibly even worlds beyond! Who knows what's going to happen just from that test-fire a while ago! You must turn it off before innocent lives are taken by your megalomania!"

Wow, there was one heck of a word. Maybe hanging out with N had its benefits after all, she thought to herself with a smile before centering her thoughts on what lay before her. Probably a small army. Hopefully Zekrom's Teravolt wouldn't cause a malfunction and an even more catastrophic explosion. "Turn it down a bit, buddy. Save it for if and when we need to fight. Remember fighting that big bird earlier? This thing has just as much power to destroy. If things come to a battle, we've got to give it our all."

Zekrom flared its nostrils angrily and looked down at Touko as she dismounted, as if it already knew what Yveltal was capable of. It flexed its huge black claws, getting ready for the fight of its life...possibly as important as when it took on N's Reshiram head-on. "Drifter...Juggernaut...Volcarona..." Touko mumbled as she selected a lead. She preferred using Zekrom to clean up...maybe this time she could use its incredible power as a wall-breaker for the others to finish off with superior speed and coverage.

"All right. Let's do it," she nodded after writing a few things in her diary. Time to live up to the stories once again.

"Like a moth to the flame," the Dark-Type sneered and pressed the button.

Immediately, a massive pink circle rose up from the ground around Touko. Before she could even be surprised, the pink circle shot up a barrier of sorts that stretched higher and higher until it formed together at an elevated position above the center of the peninsula. The result was a giant pink dome in which the elite trainer was enclosed in.

Meanwhile, a similar looking pink wall rose up at the point where the peninsula conjoined with the rest of the island. Tag, Gova, and Rage had just stepped on the peninsula when the wall began to rise. Meanwhile, the wall climbed higher and higher, definitely a daunting task for any Flying-Type. At the same time, it stretched outward, extending across the ocean quite a ways too. It would take a few minutes for any speedy Pidgey or Fletchling to reach the edge and another few minutes to get back.

Tag turned around rapidly, noticing the giant pink wall that hadn't been there a moment before. "Uh, guys..." he said hesitantly, unsure of what to do, "What is that?"

Crimson and the others, on the other side, were watching the wall expand outward, further and further. Confused as well, the group picked up the pace, Sarik hopping on Dobro's back so that they could travel faster while Pert hopped on Pounce's.

Tag quickly used Razor Leaf on the pink wall. The moment it hit contact, the wall made a bwooof! sound as the Razor Leaf stuck there. A wave of lighter pink spread across the wall, resulting from the impact the leaf had on it, like a ripple in the water. Gova approached it hesitantly, careful not to touch it.

"It's a barrier of some kind," Gova noted.

"Right you are!" a voice announced, causing everyone to turn towards the sound. Even so, the sense of dread in their stomach was ever so present as they recognized the theatrical tone behind it. There, standing in front of a bunch of tall grass were two Pokemon whom which no one wished to cross paths with. The one on the left was taller with dark fur minus a patch of deep red on it's head showcasing it's electric blue eyes that twinkled with an air of superiority. The other was shorter with white fur accented by deep purple with red eyes that simmered with hate.

Crimson and company had just reached the barrier to see the two appear. Crimson's eyes immediately narrowed, "Zane..." he growled.

"The one and only," the Zoroark replied, walking to the barrier. As he got closer, Crimson could see certain details he wasn't able to before. He wore a gold necklace with a black stone shaped like a diamond in the center. It seemed to emit a shadowy and seductive glow to it. He also had two bands on his wrists, one of which Crimson recognized as a PokeSpeak Translator, the other had a pink line that matched the color of the walls.

"And I do thank you for coming, by the way," Zane went on, looking down in the Chimchar with a patronizing stance, "You are the main guest, after all." He then turned around, walking back to the female Meowstic with his claws behind his back, "I do intend on ending you, just not yet. I need to get more..." he made a glance towards Touko as he went on, "Power. In the meantime, you can deal with my grunts." He clapped his hands together. On cue, the bushes around the Pokemon that were on the side of the barrier Crimson was on began to rustle. And then Pokemon of all Dark, Ghost, Poison, and Psychic varieties were around them, including Radegast and his Pokemon, minus a certain Mankey. They didn't hesitate to attack.

Crimson suddenly found himself leaping around a Muk while ducking under a Wing Attack by a Murkrow. Sarik used Iron Defense to immediately set himself up before charging into the fray. Pert, still riding Pounce, dove in as well. Dobro cracked knuckles and began thrashing Pokemon around left and right, trying to look for the Psychic ones.

That will keep them occupied long enough... Zane thought walking behind the Meowstic and appearing to eye Tag, Gova, and Rage on the other side of the barrier. "I hadn't anticipated you three making it here. Sonya, I intended for us to fight our trainer friend together, but it appears we need a little improv session. Will you take care of those three for me?"

Sonya's eyes glittered menacingly, "My pleasure." She stepped forward calmly, pulling out a baton with a blue sphere on the end. It fizzled with electricity. "So, let's see how long it takes to put a few weaklings in their place."

Zane had reached the barrier in which Touko was trapped in. He tapped a button on the PokeSpeak translator, turning it on. He then held a button on the pink band on the other wrist and walked forward...into and through the barrier. Smiling wickedly, he let go of the button when he was safely through and eyed the pink-capped brunette for the first time.

"Hello, there," Zane spoke, which would surprise Touko as she would realize she could understand what he was saying clearly, "I'm Zane. Would you like to make a lovely donation to our cause?"

A barrier? Hard pink light slowly rose, albeit quick enough that the group with the human would not make it in time. Radegast had an idea to send at least one more over the barrier before it reached a height too high for even fliers, but he would not be able to make it in time without having to take the extra time to put Crystal back on the ground. Rage, the Greninja, and the Turtwig were essentially trapped beyond the barrier. “You got this, buddy!” Radegast sincerely called over the barrier, unsure if sound waves could actually penetrate the hard energy. Rage blew a lot of hot air, but most of it was certainly not unfounded. The human was not worried.

Nor was he worried when he turned. Though if those beyond the barrier had been watching closely, for the smallest fraction of a second, the human’s eyes flashed an unsettling glaze. “Oh hey, we found the Zoroark!” Elder chimed towards Dobro as he pointed through the pink translucent barrier..

“Lord-Regent sir, we are engaged!” The Operative swiftly began weaving a generous amount of electrowebbing to sling at the incoming foes, “Contacts! Multiple contacts!” She flung the electrowebbing- which spread out in an encompassing netting. It caught a good chunk of pokemon to the immediate left, facing away from the portal. Crystal fired off a pulse of water that punched through the enemy ranks like a shotgun, sending foes away one at a time. For the ones Crystal couldn’t push back alone, Elder either Sucker Punched, or flashed a focused Confuse Ray to blind them before inflicting incredibly potent Toxic poison with his sharp, needle-like claws.

Radegast laughed, “It’s good to see you guys are enjoying yourselves,” he said rather calmly. In the midst of the chaos, he smiled and seemed to pretend not to notice that violence surrounded him. The Fletchling, Suros, flared up her feathers as her eyes held a murderous intensity, like a mother bear faced with a threat to her cubs. Silently she watched from the perch on Radegast’s sling. The human glanced down, saw this, and his smile faded ever-so-slightly. “You know… They say evolution happens when a creature needs something to survive,” Radegast calmly exposited, “In the case of Pokemon, it happens far more often, through exposure to particular elements, fighting, stones…”

The Fletchling flared a bright white.

—

Out on the road, travelling between towns, Radegast spotted a Fletchling laying on the grass at the side of the road. The bird was simply snoozing in the shade of a tree. It was not a safe place to be in, especially when there was a perfectly good tree looming above the Fletchling. Many a pokemon in the area would take advantage of the tiny bird snoozing somewhere that was not the canopy of a tree. Radegast sat down against another tree, across the path from the Fletshling. The human’s mere presence seemed to keep every other pokemon at bay. Elder hovered to the top of Radegast’s chosen tree and rested there.

The Fletchling eyed the human, who seemed to desire some shut-eye. The Ghastly up high seemed to be etching something into the branch with some kind of sliver of condensed gas. “You know,” Radegast said after a couple of hours, when the sky turned a deep orange and purple, “I think you got somethin’ goin’ there. It does feel great to just do nothing.” The Fletchling eyed the trainer, shifted closer, and eventually crossed the path to nestle against one of the human’s outstretched legs. “Heh… I think we can get along just fine.”

Elder chuckled, “Well, if you’re gonna hang with us, expect to be asked to do things… But only things that friends would do… You know? I mean, Radegast is technically a trainer… but then again, I’m technically a wildling.”

“I think I we can get along just fine,” the Fletchling echoed sleepily.

Elder blinked, and then he smiled. “I guess we’re stuck with you then. Heh… I’ll take first watch.”

—

“… But sometimes, it happens the old-fashioned-way.”

The white light vanished, and so did the Fletchling. Within the blink of an eye, the bird had completely vanished from her perch on Radegast’s recovering arm. A split-second later, a cone of sand blasted from the earth, sending particles into the eyes of many an attacker. A blazing, ungodly ferocious Fletchinder darted among the enemy ranks, delivering savage, STABbing, pecking blows. It was a sight to marvel at, if only one could manage to follow.

“It’s about time,” Elder whistled and chuckled as he sucker-punched a still-confused Psychic-type into unconsciousness.

Radegast reached for his pouch to get some potions ready in case he needed them. He had no doubt these attackers could use them after the battle was over.

—

Rage’s eyes widened in utter hatred as he watched the rather powerful barrier form, cutting him, the Turtwig, and the Greninja off from the others. The last clear image he saw was Radegast’s relaxed eyes and easy smile.

“You got this, buddy!” Radegast’s voice reached the Mankey’s ears right before the barrier fully formed.

“OOORAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! YOUR TOY WILL BE SUNDERED AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH IT!!!! YOU DARE SEPARATE ME FROM FRIEND-RADEGAST!? YOU KNOW NOT THE POWER YOU CRAVE SWEET RELEASE FROM!!!!!” Rage’s anger-induced twitching became more and more intense, to the point where he appeared almost blurry- Constant, twitch-speed movement. “AN ELECTRICITY-STICK, CLEARLY A WEAPON, NAY, A CRUTCH!!!! THE TRULY STRONG RESORTS NOT TO PUNY TOYS, BUT THE BLAZING FURNACE OF THEIR BEING!!!! I WILL CRUSH YOU REGARDLESS OF TYPE, FOR THE EARTH AND SKIES, AND ALL THINGS KNOW THAT YOU ARE WEAK!!!!!!!!!” That being said, Rage stepped (or twitched? He almost seemed to blink) between the Mewostic and the Greninja. Rage’s eyes flamed to an untold wildness in a Leer that could probably unnerve even an Arceius.

The Greninja was a partially Dark-type, making her the most effective combatant against a psychic-type. Regardless of the Leer’s effectiveness, Rage thundered forward. His legs pounded the earth with the fury of a thousand malevolent gods. As he closed the distance, he zig-zagged his approach to both try to intimidate with his speed, and also make landing a long-ranged hit more difficult. After all, Rage definitely learned his lesson from that fight against Touko’s psychic-type. The most he could do is simply make the psychic-type’s aim more difficult. The Mankey’s hands shot forward. Rage intended to take the hit of, or at least swat the weapon out of the puny Meowstic’s paws. This strategy, if successful would leave the Meowstic extremely vulnerable to the Greninja.

"Okay, hold up," Touko interrupted Zane. "First, it seems you have power enough to achieve whatever you set out to do. I saw that blast all the way from Castelia, and man, that was a long flight. You should know exactly where that is, being as your kind is native to Unova," she started in on the Zoroark. "Second, if you think I'm going to give anything to megalomaniacs like you, you're crazier than you look. And third, the only thing I'm going to give you is a righteous beatdown. I'm here to challenge you to a battle! If I win, you disassemble the cannon. If I somehow manage to lose, you'll let me go without any future consequence and I'll leave you alone. Nobody has to get hurt, it's just a friendly battle to determine the future of our world."

Practiced hands whipped out a Pokeball. "So, how about it? You too chicken to put your money where your mouth is?" The Zekrom behind her let out a battle cry, hinting at a raw power even Rage was likely to appreciate as the air smelled more and more of ozone. Determined eyes hid behind the pink brim of a trucker's cap as she pondered her first move. So the dude had all sorts of tech on his side. Zekrom would probably be the best choice with Teravolt to neutralize it, as much as she hated leading with it. Maybe Juggernaut...it had just enough bulk to survive a surprise attack while boosting, then it would have more then enough speed to keep up with its trickery and soften up Zane's team enough for Zekrom to clean up. Yes. He would do nicely.

"Make your move."

The Zoroark chuckled at Touko's words. A friendly battle to determine the future of our world. "I'll have to use that one the next time someone wishes to oppose me," Zane told her as he started to walk around the edge of the pink dome, circling the trainer.

"Unova, you say? I've heard of the place, yet I'm not quite familiar with the terrain or layout. I've never been. In fact," his glance towards her and Zekrom was piercing, "I'm not even from this planet. Not technically, of course." he kept staring at Touko as he continued in his wide circle, "And I wasn't expecting you to give up anything voluntarily. Not yet. You need a little bit of convincing first." He checked his claws, rubbing them together and making sure they were still razor sharp before turning in a wide stance to face the brunette.

"I think I will take you up on that offer," Zane smiled, fangs popping out as he did, "But first, I'm a little bit outnumbered." He stretched his arms out wide, "See? I'm only me. And I'm to presume that an elite trainer like yourself has about five other allies to help you out. So I think I'll make the playing field a bit more even." With that, he put his paw to his amulet around his neck and rubbed the back of it. The black diamond stone pulsed with shadowy light while black smoke began to billow from the stone itself. Within a moment, the smoke shot forward, hitting Zekrom square in the face. The Zekrom would be surprised, then angry, and then...nothing would emote. It wouldn't matter what Touko said or commanded. Zekrom stepped forward, away from it's trainer, and walked toward Zane. It was hard to notice, given that Zekrom was the Deep Black Pokemon, but it had a ring around it's eyes...a familiar shadowy ring.

"You've encountered this amulet before," Zane smirked at Touko, "My first attempt at using it was yesterday. Remember? The little dispute between you and a certain Samurott over a specific Charmander. That attempt definitely didn't go as planned, but it did enlighten me to something better," he let the amulet rest on his chest while Zekrom turned around to face Touko as an enemy, not as an ally. "You see, that beam you saw earlier is powered by the energy Pokemon possess. And while the Charmander may have sufficed, I've stumbled across a better power source, once again thanks to you." He turned to his possessed companion as he said two words.

"Legendary Pokemon."

---

Sonya giggled at Rage went on his diatribe, "Good Arceus, you're even louder than Pounce is over there!" she motioned towards the Houndoom who was currently fending off a couple of Sableye, "In a feat of it's own, that's impressive."

She half-listened to the Mankey drone on and on about how she was going to be mince meat when he was done with him and that the weapon she carried was a sign of how weak she was and blah blah blah. She gave a patronizing look towards Rage and giggled, "Aw, dearie! Who needs brawn when you got brains? And a Psychic's brain is the best brain one could ever have!"

When Rage used Leer, the menacing look that Sonya received did jar her a bit. Despite her Tech advantage and her Type advantage, she could see right through the Mankey and know he was a rather powerful Pokemon. Not more powerful than me, she thought, but enough to make this fight more interesting. She felt her own power rise just a bit and knew that despite the Leer making her feel a bit insecure, she felt more power surge within her. Her Competitive spirit took over.

Tag took note of Rage's movements, deciding to move up with the Mankey. He ran along side the enraged being, copying the serpentine-like zig-zag that Rage was doing as he closed the distance. The Power Boots definitely helped, causing him to practically zip from place to place in a green blur. No range attack would do any good here.

Unfortunately, Sonya had no plans to use a ranged attack. She waited patiently, arms crossed until the Mankey lunged forward, aiming for the weapon. Tag also launched forward, intending to use a simple Tackle aimed at her legs. Sonya flicked a knob on her baton with her thumb, the crackling electricity fading away and replaced by a brownish glow. She pivoted with incredible timing, allowing Tag to slide underneath where she'd been previously while simultaneously grabbing the Mankey's neck, flinging herself over Rage. She then landed a stroke to the back of Rage's head with the handle of the weapon, which wouldn't hurt much. However, her quick counter would be followed up by a much quicker attack.

"Pathetic weakling," she muttered as she brought the baton down with a thundering crack! The earth around her rose up from the impact, Rage with it. It sent him airborne, allowing a cocky smile to form on Sonya's lips as she stepped forward, a few feet from where she hypothesized the Mankey was going to land. Tag flung a few Razor Leaves in her direction in desperation, but she brought the baton down again, raising the earth up in a small wall to block the sharpened projectiles with. And with precision, she used Psybeam...hitting Rage directly right before he impacted with the ground. A brilliant combo on her part as it would send Rage flying. It would be a pretty nasty hit, but who knew how resilient Rage was.

Still, he provided the distraction that was needed.

A sudden Dark Pulse hit Sonya in the back, causing her to cry out in shock as she realized who she'd forgotten. Turning around quickly, she saw Gova running at her with direct blinding speed rather than the dodgy approach Rage and Tag took. She coupled her first attack with Night Slash, a move Sonya couldn't bring her baton to block in time. She fell to the ground, panting in pain as Gova stood above her, charging up another Dark Pulse to finish the job.

And then Sonya struck, having quickly changing the Baton's settings back to the Lightning one it previously carried and smashing it into the Greninja's leg. "Gah!" Gova cried as she fell to her left knee from the abrupt strike. Sonya moved quickly, getting onto her feet and using Psychic on Gova, launching her near the edge of the peninsula. As a precaution, she used Future Sight and let loose a little bit of energy, which rose in the air and then disappeared.

Tag was then right behind her, attempting to use Giga Drain on her. But Sonya stepped back, grabbing Tag and used the Turtwig's momentum to toss him in front of her. Once more changing the knob setting on the baton to one of a simmering heat variety, she calmly walked forward and gave a mighty whack to Tag, watching the impact bring him to his knees. A burn was left on his side and Tag was clearly suffering from it. This pleased her, causing her to grab hold of Tag and force his head to look directly at hers. They were at eye level.

"No Crimson to save you now, is there?" she winked at him before raising her baton to give him a final blow that would surely knock him out.

Where was Rage?

---

"Yeah, no kidding!" You couldn't keep the dryness out of Dobro's tone as Elder told him where Zane was. However, the snarky comment enraged the Pangoro enough to throw the Scraggy he held far enough to where it was crashing into more oncoming Pokemon.

"Jeez, how many Pokemon did Zane recruit to his cause?!" Sarik glanced at Crimson as he said the question before looking down at the wave of Pokemon hurtling towards him. He decided that a quick Hydro Pump would take care of them, which it did. As the massive water blast cut through the trees in the forest, Pounce noticed and actually raised a brow in quizzical thought, "Huh, always forgets he knows how to do that," he told Pert, who was still on his back.

"Yeah, Sarik can pack a massive punch in that little body of his," Pert replied, sending a Shock Wave towards a Sneasel who tried to leap at the Plusle on Pounce's back. Pounce laughed as the Sneasel was sent back into a tree.

"Well, what did you think was gonna happen?!" Pounce shot at the downed creature before turning back to the action, " 'Scuse me...pardon me...better Pokemon coming through!"

Crimson glanced back through the pink barrier that separated him from his other teammates. He saw Zane and Touko on the other side, separated by their own little dome. He didn't have time to figure out what he was up to. He had to figure out how to break the barrier.

"Sarik, on me!" he called before running away from the fray, "Pounce, Pert, Dobro, Domingo, you guys got this for now!"

"Don't worry, you can count on us!" Domingo yelled back as Sarik retreated to Crimson's side. Anyone from Radegast's team who wished to help them joined the two as well.

"Alright, how do we shut down this barrier?" Crimson stared at Sarik. The Squirtle looked at the pink wall looming over them, approaching it.

"Hmm, well it appears to be made out of energy of some sort," he studied the surface further, "Likely won't hurt us when we touch it, but I'm not going to take that chance. Any way we can bust a hole through it?"

“Does anyone know Brick Break?” Elder asked after he sent yet another flying with a well-placed Sucker Punch. The Haunter was the only one to form up with Crimson. "Because otherwise I'm willing to bet the power source is on the other side of it."

Crystal, Operative, and Suros continued tearing through the ranks with unexpected savagery. It was clear that this team was more used to squad battles rather than simple duels. They struck absolute terror in the hearts of those who dared oppose them. Operative with her cold professionalism, Crystal with her dark, emotionless gaze, Suros with the mama bear anger.

Radegast seemed to be paying more attention to the barrier than the battle erupting around him. He could manage to see the battle going on through the barrier. He saw Rage get sent flying with a ground-type attack directed from that baton, followed by a Psybeam in mid-air.

The human was silent… deathly silent… as he watched Rage get sent over the edge of the peninsula cliff. “You got this, buddy,” the human echoed as he stared at the Meowstic… or rather, the baton she carried. The human’s gaze held an uncharacteristic… something… something truly unnerving. His eyes held an unsettling air that not even Rage’s leer could accomplish.

Almost as quick as it came, Radegast’s eyes became relaxed and friendly. The human turned back to the fight, in time to see a Houndour pouncing towards him. With an easy smile and a more relaxed expression, Radegast leaned to the side, leaving nothing between the Houndour and the barrier. With nothing to stop it, the Dark-type face-planted against the barrier.

—

SLOPPY!

Rage’s hand held a vice-like grip on the first extended rock off of the cliff face. A ground-type move, followed by a psychic-type move. A MERE TOOL, A VERSATILE TOOL, BUT A TOOL NONETHELESS! Impressive attack placement, the Mankey had to admit… but they were too weak. The Meowstic is simply too weak. It was no wonder that it resorted to tools and weapons. It would not extinguish the flames- It cannot. Only the truly strong can snuff out the great engine of fury… Though that did not mean the attacks did not hurt. A GROUND-TYPE ATTACK TO KNOCK ME OFF-BALANCE, FOLLOWED WITH A SURE-HIT PSYBEAM! A WORTHY TACTIC!!! A CLEVER COMBINATION!!! FRIEND-RADEGAST AND FRIEND-ELDER WOULD HAVE APPROVED! Rage ached in a similar fashion to Touko’s psychic-type’s attacks. However, a single strike from that Champion’s Volcarona hurt far more than everything that Meowstic had just thrown at the Mankey.

BUT IT IS NOT THAT VOLCARONA! IT IS NOT… SUROS!!! The Mankey’s pain all but completely vanished as his fury returned in full. With a single tug, the Mankey threw himself back over the cliff edge. From his position, he saw that the Greninja was being pushed away with Psychic attacks… which otherwise do not affect or even harm Dark-types.

WEAK… AND STUPID, I SEE! Rage thought, but did not scream… not yet… The Meowstic was moving to land a finishing blow against the Turtwig ally. Ignoring the pain with every fibre of his being, (made easier with a combination of adrenaline and anger) the Mankey rapidly and silently closed the distance, and moved to wrap both arms around the Meowstic’s waist.

If both hands locked together, Rage would not give the Meowstic a chance to break free, for he would immediately lift, sending the pokemon into a German Suplex variant of the Seismic Toss. “OORRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” He would shriek with as much gusto as before. The suplex would no-doubt send the Meowstic's head upon the tough cliffside ground.

Touko recoiled in shock as the Zekrom was forced to switch sides. "No! Zekrom! You have to fight it! We're friends, remember? Don't you? Buddy?" Her knees weakened as the force of the realization hit her like, well, one of Zekrom's attacks. Her eyes glanced around. That rod...that seemed pretty important. Her mind whirled with options, evaluating and discarding possibilities, picking through the various paths the battle could take, before eventually settling on something. It wasn't what her team was designed for, but here went...something.

"You...I won't let you get away with this. You made one mistake in your otherwise perfect plan...you made me fight at full power! Katsu zo! Dweller, Volcarona, let's save the world! Together!" Her aura was almost visible as a large gray-ish quadruped with magnificent forward-sweeping horns hit the field alongside a brightly colored six-winged moth, with red and white accents hovering nearby. "Dweller, use Sacred Sword! Go for that Zoroark! Volcarona, we've got to weaken Zekrom, so burn it with Will-o-Wisp!"

The Terrakion let out a battle cry before charging forward at incredible speed, ignoring the electrically charged black beast altogether in favor of the puppet master. Its horns glowed with power as it lowered its head before leaping at Zane, sweeping its head upward like a Bouffalant trying to gore an unfortunate antagonist. Meanwhile, the moth's job was to make the fight against the recently converted legendary dragon easier for the rest of the team, summoning balls of ghostly fire and hurling them at its rather large target to not only cause damage over time, but weaken its brutally strong physical assaults.

I wonder what Iris is doing right now. I need to see her about taking the Unova championship back...better for me to take it from Alder than for him to retire and leave the seat open.

Zane simply smirked as Touko brought out the Terrakion and Volcarona. Things were going well, all things considered. Maybe not exactly to plan, but he could improvise. Zane looked to the Zekrom expectantly, "Try not to overexert yourself. But please do take out that thing?" Zekrom's answering roar even sounded automated, as if the amulet he wore took away all emotion. Yet something had resonated within Zekrom. Even though the Electric Dragon didn't show it, Touko's words somehow reached it. Zekrom would hold back at least somewhat.

But it didn't stop him from attacking all together. He took the Will-o-Wisp head on, then barreled forward. A Dragon Claw was the first move to come out, smashing straight into the Fire Psychic. He followed up with a Crunch, now that he was in close range and could effectively use the move Type the Volcarona was weak to. Meanwhile, Zane concentrated and flipped himself to the side, dodging the Sacred Sword. He thought quickly and imagined himself lighter than he was before. The Agility hit quickly and Zane was practically a blue when he moved.

"Gonna have to try a bit harder than that," he stopped in front of Dweller to wink before moving (or just about phasing) right behind him, wiggling his claws in front of him expectantly, waiting for Touko's next move.

---

"What the-"Sonya could only manage to stutter as she was suplexed into the peninsula. She felt the earth crack below her as she couldn't make a full fledged cry out in pain. Rather, it came in a barely audible wheeze as she just about slumped to the ground. By this point, Tag had appeared next to Rage.

"Well, that's one way to do it, I guess," Tag at the furious beast that stood next to him, "Well done."

The Greninja had gotten up and walked over as well, laughing coldly, "How does it feel to be bested by a move type you're resistant to?"

It was true. Her Psychic-Type made her resistant to Fighting-Type moves. And while Seismic Toss had done a lot to her, it hadn't taken her out. Not completely. That was their misfortune as Sonya struggled to get up. She had dropped the baton, losing it in the grass as she was lifted and slammed down by the Mankey. The look of pure rage was on her face as she gritted her teeth and glared daggers at the Mankey.

"A CHEAP MOVE!" she screeched, "Seismic Tossing me from behind! Learn your place! ALL OF YOU!!!" she brought her hand down.

It was a perfectly timed Future Sight on Sonya's part. Neither Gova nor Rage had seen her use it. Only Tag recognized what she was doing as the massive blob of energy plummeted from the heavens. He barely managed to escape the direct hit, yet the force of impact was enough to send him flying off to the side, hitting the barrier and sliding down. He hit the ground hard...not enough to knock him out, but enough to make it a struggle to get back up again.

Gova was not so lucky. The energy had hit her dead on and she practically suffocated under it. It was her resistance to Psychic-Types and her lack of damage thus far that kept her from being knocked out by it all together. When the dust cleared, she was flat on the ground, grimacing in pain. Pulling herself together, she was shaky getting to a standing position as well.

And as for Rage...the move would have a SEVERE impact on him. Given his natural weakness to Psychic moves, the hits he'd taken thus far, and the sheer power of Future Sight as a whole, it wouldn't be surprising if the move knocked him out entirely. Of course, there was no telling with Rage, as he seemed to pull life, energy, and determination from a hidden temple of fury somewhere in his body.

---

Crimson glanced at Elder as he relayed his suggestion, "I don't. But maybe this will do." He twirled the Power Bat in his hand as he set himself up for a mighty swing. The Bat itself wasn't completely charged with energy, though it did gain some from the battle with Zane's current Psychic Rebellion. Crimson figured it was worth a shot at least.

He swung forward with all his might. The jarring feeling of impact went through his arms and around his body as the Bat struck the wall, exerting what energy it had on it. The wall seemed to vibrate, the impact spot turning a bright white before the white spread out in a circle across the wall, like a water droplet on a still lake. It had a ripple effect.

But the wall didn't break. Crimson stepped back in frustration. "Hm...didn't work," he said.

Sarik was eyeing the spreading circle from the impact, "It's spreading the energy around," he observed, "See? The circle is fading into pink as it spreads. It's the wall's defense mechanism!" he turned to Crimson excitedly, "If we can blast enough energy on a single point, I think we can break it!"

Just then, Crimson looked up to see Tag smack right into the wall, sliding down in pain. It was almost like a switch was flipped within him as he could only watch Tag get up, having clearly taken a beating. He'd seen this scene in front of him before...too many times...

He would not let it happen again.

With newly found anger, Crimson stepped towards the wall, laying a constant barrage of Fire Punches on a specific point. Sarik saw what he was doing and joined him, letting loose a mighty Hydro Pump. The power the two Pokemon demonstrated on the wall was extremely impressive, but it wasn't enough.

"Elder, put your new hands to good use!" Sarik called to the Haunter.

Meanwhile, the Psychic Rebellion battled on against the seven Pokemon fighting them. While they were doing very well at fending them off so far, they would find themselves getting tired. Battle was taxing and the onslaught of Pokemon was still numerous. Pretty soon, even the most determined would succumb to the amount of energy extruded. So far, none of them had even showed signs of slowing down, not even the weakest of the group, which was Pert. But it would come. Zane had planned that part out.

Elder nodded, grinned savagely, and readied his clawed hands much like he did when he applied Toxic to many an enemy. He thrust his hands forward repeatedly in multiple jabs, all focused on a singular point, between the attacks everyone else was throwing.

Radegast glanced at the group trying to break through the barrier. He signalled to the others that he was going to form up with the barrier-breaking crew that Elder just joined.

Crystal and the Operative were both beginning to show signs of fatigue, but Suros remained as speedy and deadly as ever. The human produced some potions and said, “Operative, form up.” The Joltik bounded back to Radegast’s side. While Suros and Crystal provided cover, Radegast applied the medicinal sprays to rejuvenate the Joltik’s fighting ability. Radegast also rubbed his hoodie sleeve against his sling to build up some static electricity for the Operative to absorb. It was not much, but the tiny Joltik appreciated the extra charge. They repeated the potion treatment for Crystal as well. “Suros, you doing okay, buddy?”

Suros slashed at the ground once more, sending another billowing cloud of sand into the faces of many an opponent. This gave her time to chirp, “Lord-Regent, I am fine if you’re fine!”

“What he means is do you need any potions?” Crystal returned.

“I know, but I’m fine! They haven’t even landed a hit on me!” Suros bragged before she returned to the fray.

“Well, nothing ever could land a hit on you,” Radegast chuckled, “Still, be careful. A’ight?”

“You got it, Lord-Regent!”

“Crystal, they’re gonna need your help with that barrier,” Radegast indicated the group sending attack after attack at the barrier.

Crystal nodded, hopped over to the group, and fired off her Aqua Jet at a location near Elder’s targeted location.

Between the Operative and Suros, the enemy was slowly, but surely gaining ground. Suros could dodge and weave all day, the enemy was simply too slow, but the Fletchinder could not attack as much as she’d like. Operative could only push the enemy back with well-placed String Shot.

If they were to break through the barrier, it had to be now. Radegast was ready to grab Crystal and leap through as soon as an opening was made. Everyone else was fast enough on land.

—

The blow was at full-power, but the Meowstic’s enraged monologue gave the Mankey time to raise his arms to try to block whatever came. The blob of energy slammed against Rage, tearing through his being. The attack made his cellular structure ripple and flare up in an enormous amount of pain. Rather, it brought back and amplified that pain the Mankey’s anger had previously forced himself to ignore. Rage dropped to his knees. His eyes seemed calm, almost glazed, even. A fist shot out and caught himself before he could drop forward and hit the ground. CHEAP MOVES? TELL THAT TO THE STRIKE FROM THE HEAVENS! IT MATTERS NOT, FOR NO GOD COULD EVER QUENCH THE FIRES OF RAGE!

Rage laughed a maniacal chortle. “YOUR FRUSTRATION IS LIKE A MOTHER'S NECTAR! IT TOOK THREE SUPER-EFFECTIVE MOVES ON YOUR PART TO MERELY INCAPACITATE ME! YOU ARE NO SUROS! YOU ARE TRULY WEAK! EVEN FRIEND-RADEGAST- A MERE HUMAN MORTAL- COULD DEFEAT YOU WITH HIS BARE HANDS!” Rage was defiant enough to avoid a KO entirely… but he was indeed no longer capable of fighting. Despite his fury, he learned from Elder to always retain a modicum of intelligence and control. Rage knew that he needed medical attention and quick. If only the Lord-Regent could get through that barrier. For now, however, he continued laughing, playing to the Meowstic's frustrations. She did not seem trained in the controlled usage of her own anger, unlike the Mankey. She'd probably be blinded by her own anger, left vulnerable to a clever move by the obviously more intelligent Turtwig or the Greninja.