Fuchsia City

"Winter?! Holy shit, don't scare me like that!" Titania put a hand to her chest and took a few ragged breaths before calming down somewhat and accepting the handshake. "The Unovan champ Touko called me out of retirement. Something about a Master Blaster that's going around causing mass devastation. The one saving grace is that this menace appears to be entirely homegrown. She wants me to use my engineering skills to take it apart for good, but we need to find this damn thing before it finds us."

A cautious glance over to Xiulan. She couldn't talk about the secret mission in front of civilians, but judging from the boy's return, it was completed. "So. Any leads that the Kantonian government is pursuing? From what I saw in Alola, this might not even be the only one of its kind."

The Indigo Champion laughed in regard to Titania's outburst, mainly because he was fifteen and felt more comfortable around people than ever before, "Oh, c'mon. Ya know it's me! Who else had white hair like mine?" He ruffled it on top of his head as if to prove a point.

Winter nodded and repeated the name, "Touko...I think I read about her somewhere. She's the one who put a stop to the Team Plasma thievery and save the entire region, right?" His thought process continued as things started to come back to him: the letter he received from Burgh, the sightings of the Master Blaster, and his part in helping Touko locate Titania in the first place. In his fighting with the strange lady on top of Mt. Silver, he'd completely forgotten about it.

The Champion rubbed the back of his head, eyes lit with recognition, "That's right! Burgh had sent me a telegram explaining all this. He reached out to me and asked if I knew where you had gone. I had to be truthful about it." His grin faded softly, understanding what Titania had mentioned to him before she took off to the Alola Region, "I know you were trying to keep a low profile and I respect that. But I at least had to get Touko to ask you personally about it. I'm genuinely sorry if I stepped over a line I shouldn't have."

He didn't wait for an answer, but rather pressed on to answer her own question, "Not really. Truth be told, this is the first time we've gotten wind of something like this happening. I had heard about the two sightings in Unova, but not here. And now that we've got wind of this, I guess we should get started on investigating this." He held out a hand, as if he was showcasing the cindered manner to prove a point, "No single being should carry this kind of power."

"It...it's not you. I just don't like it when people surprise me like that." A heavy sigh from Titania before referring back to the machine the scientist had left. "Looks like my idea was correct. This blast came from outside the mansion, given all the debris was knocked in the same general direction. If it had collapsed from the battle, it would have fallen in on itself. But if it came from along the ground, this means that they must have some kind of portable version..."

She snapped her fingers. Idea. "They must have gotten whatever they were seeking before blowing the place up. Now we just have to figure out what that was. Winter, get your team out. Help me move this stuff. If we find out what they're after, we might get a clue as to where they'll strike next. I'd love to battle, but not when there's a terrorist on the loose."

Winter nodded as he turned to the investigators, "Set up a perimeter around the property. Don't let anyone or anything in or out. We're going to take a look around."

As the investigators turned to do what the Champion had asked, he then joined Titania in pushing aside the debris left in the Master Blaster's wake. Most of it was pretty easy to move, nothing more than charred, wooden bits and occasional stone slabs. As the two entered onto the property, Lucky scurried ahead, searching for clues.

"Watch your step, buddy!" he called after him, "This floor is pretty unstable and I'm not sure if they have a basement."

He amended himself in his head. Had a basement.

Winter was also careful to take his time and scope out the floor, searching for the weak boards to avoid. He could make safe assumptions which areas of the house were safe and which were not by examining the pieces around them. There was a decrepit piano that lay in smolders, but still in many pieces and with enough shape to it that Winter could recognize it as such. And he assumed most pianos were pretty heavy. He made his way over to there, stopping only to examine what looked to be a painting at some point or another. It was unrecognizable in it's own right.

"So why would they attack this particular place then, if that was their end objective?" he half thought to himself, half asked Titania, "I don't think they would do this mindlessly." Then again, he'd witnessed worse.

"Maybe the Reginalds were working against the people who have the device, and someone decided it was time to end their meddling. If they saw fit to use this much power, either they wanted to send a message or they're way stronger than before. Go talk with Janine and her ninjas, see what they've uncovered so far. If anyone had a chance of seeing what happened here, it's them."

Titania got careless during her monologue and let out another frightened yelp as the floor gave way, jumping back just in time! "EEEEEEEK! Ah...ah...fuck...got lost in thought there. Anyway, if they're this powerful, then I don't know if even the both of us working together could take down their operatives."

Winter nodded thoughtfully, "That's not such a bad- WATCH OUT!"

He reached out to try and grab Titania, but was definitely too far out of reach. Luckily, she had the reaction time to jump back before she caved in with the floor. Winter breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess that warning goes for both of us. We're not as light as a Squirtle." he joked, making levity of the situation. But all concentration went towards the gap in the floor as he spotted something glimmering from the light of the sun peeping through it. The roof was obliterated, after all.

"Huh..." Winter noted, "Titania, come take a look at this."

The Champion crept closer and closer to the large hole in the floor, spreading his weight across the floorboards so that they wouldn't give way under him. He realized then and there that he didn't have a flashlight, but he would at least try to get a better glance with the lighting he had.

"There's something down there, actually. They must have a basement then. Only...why does everything look like it's made of stone?"

From his perspective, he was looking down at a corridor made of cool granite. The inside wasn't lit up, but easily looked like it could've from the metal torch holders that was what actually caught Winter's attention earlier. An idea came to him.

"Hmm..." he thought as he carefully reached for his belt and pulled out the PokeBall he knew contained Mane. A flick of the wrist and he chucked the PokeBall into the cavern, releasing the Typhlosion into the cavern. Mane blinked, glancing arounda t his surroundings in puzzled bewilderment.

"I'm up here, buddy!" the Champion called out to him.

Mane glanced up at the sound of his trainer's voice, giving him a bleary eyed look that said: Why'd you wake me up?

"I know. You were probably sleeping. But I need your help. Along the side walls are some torch holder thingies. Can you go ahead and light the torches that are in them? This way, we can see where you're at."

Mane reared back and unleashed Inferno around the surroundings, lighting all the torches at once. In the same movement, however, the hot blast of air from the attack shook the boards around them, causing the floor Winter was lying on to finally give way.

"WoooOAAAAH!" came Winter's cry as he plummeted downward, into the corridor.

"Damn it, Winter, you're going to get us both killed at this rate!" Titania was never one to watch her words, but the larger hole let her see down as well. "Hey...you're right. I see something down there, too. I guess it's a good thing that the house got blasted away from outside. I don't think the basement could have taken the house coming down on it as you would have with a controlled demolition...here. This ain't my first rodeo going down into a dangerous cavern."

Titania reached into her pack and tossed down one end of an Escape Rope for Winter. "Tie this around your waist. If there's any other nasty surprises waiting down there, I can pull you out. The reason I'm sending you down there is because I don't think this arrangement would work the other way around. Plus you and your Pokémon can get into smaller spaces. You can see things I can't. We're going to get to the bottom of this, in more ways than one, and if we wait for Janine the whole thing's gonna come down on us at this rate."

Man, is the Burned Tower in Johto this dangerous? was Titania's thought as she awaited Winter's response to her suggestion.

A weak reply came from below, "Yeah...I'm alright, too, by the way..."

He coughed as he pushed himself to his feet. Mane came bounding up to the Indigo Champion, eyes fixated on his and checking him over. He was surprisingly alert, mostly out of concern for his trainer.

Winter patted him on his head, "It's alright, dude. I'm alright."

Mane nodded and stepped to the side as Winter grabbed the rope, tying it around his waist just as Titania instructed. Lucky, who had hopped off his shoulder and onto the charred ground above them, was now peeking over the side, curiosity in his stare. "Squir?"

Winter stared up at him, "I'll be alright this time around, buddy. You hang back with Titania and keep her company. Me and Mane will check this out."

The Squirtle nodded and proceeded to where Titania was kneeling down, positioning himself accordingly.

"Alright," Winter cleared his mind and focused on the task at hand. He patted the Typhlosion by his side and gave him a soft smile, "Let's check the place out."

Mane made a noise of acknowledgement and took the lead, Winter following close behind. As they walked, Winter knew that he wasn't in any kind of basement, like he initially thought. The torches that were lit up revealed the surface to be smooth stone, not typical wood or cement. It wasn't a big room that he'd fallen into, but a winding corridor he'd managed to break into the middle of. The pathway went at either an incline or a decline, depending on which way Winter wanted to go on this spiral walkway. And he didn't fall in here to make his way back up to the surface just yet.

"Let's go this way," Winter suggested, pointing down the path that went deeper into the ground.

The two of them began their steady walk. It wasn't long before they started to run out of light and therefore visibility. But that was part of the reason why Winter had Mane out. A quick blast of heat by the Fire-Type lit up the torches as they descended further and further. Winter began to notice the cracks in the stone around them disappearing, the mantles for the torches on the wall growing straighter and straighter. He realized quickly that this was what the corridor was supposed to look like and that the initial decrepit state of the corridor he'd fallen down into was a result of the Master Blaster's enormous beam. He hadn't even explored the upward path yet, but he wasn't sure exactly what was going to be left.

Mane made a noise, breaking Winter's train of thought as he looked up to notice the Typhlosion pointing towards a doorway.

"I see it," the teen acknowledged as he rounded the corner...and froze in his tracks.

In one glance, he not only discovered the purpose of this room, but the purpose of this entire underground structure. In the center of the room were three stone caskets evenly spaced and plain in design apart from a symbol etched into the center (a shield with a blade crossed behind it). However, that was the most plain part of this room. Every other square inch was adorned with drawings and carvings and statues of various meanings and depictions. Winter could only guess this was a mural of some kind, representing all the various feats of the ones who currently occupied these plain boxes. He glanced from left to right, examining the detail in two men wrestling Sharpedos and striking a pose wielding an Aegislash as if it were a sword and shield all the way down to the drawing of a man battling a Giratina. Two statues were in each corner, each depicting women. Wives... the thought clicked in the Indigo Champ's mind.

This was a catacomb.

He stepped into the room, feeling the cool air around him and shivering slightly. Luckily, Mane was there to warm him up and give him the understanding that he wasn't alone. It gave him the nerve necessary to read the plaques on the side of each casket, starting with the one in the middle. It read:



"Hmm..." Winter noted, "Must've been a tough dude."

He read the other plaques, one being about Gregorovich's father and one about his uncle. They read similar tales of valor, detailing accomplishments and the like. He smiled at the thought. No wonder this family had this mansion out here, he thought. They seemed to be quite successful. He even felt like he could recall the name from somewhere in the Champion's Database as some of these Reginalds could've held the title of Indigo Champion before him.

"Come on, Mane," he said as he turned around and walked out of the tomb, "Let's let these people rest."

They continued their descent, stumbling upon another room in the process. Unlike the one before it, this one was much more bare, the caskets open as they were unoccupied. He only spotted one plaque plastered on the center tiles. It looked like it wasn't done as it didn't have a description on it, but it did have a name and Date of Birth engraved:



One foot in the grave? Winter couldn't help but wonder.

Apart from that, nothing else was terribly impressive or interesting and Winter had explored as far down as he could've. He decided to make the reverse trek and see what was in the path above the hole in the ceiling. But he didn't get to explore very far as he walked up to a cave in blocking his path, likely a result of the Master Blaster.

Rats, he thought as he made his way to the hole he'd fallen into and tugged on the Escape Rope around his waist.

"Kay, Titania! I'm ready!"

Hand over hand, keeping tension on the rope as one did when belaying another, Titania pulled Winter out of the underground chambers.

"You were down there a while. I'm guessing that there was more down there at first, but between the blaster and the rope limit we couldn't see everything. Still, I bet there's some really interesting clues down there as to what they were after. Let's retire to the Pokémon Center and discuss this in a saner environment. I'd bring this right to Janine, but those slanted rooms give me vertigo."

Gossip had spread in the morning, as civilians milled along the edge of the police lines. No one knew specifics, but none could mistake the deathly smoke that lingered even with the dying embers. Something terrible had happened.

Janine had only arrived back from visiting her father, and just saw the smoke. Knowing perfectly well where the smoke originated, she double-timed it up the winding road leading up to the Estate. As per her Gym Leader discipline, she didn’t display any evidence of her immense concern. By Arceus, Please let them be alright.

The local law enforcement recognized the ninja girl immediately, and let her pass. “Has anyone been found?” She asked, fearing the worst, but managing to hide her fear.

“Only one,” The lieutenant replied, “No signs of anyone else, however.” As Janine crossed the gatehouse threshold, she beheld the carnage that remained.

The Reginald Estate was cleaved in half with a single blast that dug downward into the earth, leaving a tunnel with a roof held together solely by the strength of the ancient tree’s strong root system. Having visited multiple times as Margriet’s guest, she saw the familiar gardens trampled, the immense gates pulverized into splinters, the Catacombs decimated, and the house a shell of its former self. In addition, many of the outer walls were carved out with powerful blasts. No one could possibly live here anymore.

Janine clenched her jaw and fought back the tears of a destroyed piece of memory. She had to be a stoic gym leader, like her father before her. Only one body was found. Margriet’s father had a Palkia. Those could create portals in space in case they needed to escape. There’s no evidence to think they were va… vaporized..

Her aura sense picked up on residual soul radiation. She had felt it before, only on a weaker scale, when “Gastly” conducted fusion with that Aegislash.

The body- now covered and being brought back to the station- was not yet identified. Some officers nodded respectfully to the Gym Leader as she passed them in the front garden. Soon enough, she stepped over the splintered front doors into what was left of the main foyer. There, she saw a tough-looking and very familiar woman, as well as an albino boy. Despite the familiarity, she couldn’t quite recall the name.

“W-What’s the story here?” She asked, her voice shook slightly as she fought to maintain her composure, “Was this that…?” She had heard about the Rebellion from Margriet and Radegast, but she couldn’t be sure if it was the same involved. Was this destruction from that Master Blaster thing? “Have you found anything?” She changed the subject, concerning herself only with whoever remained.

Winter was the first to turn and see the woman approaching, her magenta cape billowing behind her sleek form. She wore mostly black with a few hints of purple around her waist and ankles and she had gray socks but no shoes. Her purple hair was tied behind her head tightly in a functional manner that signified she didn't want it getting in her way. And he could tell that her eyes were hardened, steely, ready to fight if she had to. But he wouldn't expect anything less from the Fuchsia Gym Leader.

He was polite as he extended his hand, "Good morning, Janine. We're trying to piece it together, too. Although I'm pretty sure we both have a good hunch." He turned to Titania with that, giving her a nod before continuing conversation with Janine, "I don't think we formally met like this. It was a couple years ago when I actually fought you at your gym. I'm Winter Sakkio, now the Indigo Champion. And this is Titania, the predecessor to the title."

With introductions out of the way, the hard part for Winter was figuring out where to start explaining this whole thing. He didn't know too much about it, himself. Mostly from what he gathered about Burgh's telegram earlier this year. He decided that Titania probably knew more about it and could probably explain it better than he could.

"Well, I don't know much about what happened her," he admitted to her, "I was just called onto the scene. But I know enough to know that this is likely the work of some machine that's being called the 'Master Blaster'. Titania can tell you more about it. Alll I've done is explore the underground area a bit. Oh, by the way, before I forget," He glanced back at Titania, "It looks like some kind of catacombs down there. Where they kept their deceased relatives and things like that. A lot of them are destroyed, but it goes as far back at...some guy named Gregorovich Reginald."

His soft, blue gaze rested on Janine, "Do you know more about the people who lived here? Maybe something that could tell us why they were attacked?"

As Winter introduced himself, Janine nodded. Her eyes lit up with recognition. “I do remember! You fought very well. Your Pokemon had great strength and wits. Hope they still do,” She winked, adding with a slightly cryptic tone, “It looks like we’ll need them…”

She then listened intently as their briefing, what Titania was after, what Winter was after. After hearing the familiar name of Margriet’s grandfather, the ninja gym leader chimed in. “Gregorovich is recent,” Janine corrected as she more closely examined the blaster-bored tunnel, “By Arceus, most of it’s been…” She brought a hand up to move her scarf over her quivering lips. “All that history…”

“I’m friends with the Reginald family. They told me about about that “Master Blaster” you mentioned. It’s weilded by this group of hateful Pokemon called the Psychic Rebellion. The Reginalds-” She paused as she stepped into what was left of the living room, with only one crumbling wall remaining on the side, “They told me about them- how they crossed paths in a bad way. The Reginalds sent people around to spread the word, get people aware to help fight… but I never thought they’d be…” She trailed off as she spotted some remnants- a broken picture frame. It was of an old, yet impressive calligraphy art assignment. Janine had given it to Margriet a long time ago.

Gastly’s alright- he left already… but Margriet… What happened to them? She grit her teeth, but reclaimed the picture nonetheless.

“This doesn’t make sense, though,” She noted aloud, “Last I heard, the Reginalds had some real heavy hitters and genius trainers on their side. They were ready. How could…” Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she wiped them away. “How could it turn out this one-sided?” The residual, yet familiar aura radiating from the area as well. It felt immensely more potent than the tiny embers of power she had felt while training Radegast. Could it be…?

“I just hope they’re alright,” She finally concluded.

"Wait. If the Reginalds are this badass, then I have the same question. How could they be wiped out just like that on their own turf? If the Psychic Rebellion really is this strong, there's no way a frontal assault is going to work. It'll be like...like..."

Titania's knees buckled and she hit the floor hard. "Like what happened on Terra...I...I need to be alone for a while. Gonna book a room here or something. I...I just can't deal with all this right now..." She took off down the corridor, sobbing heavily.

"Titania!" Winter called after her, but she didn't look back. He sighed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Sorry bout that. Titania...hasn't been the same since recent events. I helped her resolve some issues, but she's evidently got something else bugging her."

The Champion decided that all the Iron Maiden would need right now was time to sort this out. She would recover and be back into the action soon. He felt it. But even so, he felt residual guilt over his decision to not at least run over to her and help her figure things out. But he could tell by the way she reacted that this was probably out of his depth. That was serious...too serious for him to handle.

Yeah, and huge death beams that killed Pokemon weren't?

He laughed inwardly at the realization, but still pressed.

"So a group of hateful Pokemon..." he held on to that bit of information as another memory entered his mind, "I wonder if it's the same one I ran into a few months back. They nearly swiped one of my friends while I was distracted. Had it not been for that weird Chimchar I ran into, they might have. Hmm..." he seemed to be deep in thought for a second more before his eyes lifted from the massive hole in the ground to Janine's hardened gaze.

"Mind taking a trip with me to a forest outside Lavender Town? I think I remember a place where we might be able to find more answers."

"I would love to go, but I do have a gym to run," She responded respectfully, "I wish you luck in your investigations, however," she then bowed, and headed to the local police to ask if she could lend assistance as the Fuchsia Gym Leader.

Winter nodded in understanding, "Fair enough. I wish you luck in you Gym battles. And I'll come back to you with anything I find!" He gave a smile and a wave as he watched her walk towards the town.

So Janine's out... he thought as he glanced back towards the decimated manor behind him, Maybe I should talk to Titania...

He didn't have a problem fighting the Psychic Rebellion last time, decimating just about their entire army. But unlike the previous time, he wouldn't have that Chimchar to help him. And he didn't want to call upon Arty unless it was an absolute emergency. But just in case they were inhabiting the area he had in mind, he wanted some form of extra help.

So he doubled back and rounded a corner and found Titania, slumped against one of the cracked walls, staring down at the ground, tears streaked across her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and red and her hair was slightly disheveled, as if she had been clutching it tightly. Winter knew he had to approach cautiously and with a friendly air.

"Hey, you alright?" Winter asked as he crouched next to her, looking at her defensive posture.

"Squir?" Lucky had been spectating up until then, but now placed himself directly in Titania's line of sight. The Squirtle blinked and cocked his head slightly, as if wondering if he could help in any way.

"I...I'm okay. I'm okay now. Seeing all that destruction...it reminded me of when I dealt with something like this back on Terra. They didn't stop at defeating my Pokemon...I actually ran here to Ruula to get away and get stronger for when they did catch up to me. I have no idea if these guys are connected or not, but if they are, we are royally screwed."

Titania's knees were still a little wobbly as she got up at Winter's insistence, and sniffled one more time. "All right. Would it be okay if I asked you to lead the way? I may be brave enough to go with you, but I don't think I could take point after what you just saw. Might have another panic attack. In any case, we have to assume that these guys are well organized, well equipped, and have a number of tactics and strategies pre-planned in case of attack. They were probably planning the assault for months to come down in a single decisive strike like this. Any less and the Reginalds would have put up enough resistance for them to resort to siege tactics, which would have taken long enough for Janine to get involved and set up a flanking maneuver."

Titania started hastily scribbling out shapes and arrows in a notebook she kept in her breast pocket. A square for the Reginald mansion, X's and O's for the attackers and defenders, her mind whirling like a crankshaft. "Obviously, they had overwhelming force on their side, but this attack was also well planned. This means that they must have a number of well-fortified hideouts scattered across the region, and possibly even the world, in case someone tries to take the fight to them. This also means that they must have a regular exchange of supplies between the bases. We find the supply lines, we find the bases, we find the commanders in the bases, we work our way up the food chain. It won't be easy, but this is what worked for me before."

Having had the opportunity to grapple with her inner demons, Titania beamed, the first time in a long time she had ever managed to crack a smile. Maybe now people would believe her when she said she was strong enough to at least contend for a title, to be able to come up with plans like this so quickly. So what if she never was really able to come through in the clutch? Raw strength was always a viable strategy, plus now that she had Winter on her side, it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders and she could actually function.

Winter agreed, "Of course I don't mind! I was planning on doing that anyway."

Lucky, noticing that she was starting to feel better, scampered to Winter's side and scaled his back, resting on his shoulder. Winter took little notice of this as he took in the elaborate planning Titania was laying out for them. Watching her mind work like that...it was awesome. Every interaction Winter had with the Iron Maiden previously, she hardly lived up to the title, taking a shell of her former self. Whatever had happened to her on Terra, it had a lasting and overwhelming effect over her. But for the first time, it was like seeing the former Champion in her true form...in her prime. This was the Champion Winter wanted to fight to claim his title.

Maybe someday...

"That makes sense..." Winter nodded thoughtfully, "Being able to bring together an army in two different parts of the world...I can see how your solution would work there. It's like every little region has a pocket of Psychic Rebellion dudes that form together and become bigger and stronger when they need to. In any case, you're right/ We need to start with the root and work our way up to the top of the tree. And I've already got a place in mind."

He pulled out a PokeBall and cast out Rio, who grunted upon arrival. He turned to face Winter with a stare that said Where to next? Or am I actually gonna fight something for once?

Winter chuckled, "I know you wanna fight, buddy. This next stop, we might have to. So be prepped for it!"

The Aerodactyl beat it's chest as it crouched lower to allow Winter and Titania onto his back.

"It's not too far from here," Winter explained as he hopped on Rio and held a hand out for Titania to grab, "Just outside Lavender Town. Though I have to remember where the clearing is..."

ONE WEEK AFTER THE BATTLE

The flight to Fuchsia City was uneventful. They were picked up by two Dragonites, Glycon and Agave as they introduced themselves, and immediately took to the skies. Radegast sat on the back of Glycon while Dee rode with Siena (who elected not to enter Sky Form so she could rest) on Agave. Gambit flew beside Radegast and Reggie, constantly asking the Coat of Arms questions about where he came from and what the past was like.

"Overall, it's rather nice nowadays," Reggie admitted as he was slung over Radegast's back so he could talk to Gambit, "Communication across continents is near-instantaneous, language translation is readily available, and fighting is confined within globally accepted honor rules. Several generations ago, half of the human cities you see nowadays didn't exist."

"So this is basically the Ride Pokemon system... except by Pokemon, for Pokemon?" Radegast rose a brow. As usual, he never felt that comfortable using a Pokemon as glorified transit.

"Um..." Glycon contemplated, trying to figure out what words to use, "Yes and no. Really, we work with the Crimson Guild to get their members from Point A to Point B as quick as possible. That's our main purpose. That way, we can respond to any threats that happen in the world in a timely manner. Now if some other wildings ask for a ride, then sure. Usually we don't mind. It depends on the flyer, though."

Radegast nodded, but he found himself wondering if he would be able to fly with psychic power someday.

The time flew by and the group was on the outskirts of Fuchsia City in no time. Glycon and Agave knew what they were doing and were careful to fly low and out of sight from the locals. The last thing they needed were reported sightings of two Dragonites landing nearby and a plethora of Pokemon Trainers running after them to try and claim one. They stayed just above the treeline and were soon at the mansion ruins, landing a hundred yards from the clearing.

After dismounting, Siena approached Radegast, "We'll keep an eye out for you guys and make sure no one comes walking up the path. You two take all the time you need."

Dee rapidly bounded to the entrance of the grounds, a keen and focused eye resting on the path preceding it. Gambit took to the skies, hiding above the ground and providing a top-down perspective. Siena blended in with the foliage around the estate, appearing as a bush as she positioned herself near the back and watched their six. Radegast and Reggie, meanwhile, approached the rubble that remained of the Reginald Estate.

To Radegast, the story told by the Coat of Arms did the destruction no justice. Where the great estate stood, only the splinters of the side walls remained. A great gaping hole bored into the ground at an angle, obliterating home, garden, and even the upper levels of the Catacombs. The only thing that stood- miraculously- was the ancient tree that stood over the Catacombs entrance. Its immense tangle of roots evidently were the only thing that held a slab of earth above the hole.

All evidence of Radegast's room was erased. His only possessions remained in his room at the Treehouse.

Where was everyone now? They were safe, but Reggie didn't know where. He didn't absorb any soul energy from anyone else. Even though she performed fusion, Margriet's energy never transferred. As far as either of them knew, the Family had disappeared.

"It's gone," The Aegislash spoke.

"There's still bits and pieces left," Radegast replied in an attempt to comfort Reggie, "Just need to get a whole lotta dirt in that hole to support the tree, and we can work from ther-"

"Not that," Reggie interrupted, "The first tombs are gone... Did they destroy it?"

"Destroy what?"

"No, Lucy would've known about it. She would've taken it out beforehand."

"Taken what?"

"The Vandal's casket," Reggie replied, "Where his body- filled with traces of abominable knowledge- remained."

"Abominable like me?" Radegast's eyes narrowed, albeit in jest.

"Yes, actually," Reggie replied, "Well, no.. Not like you. There was nothing like the Vandal. If all had gone his way, nothing ever would've been like the Vandal. I can't fathom what sort of discoveries Lucy would make if she opened that box."

"If?" Radegast asked.

"It is an incredibly tough stone. No human tools I know would be hard enough to scratch it. I know I couldn't- which was the point."

"Well, what do you know?" Radegast asked, "What could be possible with this Vandal?"

"For starters, she could render the machines she uses to unleash her abilities obsolete. I'm referring to a complete natural control over her power. In a way..." Reggie's eye pierced into Radegast, "That's exactly what you have."

"And the worst-case scenario?" Radegast remembered Reggie usually reserved the bad news for later.

"Worst-case scenario... she figures out how to complete what the Vandal started." Reggie spoke slowly and sombrely, "To become the Apex- a being higher than even Arceus. Unfathomable power, and guaranteed dominion of Ruula if in the wrong hands."

"Jeez, Kinda makes my family sound like supervillains, huh?" Radegast tilted his head.

"That's all a matter of perspective..."

Radegast grit his teeth. His family was coming across as worse and worse as he learned more about them. "What does that make me, then?"

Reggie was about to respond, but paused for a moment. "I'm not certain yet."

"I'd be happy to hear theories," Radegast replied, "I can handle it."

Reggie thought for a good long moment. Just as Radegast thought to ask again, the blade spoke. "You... might be in a position to achieve that Apex status. Maybe closer than Lucy currently is. I can't say it with any certainty, not when I only have theory and no proof."

"Like you said, no certainty," Radegast agreed with a smile, "I won't let that happen."

Suddenly, a voice began speaking inside their heads...Dee's voice, "Someone's coming up the path!"

Radegast was about to move to get a look, when Reggie's shield held him back. "Reggie?"

"Hide," Reggie spoke quickly, "Now!"

Radegast didn't stop to ask. He merely rushed at the Aegislash's direction, and they were soon over the right-side wall. Elder, thinking quickly, reverted to his mist form and enveloped Radegast. For a good long while, a silence filled the air. However, a rippling cold seemed to slowly run down the spines of everything around. Radegast had never felt it before, but from the stories he heard, he knew who it was.

Speak of the devil. Her legs moved with impeccable grace, like a ballet dancer held aloft by the wind. With footsteps that emitted no sound- leaving only the rippling rustle of the light cloth dress. Besides the cybernetics crawling down her spine, one might think she was the definition of beauty. Her one visible blue eye glimmered in the daylight as she beheld the ruins once more.

Why is she here? Radegast thought.

Shh. Don't think. Reggie warned. I need to concentrate...

"Hmm..." Her soft voice chimed a melodic hum. "I sense a ghost." Her hair flickered with the tiniest spark of purple energy. Her blue eye glowed an eerie, yet soft purple. Miracle Eye. "Curious one, aren't you?" She giggled, "Don't you worry, love. I just need to pick up one last thing, and then this grave is yours to haunt."

With Miracle Eye, she can sense Elder, but she can't see through him.

Shh!

Lucy strolled into the ruins, an oddly childlike spring in her step. "Home is where the heart is," She chuckled as she stepped through what was left of the dining hall and the kitchens. "It's been so long, I haven't thought about..." Her purple eye seemed to glow brighter as she spotted a half-destroyed set of drawers. Without her making a move, the drawers flung open.

They were entirely empty, for many had been confiscated as evidence. "Hmm..." Lucy Reginald crossed her arms, and the entire counter peeled apart. "Mother said..." Lucy's glowing eye twitched with minor annoyance. "Thorough as always," She muttered. She leaned her head onto one hand as she became lost in thought. "Unless it was in the way... That would be inconvenient... I'd have to find a new one..."

An odd notification jingle emitted from her person. With a flick of her wrist, a custom-looking cellular phone was in her left hand- which was clad in a cybernetic glove of some sort. She held the phone out a little as she read what appeared to be a news headline. "Lake of Rage... Oh my..." Lucy Reginald slipped the phone away. "All the more reason to finish this..." With a sigh, she rose her right hand and twisted a knob on the glove. A circuit was closed, and the gauntlet crackled with an eerie purple energy. With nary another word, Lucy rose into the air, and shot out into the sky. She was heading to Fuchsia City proper.

Reggie dropped to the ground. If he was exhausted from masking his presence, he had no way to express it beyond that simple action- or lack of action. Immediately afterward, Elder reformed. "By Arceus, I couldn't stop shaking, dude!"

Radegast became suddenly aware of his own heart rate, racing like it had never raced before. His sweat was ice-cold. "Where's she going?" He panted, shivering as he spoke.

"She's going to the police station," Reggie replied as he shakily rose over the wall, "They probably confiscated most of the Trainer supplies that had survived the blast."

"The Po... Oh shit," Horror washed over the Gallade.

"We can't help them," Reggie interjected, "We can't."

"What was in that drawer?" Radegast asked.

"Utensils, mostly-" Reggie responded matter-of-factly, "But the one she searched held evolution stones," Reggie's eye looked down at Radegast, "Some of them more powerful variants- held by the Family for training their combatants."

"We kept evolution stones in the kitchen?"

"Storage is storage."

"We're rich, though."

"And the Estate was built back when modern architecture was a spark in an unborn human's eye. What's your point?"

Radegast pursed his lips. "Evolution stones, huh..."

"Come to think of it," Reggie hummed, "We could use them too."

"How so?"

"Gallades evolve from Male Kirilia when exposed to a Dawn Stone," Reggie explained.

"Oh yeah, so you're thinking I could get a boost from Dawn Stones?" Radegast recalled his old classes.

"Neither time, nor our enemies will wait for us to get stronger."

The three Crimson Guild members reconvened beside them, the looks on their faces were mostly awe and confusion.

'Dang, that was a weird lady!" Gambit was the first to speak, "Did you guys see her spine?"

"It looked like she had a number of robotic attachments, from what I could see," Dee relayed, "I'm not sure what they do though."

"I sensed malice," Siena's words were hauntingly chilly. Both Dee and Gambit turned to her in surprise as she continued, "She feigns beauty and politeness to hide her cruel heart and sinister existence. She's evil."

Dee wasn't sure how to respond. He was expecting Siena to be the most balanced of the three, the one that could see things from the opposing perspective and figure out why they felt justified in their battle. But hearing this...it felt like there was no hope of redemption.

Gambit could feel the heavy feeling in the air left by her words and attempted to change the subject, "So, uh...what happens now?"

Siena turned to Reggie, "You knew her. I could sense that, too. What...why is she...like that?"

"She is like that through her own efforts, and only her own efforts," Reggie replied, "She inherited her mother's spirit, as well as her hatred for stagnation. She holds a grudge against her own family- our family." The Aegislash watched as Radegast stepped into the ruins to continue soaking up the sights. "I'm not certain why she chose the Psychic Rebellion for an alliance, but she would never make a decision that did not guarantee her benefit. While the Reginalds have declared the Rebellion an enemy... I fear for them."

Siena stared down in thought, "Zane can be crafty, too. I haven't known him or even really met him, but I've seen much of how he strategizes. It's dirty. And if Zane wished to recruit help, he'd have a good reason for doing so. But that's not terribly important." She glanced up at the Aegislash, determination in her eyes, "Right now we should be getting to Crimson as fast as we can and figure out what we want to do with this information."

"Young master," Reggie called, "Are you ready?"

Radegast reached down to the floor, and picked up something he just spotted. His eyes softened as he beheld the remains of his old guitar. Only the head and a few frets, with frayed strings melted at the ends. It was the guitar pick- located next to it- that Radegast had picked up, and slipped it into his leg satchel.

"I'm done here," Radegast called, "Shall we?"

TEAM STRANGE

---

“So in preparation for the coming storm- if it does spread out across the regions- the teams are being sent around the globe to help fellow wildlings prepare.” The Gengar nodded to the Galvantula's exposition. “Easy enough,” The Operative shrugged, “And we’re heading back to Kanto because…”

“We’ll focus our efforts there," Elder replied, "If we make our way to the Graveller tribe, that’ll be a bonus.”

“I don’t imagine them having much issues; they already have their homes and caves,” Crystal noted.

“Yes, but it’d be good to let them know.”

“We’re coming down now,” The Dragonite announced.

“Thanks for the ride, buddy!” Elder chimed. Team Strange waved goodbye as the Dragonite left them behind without a moment’s rest. There were still many teams to move around the globe.

They had landed, as before, near Fuchsia City. The wildlings of the Safari Zone included many birds. They would be able to spread information very quickly if they could just reach some. Elder also wanted to check up on the ruins of the Estate after such a time being away. As they passed by the front gate, the ground shuddered at an immense rumbling sound.

"What the..." The group assumed a defensive formation, but the minor tremors shuddered the ground. "It's coming from... within the walls?" Crystal rose a brow.

Curious, the group carefully inched inside. Weather had not been kind to the splintered woodwork, and the gardens had become overrun with fresh weeds and other forest plants. Beyond the house, the gnarled ancient tree appeared truly dead- its leaves had lost colour and fallen. Elder still couldn't believe his eyes, seeing the Lord-Regent's home like this. All that remained of his original belongings... well, those were in the Treehouse now. Though the memories were not erased, the source of the memories were.

Beyond the gaping hole through the mansion, Elder noticed a strange mound poking out from the excavation that was the remnants of the Catacombs. The mound rose… and lowered. Elder hovered over while everyone else stood watch. The Gengar would see that the immense figure within the hole was a Snorlax. Further investigation revealed a massive hole in the wall, where debris had tumbled into the same hole.

"Hey," Elder called to the Snorlax, but there was obviously no response. “Oh, right,” Elder mumbled. He glanced around before finding a fruit tree- now growing wild with the lack of human tending. Elder swooped up and snagged an apple from its branches. He then hovered close to the Snorlax and held the fruit in front of its face. By then, the rest of the group had arrived at the hole to check out what was happening. The Operative kept watch by climbing atop some still-standing beams.

“Snor…” The Snorlax sniffed, then opened its great maw. Elder pulled away just in time as the Snorlax chomped down on nothing. “What the-“ The Snorlax’s slit eyes opened… apparently… and the massive beast swiped a claw upward to try to grab the apple.

“Sorry to disturb you man!” Elder called, “But you’re... what are you doing here?”

“Ohh?” The Snorlax looked around at his predicament. “Hurm… must’ve rollllled by mis… take.” The Snorlax stood up in the middle of the hole. He then bellowed a great yawn that shuddered the ground. “Thaaat was a gooood ressst.”

“Yeah, sorry to wake you up, buddy.” Elder sheepishly grinned.

“Buddy…” The Snorlax repeated. He then leaned towards Elder and sniffed at the air. Despite his face changing not at all, there was an odd aura of nostalgia, “Why… I haven’t beeeen called that in years… What’s yooour name?”

“Elder, and this is Rage, Suros, Crystal, Operative, and Chrome.” He introduced the rest of the team.

“A pleasurrrre to be surre,” the Snorlax bowed, “I am Falco.”

“Falco?” Elder’s spines twitched with recognition, “Falco as in Radegast’s friend?”

“Radegassst! That’s whoooo you sound like!” The Snorlax’s hand reached out and Elder shook it. “How is that chiiillld?”

"Wow," Elder smirked widely in awe as the massive size of the creature in front of him. He then caught himself, "Uh... Radegast is doing well, I think..."

"Youuu think?" Falco tilted his head, then beckoned for the group to follow. "I'm surrrre he wooould be fine. I taught him eeeevvverything I knoooow."

"YOU DID?" Rage bellowed, "WAIT, TEACH HIM WHAT? TEACH US THESE THINGS!"

Falco scratched his back and snorted, "Okaaayy whyyy not? Let's see..." Snorlax counted on his stubby digits, "I taught him... how to live like us... how to take care of himself... and how to surviiiiive."

"That can be boiled down into one thing," Elder spoke flatly.

"Ooohh?" Falco thought for a moment, then guffawed, "You're funny, smaaaaalll friend."

"Plus he taught us that as well." Crystal added.

"Is thaaaat so?" Falco began to slowly climb out of the hole, then he beheld the ruins. "Oooh!" The shock was apparent, but somewhat dulled by the Snorlax's slow demeanour. "Ohhh nooo... This was his home, I remember. What has happened?"

Elder didn't really know what to say. It had been a good long while since the destruction that took place. "A group called the Psychic Rebellion," He replied.

The Snorlax stood. His back muscles rippled as he leaned back with an enormous deep breath. With a terrible sound, a beam of light fired into the sky. For a minute, the beam emitted from the beast's maw, before finally dissipating. Elder and the others could see tears streaming from the corners of Falco's slit-like eyes.

"They were sad when he disappeared," Falco spoke weakly, "They... they were strooong for their friends, but I could tell." Falco sat down by what remained of the mansion entrance. Elder sat down beside the Snorlax, while the others formed a ring. "The pooooor boy doesn't realise how cruuuuel he has been." Everyone looked at Falco, startled at the claim. "Is he stiiillll alive?"

Elder thought for a moment, then said "No," This time, everyone else shot a glance at Elder. The Gengar scanned the Snorlax's expression for a moment, then added, "At least, not the way he was."

"He was not as immovable as he thought then."

Elder nodded slowly. He carefully chose his words. "Do you still... like him?"

"Like a son," Falco replied simply, "It is... strange... I miss the boy heeee used to be."

---

I haaaadn't expected to see a human, let alone a smaaalll human, running into the woods faaaarther south. The rain was coming down thick, and there was eeeeeven threat of lightning. I imagine there werrrre some Pikachu scurrying about looking to... feeeed. No human would ever stumble around these parts, aaaand yet... Thiiiis boy was cold, covered in mud, and seemed aaaawfully distraught. As I approached, I saw bruises from some previous engagement.

I wasn't Totoro, though. He's a fellow Snorlax I met near the Grave Tower. He treated human children as well as a Drampa. But seeing this boy, pathetic as he was, made me want to help him.

So I did. I used some leaves to make a quick shelter, and built a small fire.

("Hang on, building a fire?" Elder asked.)

Sometimes I just wanna cook.

("Uhh... sure.")

He seemed aaawwfully afraid of pokemon... Maybe those injuries had soooomethin' to do with it. I asked about it, but... Humans don't really understand us that well, do they?

("Apparently humans hear us speak the name of our species over and over.")

Thaaaaat's strange... Anyway, this verrrry young child asked me questions I had never heard a child ask before, especially not soooo... Well, he asked me, "Why are humans so cruel."

I didn't really know hoooow to answer that- I mean, he's a human. I tried to respond, but he couldn't really understand me. I had learned to replicate those symbols I see on human signs, and other writings, so I tried writing in the mud with a stick. It... didn't turn out so well. It seeeemed to give the boy hope, though. I helped him retuuuurn to his hoooome... this place... and he said heeeee'd come back tomorrow. Come back, he did, and he brought a large notebook and a pencil I could fit between my claws.

We talked properly for the first time then. He came back the next day, and the day after. It was... nice. He taught me how toooo write, I taught him how to liiiive in the forest, how to forage for beeerries, how to make a fire... Aaaaand how to fight. Before my very eyes, he'd come every day, loooooking stronger and stronger. Weeee talked more and more, and developed a mutual understanding of each other. I felt I understood huuuumans, he felt he understood pokemon.

More and more often, however, he seemed sad, and he had difficulty putting his thoughts into words. He didn't like trainers, he didn't like the idea of capturing Pokemon. I guess seeing me as competent as I was, he felt pokemon didn't necessarily need a trainer; instead, they just need a mentor, or a friend.

But then one day, after hundreds of visits... he stopped coming. I thought it was because of the storm last night at-first. I followed his usual trail back to his home, only to find that many humans were searching. I recognized his family, and I kneeeew he had done something cruel.

I think i fiiiiinally had an answer to his question then...

---

"What answer was that?" Elder asked.

The Snorlax looked at Elder for a moment, and smiled, "It's his answer, iiiisn't it?"

"Well, we could..." Elder spoke up, but stopped, The Gengar nodded briskly, then continued, "We'll bring him to you next time we're around."

"For ooooold time's sakes," Falco agreed.

For a moment, Falco continued staring at the ruins, "The power that would be needed to do this... it's a terrible thing."

"Yeah,"

Silence. Elder found himself thinking about how sturdy the remnants of the mansion were to have stood as well as they did after so long since the battle. He glanced to Suros, who had perched atop one of the exposed beams on one far side. Elder couldn't see the Talonflame's face, but her spiritual aura seemed weakened by being in the mere presence of this place.

"He has nowhere to go when he finally figures things out," Falco suddenly spoke up.

Elder looked up to the Snorlax, "Not true," The Snorlax met the Gengar's gaze, "There is a place in the Alola region. It is a home to us."

"Aloooola?" Falco scratched whatever equivalent there was to a Snorlax chin, "That's awwwfully far... But I would like to visit one daaaaay... Soooo..." The Snorlax loomed closer to the Gengar, "If you doooon't mind me asking, what are friends of Radegast doooooing far away from Radegast?"

Elder flinched, "Oh yes, we came here to warn the fellow wild Pokemon of a looming threat in Unova, something about some princess who took over, and she's trying to expand her influence across all regions. There's strange weather patterns that, if they spread, could affect everyone. Could you help spread the word?"

Falco tilted his head, then chuckled, Elder mirrored the motion, but stared in confusion. "What's so funny?" Elder asked.

"Noooo one can take over the world," Falco wheezed, "Not even Arceus." Elder stared, puzzled, at the Snorlax.

"It is the saddest existence, to beeee at the top," Falco then stood up, "I will spread the woooorrrrd."

---

Despite themselves, the group took to carefully searching the ruins once more- just in case of anything that anyone before could have missed. All that remained were splinters, porcelain shards, and Arceus-knows-what. The reclaimed garden growth was slowly inching toward the mansion proper, ready to extend its roots between floorboards and cracks between the walkways.

Come to think of it, Elder thought, The Lord-Regent's cousin took one of those coffins out from the Catacombs before... No, focus on one thing at a time. "We'll bring him next time, alright Falco?"

"I eagerly awaaaait... but..." Falco emitted a rumbling yawn that, like most things about a Snorlax, shook the ground around them. "I'm going to find a safer place to take a naaaap."

"AND SPREAD THE WORD!" Rage shouted.

"Yeah maaaan," Falco flashed a thumbs-up at the constantly quivering Primape, "Keeeep it real, small friend."

"I WILL FIGHT YOU AT A LATER DATE AS WELL!" Rage promised.

"Coo." With that, Falco headed into the forest. Surprisingly enough, despite the surrounding trees losing their leaves, it was easy for a Pokemon to vanish within the forests around Fuchsia City.

"Do you have to challenge everyone you meet?" Suros asked as she swooped down and landed on the floor near the group.

"IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THAT, I SEE IT NOT!!"

"This one feels the group should recover focus on the objective," Chrome piped up. The Metagross- now the largest of the group- seemed focused on scanning the area around them. Between Chrome's psychic probe, Elder's shadow and mist forms and ability to detect life, and the Operative's own agility and sharp eyes, they made an excellent scouting party.

Suros also had sharp eyes, even sharper than the Galvantula that bounded and swung between trees as they headed north-west towards where humans had set up the bike road. However, she opted to roost on top of Chrome's chassis.

"You really miss him, don't you?" Crystal asked.

Suros didn't reply.

"As soon as we're done here, we'll get back to him."

"That weather stuff," the Talonflame suddenly spoke, "This diancie thing... I get why he's doing it, but... There's something worse out there. We should be focusing on that... shouldn't we?"

"Well..." Elder hummed to himself, "If she's looking to get more powerful, like you and Radegast said before... then it'd stand to reason that she'd want to take out the Diancie problem herself... Unless she didn't need or want to... but why?" He asked more to himself than anyone. "I can't fathom her reasoning..."

Ghe group continued onward. Despite the slow start, they were determined to complete their mission: to spread the word as they made their way to the Graveller Tribe. With so much ground to cover, their warning and other information would easily spread far and wide amongst the wildlings of Kanto and Johto. In truth, with Chrome's tireless form and large disc-like body that could accomodate the weight of everyone, they could move non-stop, day-in and day-out. Like an inexplicably good contagion, they spread the news far and wide, and the ones they informed informed others in turn. After a while, they started coming across pokemon who had already just heard the news from pokemon they had just informed.

"At this rate, we might not even need to reach the Graveller Tribe," The Operative clicked.

"We should see it through," Crystal replied, "We're Team Strange now, we've built up a reputation."

Indeed, all of them did have scarves now, wrapped around their necks or other appendages. Rage had his wrapped repeatedly around one arm, while the Operative had it wrapped around the point between the head and the abdomen. Chrome had his wrapped around the narrow part of one leg, and Elder had his partially absorbed into his torso, held in place by his solidified form. Whenever he reverted to mist or shadow, he'd lose the scarf, which was often picked up by Rage and wrapped around his other arm. All of the scarves had the same embroidered symbol: the same circle with a diagonal T-shape that was on Radegast's old cap. It was the only symbol they had in mind at the time.

Within a few days since speaking with Falco, they had finally arrived at the faraway valley, distant from any human civilization. As the group glanced down the seemingly impassable valley, they spotted a group of Graveller organized in a circle around the arena. There was a duel happening, and festivities appeared to waft through the air in the form of delicious meals.

Thanks to the trust the Tribe had with them, the group knew the trick to descending safely into the valley. As they moved, they came across some Geodude sentries who recognized them. "You're just in time," One said, "How did you know we were having our Harvest festival?"

"We didn't," Elder replied, "We've come bearing some news that might affect us all."

"Sounds grave," the Geodude replied, "You'd best get to our elder then."

"That's the plan, bud," Elder smiled and saluted the guard. The Geodude returned the salute and allowed them passage. The group went on to inform the old Golem, and their mission was officially complete.

By that point, far far away, a Skrelp was drifting around the Whirlpool Islands. Skrelp were not exactly common sights within that particular region of ocean, and yet here one was.

The Skrelp appeared to be waiting, shifting itself and flapping its tiny kelp-like fins to stabilize and prevent itself from getting carried away by the current. "What news?" The Skrelp asked seemingly to no one.

From the ocean in front of the Skrelp, a seemingly invisible thing broke through the water's surface. A massive sheet of blue emerged, flat and seemingly featureless. The thing curled upwards and suddenly beat downwards like a bending plastic sheet springing back to its original flat form. The Mantine splashed against the water after that short leap into the air, splashing the front of the Skrelp by mistake.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine," The Skrelp replied, "The Six ask what's been happening."

"Still the Six, huh?" The Mantine took a breath, "There's been a disturbance in the Unova region. Dark clouds causing weather that's harming everything and everyone, and a so-called Pokemon Princess to blame for it."

"We have scouts who can confirm this. Good cover is required to avoid the negative effects," The Skrelp replied, "But the same goes for rain and snow, after all."

"Indeed. It's still fantastic to know."

They continued exchanging news for a while, until eventually the Mantine headed off. The Skrelp watched the horizon- clear for now, but no one knew what the future held. After a while, the Skrelp dove into the ocean waters once more.

Giselle Bird vanishes into nothingness, but you get the feeling they are heading somewhere else.