Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

SNAP!

Max Maple curses as the lead of his pencil snaps again. He sighs, then pulls out his sharpener again, fixing it quickly. He looks up at the Pidgy he'd been writing about, only to find that it's flown away. He swears again, then starts looking around for another Pidgy to write about. Unfortunately, due to it being the early evening, it seems most Pidgy are flying back to their nests to go to sleep. Max sighs then looks down at this notes. This is his 3rd notebook since starting out on his journey through Kalos 2 years ago. He'd found it amongst Delia Ketchum's things, and she'd permitted him to have it. As he goes about finishing what he can remember about the Pidgy's behaviour, he lets his mind wander back through the past month, and marvel at just how quickly it all went to Hell in a handcart.

Team Rocket landed them safely in a field not far from Pallet Town. Max and Bonnie got out of the blimp quickly, just in case Team Rocket try something sneaky. Fortunately, they didn't, and merely bid them farewell, informed them that this doesn't mean they won't come after them if their Boss demands them to, before taking off again. Once they were gone, the two kids walked over to Pallet Town. When they got there, they found a woman with long brown hair and the same eyes as Ash standing at the entrance. Max recognised her immediately from when he visited Kanto with Ash, May and Brock nearly 6 years ago.

Delia Ketchum waved to them welcoming them to Kanto. Then, she turned and led them through the streets of the town. She led them to a house on the edge of Pallet, which had a Mr. Mime sweeping the pathway outside of it. "Thank you Mimey," Delia said to the Mr. Mime. "The house looks lovely. You can run along to bed now." The Mr. Mime nods, then brings the brush inside. Max and Bonnie looked at each other, then entered the house. As they did, they both wondered how long they'd be spending here.

Things progressed rather quickly over the next few weeks. Shortly after Ash Ketchum's declaration of war on the group, members of Team Terra retaliated by attacking the news station that he and his friends used. Luckily, no one was hurt too badly, and those responsible were quickly arrested. However, the building was destroyed, and is currently under reconstruction. Not long after Ash's declaration, the Boss of Team Terra responded by hacking the airways. As everyone in the world watched, he chuckled. "So, you wish to stand against the righteous hand of progress?" he asked. "Very well, if you wish to be beaten that badly, then I accept your challenge. Team Terra will reign supreme!"

Ash responded by having Clemont and Sophocles trace the hack back to a cliff in Sinnoh. Once they'd tracked him, Ash and May led a strike team to find the Boss. Unfortunately, the base had been abandoned by the time they got there. They tried to search it, but all they found was a primed explosive. No one died from the resulting explosion, but there were a lot of casualties, including May. Her arms had been badly burned by the explosion, and narrowly avoided having her legs broken by its collapse. Luckily, the paramedics agreed to not take her mask off, so her identity wasn't revealed.

Over the next few weeks, Team Terra's influence begins to grow, as more and more people seem to to be agreeing with their message. Max and Bonnie were planning on setting of on their journey through Kanto shortly after their arrival, but since they have no idea who's a Team Terra sympathiser, and who sides with Ash, Delia advises that they stay put for the time being. So, Max spent all of the time that this had been going on writing about Pokémon around Pallet Town. Meanwhile, Team Terra agents increased their dogged search for him and his notebooks. There were a few times when Team Terra agents arrived in Pallet Town in search of him, and he and Bonnie had to hide in Delia's attic to avoid being detected.

While all of this happened, Team Terra have also begun to destroy things again. Cliffs and valleys, forests, pathways, you name it. it is still unknown why they're doing this, but many people who sided with Ash have started keeping an eye on anywhere unpopulated, hoping to catch Team Terra in the act. A few agents have been caught and arrested trying to blow through a cliff, and their bomb was quickly disabled. But, these small successes aren't enough to stop the near unstoppable force of action that Team Terra has become.

But of course, they wouldn't have gotten this powerful had Max not found the Jade Orb. If he'd just left it alone, and gone to Kalos without the stupid thing, none of this would be happening. Now, Bonnie can't se her family, Ash has a massive target on his back, May is constantly putting herself in danger for his sake, and people are getting hurt. All because of the fact that he let his curiosity get the better of him. Now, the world is going to shit and it was entirely his fault!

SNAP!

Max bellows with rage at this as he hurls his notebook across the garden. It bounces across the grass a few times before coming to a stop near the door to Ash's Mother's house. His sits back down on the stump he was using and holds his head in his hands, panting a bit from a mixture of anger and anxiety. After a few minutes of this, he feels a soft hand on his shoulder. Looking up,he sees his best friend, and crush, Bonnie Citron, looking at him with concern. "Are you alright?" she asks. He nods, standing up and fetching his notebook. "Yeah," he replies, "I'm fine." But he doesn't quite meet her eyes as he says this.

Bonnie immediately knows what's up, and she sighs. "You were thinking about what's going on in the world right now, weren't you?" She asks. Max looks like he wants to deny it, but Bonnie strides over and squishes his face between her hands. "Don't lie," she says. "I can tell when you're lying." Max sighs, then pushes himself away from her. "Alright fine, I was," he admits. Bonnie tries hard to make sure she doesn't sigh. "Am I going to have to do this again?" She asks. "Do what?" He asks. "Sit you down and give you a presentation on how none of this is your fault?"

Max looks away at this. "But it kind of is," he replies. "I mean, none of this would be happening if I had just left the Jade Orb where I found it." Bonnie sighs. "You're right, none of this would've happened," Bonnie agrees. Max looks crestfallen at this. "Instead, Team Terra would've gotten their hands on the Jade Orb much sooner, used it on Johto, then devastated the entire world before anyone could even comprehend what they're doing. By taking the Orb, you managed to stop that plan from ever succeeding." Max thinks about that, and Bonnie can see that he's still trying to find a way to blame himself for it all.

"Max, don't forget that everyone involved in this chose to do so. Ash chose to declare war on Team Terra. MAy chose to fight them as the Blaziken Mask. And I chose to be here with you! And I'd make that chose again and again if I could!" Max looks at her with a meek smile. "Thanks Bonnie," he says, rubbing the back of his head a bit. Bonnie smiles and takes his hand. "Now come on," she says. "We can't celebrate your birthday without you." Max nods, laughing slightly, then they make their way inside. As they do however, Bonnie thinks she sees something move in the corner of her eye. She whips around quickly ,but there's nothing there. Shrugging, she turns around and continues into the building after her best friend, and crush.

Chapter Text

Far from the massive celebrations that his two previous birthdays had been, Max's 12th birthday is a lot more quiet. There are only 3 people who could attend, not including himself. Bonnie, Delia, and Professor Oak, and even he had to leave shortly into it. But, he did get a chance to look over Max's notebooks, and commended him for them. "I know you're probably sick of hearing this by now," he says. "But this is nothing short of incredible. I know many researchers who would do anything for your gift of observation." Despite the fact that he is sick of hearing this, Max can't deny that it is an honour to hear this from Professor Oak himself.

Delia had spent much of the day preparing a small birthday feast for the three of them. She was hoping that at least Ash might be able to make an appearance, given the fact that he lives here sometimes, but he calls them in the afternoon to let them know that he won't be able to make it in time to celebrate. But, he and Serena still wish Max a happy birthday. Even with the subdued atmosphere, Bonnie definitely tries to make sure that he has fun, in order to keep his mind off everything that's going on right now. So far, it seems to be working.

Shortly into their stay at Delia's house, Max and Bonnie come across an old gaming console that used to belong to Ash, before he got a new one. After spending the day fixing it back up, the two of them have been spending some of their time playing with it. So, during the day, while Max was writing in the garden, Bonnie snuck into town and bought a few new games for the console for his birthday. Couple that with the new tray of colouring pencils from Delia, and more film for his camera from Ash and Serena, who shipped it to Professor Oak to avoid suspicions and this birthday is turning out to be a really good one. To make matters even better, before he left, Oak told him that Professor Birch is going to ship some Sceptilite to him for Max to use whenever they set out. With all this going on, Bonnie feels that it would take something big to bring down Max's mood now.

Unfortunately for her, that something big comes in the form of a call from his family shortly before the two of them are planning to go to bed. They'd just finished eating the cake Delia made, and were playing a few round in one of the new video games that Bonnie bought for him, when Delia comes in to let Max know that he has a call from his family. Pausing their game, Max stands up and walks over the Delia's computer to answer it. When he does, he sees that it's just his mum and dad on the other end.

"Hey mum, hey dad," he says, hoping to see May appear on screen. "How are you?" Both of his parents smile at him, though for some reason he gets the feeling that they're hiding something. "Oh we're doing fine son," says Norman. "How are you and Bonnie?" Max's cheeks go slightly pink at the name of his friend. "Oh, we're doing fine," he replies. "We're hoping to set out on our journey through Kanto soon." Norman nods in understanding. "It shouldn't be too much longer before you can do that," he says. "Brendan's recovery is going well. He woke up a few days ago, and is going to start relearning to walk in a few more." Max smiles at this, sighing with relief.

"Happy birthday by the way," Caroline interjects. "We were calling to say that, and to let you know to expect a present from us in the coming days. I believe May's should also be on the way soon." At this, Max notices his mother wince at the mention of May's name. "Where is May by the way?" He asks. "Is she with you?" Neither Caroline nor Norman speak at this. They both look at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes. "What happened to May?" Max asks again. "She's fine," Caroline says quickly. "At least, we're pretty sure she is." "What do you mean by that?" Max asks. Norman sighs. "The truth is, she's gone missing."

Max's jaw drops. Bonnie, who's standing next to him, starts trying to think of ways to subtly change the subject, but Max presses them for more information. "She received news that a small force of Team Terra agents were going to Kanto to find you," Norman explains. "So she donned her Blaziken Mask and went to put a stop to it. We haven't from her since." We even retried calling Drew about it," Caroline continues. "But he doesn't know anything about what happened either. We have police searching, but they're not having much luck." Max stares at them for a few seconds, before asking, "How long ago was this?" Norman sighs. "Almost a week ago," he replies.

Max stares at them blankly at this. He doesn't know what to feel. He should be angry at them for not telling him sooner, but he can't bring himself to, because he knows that they didn't want to scare him. So, he just nods neutrally. The Maples decide to move on from that, with Norman and Caroline promising to keep Max updated on May's situation, then they end their call. Bonnie immediately puts an arm around Max's shoulder. Normally he'd get flustered by this and try to get away from the situation. Now however, he leans into the embrace, allowing Bonnie to wrap her other arm around him. They stay like this for a little while, before deciding to head to bed.

Bonnie falls asleep relatively quickly, but Max isn't so lucky. His mind keeps wandering back to his sister, and what might have happened to her. More importantly, he keeps thinking back to how it's his fault. She only went looking for those agents because they were going to Kanto to find him and his notebooks. And here he is, adding more information to them. "I'm basically handing them the key to their victory on a platter," he mumbles to himself. "At this point, the only good those books can be for the world is destroyed." At this, an idea strikes him. At first, he pushes it aside and tries to go to sleep, but the thought of what happened to May, plus the fact that he and Bonnie are stuck here keeps dancing in his mind. After a few more minutes of this, he comes to a decision.

He waits until he's positive that everyone in the house is asleep, then he creeps out of Ash's old room. When they first arrived in Kanto, Delia offered both of them Ash's room. However, the thought of the previous times they shared a bed crossed their minds, and they decided not to share a room, just in case. So, Max was given Ash's room, while Bonnie takes the guest room. Over the month, there were times where Max wishes that he and Bonnie were in the same room. Now however, he's incredibly grateful that they aren't, because it means he can get down to the kitchen without waking her up. He sneaks down to the kitchen and begins rifling through the drawers quietly. After a few minutes of doing this, he finds what he's looking for. A book of matches. He looks at them, contemplating his next move. But, his mind is made up, so he pockets the matches and sneaks outside.

As quietly as he can, he unlocks the front door, and makes his way outside to the path in front of the house. Once he's sure no one in the house can see him, he stops walking, and reaches into the pocket of his jacket. With shaky hands, he pulls out his notebooks. He takes a few breaths, as if waiting for himself to change his mind. When he doesn't, he drops them to the ground one at a time. Then, he pulls the book of matches out of his pocket, and holds it up. Then, he takes one out of the packet. After a few more seconds of hesitation, he strikes the match, then holds the flame above his notebooks. "This is for the best," he tells himself, before dropping the match on the books. But before it can hit the books, a strong gust of wind blows it out, throwing the top book off the pile. Perplexed, Max strikes another match and pulls his hand back to throw it onto his notebooks.

This time, he feels a hand clasp his wrist and wrestle it down, before feeling someone blow the match out. Wheeling around, Max comes face to face with Bonnie. "What are you doing here?" he asks her. "I was just about to ask you the same thing!" Bonnie replies. "You told me you were fine!" "I thought I was," Max replies. "But that call from my parents about my sister going missing made me feel guilty about all of this again. So, I thought if I destroyed my notebooks, Team Terra would stop coming after us." Bonnie stares at him as though he's after growing two additional heads. "Are you out of your mind!" she quietly exclaims. "Are you seriously going to give up your life's work like that? Just because some whack jobs keep chasing us?" Max doesn't look at her. "Did Ash set Pikachu free because Team Rocket were after him?" Max shakes his head. "Then you can't give in to despair like this! That's just as bad as letting them win!"

"Ash never had to go into hiding though," Max argues. "Nor did he drag his best friend into hiding with him." Bonnie grabs Max's shoulders at this. "How many times do I have to say this," she tells him, before shaking him violently. "I, chose, to, go, with, you!" Despite the situation, Max can't help but chuckle at this. "I thought I told you that I'd follow you into fire. You'd do the same for me right?" Max nods without hesitation. "Of course I would," he replies. Bonnie smiles, then lets go of him, before bending over and picking up his notebooks. She holds them out to him, saying, "So, are you going to give up your life's work, the very reason you ended up meeting me? Or are you going to continue?" Max takes the notebooks and smiles at her. "I'm going to keep going," he says. "Thanks Bonnie." Bonnie smiles again, before Max pulls her into a hug. She blushes at this, but hugs him back.

As she does, she sees something glow blue behind him. Looking up, she sees a glowing blue figure standing there, staring at her. As she stares at it, it starts mumbling something, but they're too quiet for her to hear. Max seems to notice the fact that she's staring at something, because he lets go of her and turns around. Immediately, the thing disappears, leaving the two of them alone on the path before Max can see it. "What are you looking at?" he asks. "It's nothing," she replies. "I thought I saw something, but it was just a trick of the moonlight." Before Max can argue with her, she quickly takes his hand. "Come on," she says. "Let's go back inside. I don't know about you, but I'm still tired." Max nods at this, then allows Bonnie to guide him inside. He puts the matches back in the kitchen drawer, before heading back up to bed. As he does, he finds himself glad that Bonnie woke up in time to stop him from burning his life's work. |Maybe it's not so bad that the two of them are stuck here together. As he drifts off to sleep, one last thought crosses his mind. "It's not as if Team Terra can find us all the way out here!"

Chapter Text

"This is a bad idea," says Sam as he and Sarah sneak around Lumiose. "This is a really, really bad idea!" "So you keep saying!" Sarah snaps quietly. "But I've yet to hear you come up with a better plan!" Sam makes flabbergasted noise, and nearly draws attention to them. "I have come up with a bunch of better plans!" he argues. Sarah scoffs. "Please," she says, "those were barely concepts. This one has actual structure to it." "But at least my plans wouldn't get us caught," Sam mutters. "True," Sarah replies. "But they also would take far too long to find Maple. You suggested we fly a drone around a bunch of different regions until we came across them for Arceus's sake!" Sam blushes at this. "I thought it was a good idea," he mumbles. Sarah rolls her eyes and keeps going towards Lumiose Tower. Her plan is a simple one on paper, but rather difficult to execute. She wants to sneak into Lumiose Tower, and see if she and Sam can gather any information in there about where Maple and Citron are. And it doesn't take them long to encounter their first obstacle. How do they get into the building?

They try going through the front door, and very nearly get busted for it. So, they try going around the back door, only to find that it's locked. Sam tries to pick the lock, but it's electronic, so no luck there. Remembering the different secret entrances that they were shown during the Second Kalos Crisis, the two of them sneak around the side of the building, trying to find them again. Unfortunately, most of them seem inaccessible from the outside, and the ones that are seem to have heavy security. Eventually, the two of them have exhausted all of their options. |"I told you this was a stupid idea," says Sam. Sarah scowls at him. "Still better than pretty much all of yours," she argues. "The two of them are leaning against the wall of the tower, waiting for it to be clear enough to sneak away undetected. As they do, Sarah thinks back to how Maple and Citron and the others were able to get into the building. Then, she remembers how, according to the reports.

Looking up at the wall the two are leaning against, she scans it for the secret tunnel that the two Gym Leaders climbed up. She thinks she finds it, but she can't be sure. So, she pulls out Gourgeist's ball and releases her. I need you to raise me up to that part of the building right there," she tells her. Gourgeist nods and begins extending her vines out to the part of the building that begins to indent. Sam stares at her. Where are you going?!" he whispers. "To check something," Sarah replies. "I'll be right back." Then, she allows Gourgeist to pick her up and carry her upwards. They arrive on the indent, and Sarah grins. Then, she turns around and calls down to Sam. "I found our way in!" she calls down quietly. "Climb up Gourgeist's vines!" Then, she has Gourgeist lower vines down for him to use, which he does. Once he's on top, he looks at what Sarah means by 'a way in'. "No," he says. "No way. Absolutely not!"

Sarah rolls her eyes. "Come on," she argues. "This is the only way into the building. Trust me!" "Sarah last time I trusted you with something like this, we ended up tumbling down a rubbish chute!" Sam argues. "I don't fancy repeating that experience." "This isn't a rubbish chute!" Sarah exclaims. "This was how the gym leader broke into the building during the Second Kalos Crisis, nothing could go wrong if we try it!" Sam looks like he wants to continue arguing about it, but the sound of oncoming footsteps below them stops him in his tracks. Then, they hear voices coming from below them. "Into the chute, now!" Sarah mouths. Sam nods, and the two jump in. Gourgeist uses her vines to catch them and slow their rate of descent, and safely land them in the Tower. Sarah grins smugly at Sam, who ignores her and starts walking down the hall. "Let's just get this over with," he says.

Now inside Lumiose Tower, the pair start sneaking around it, looking for the Gym Leader's main office. As they do, Sarah pulls out a small computer chip from her pocket. "Are you sure this will allow us to find out where Maple has gone?" Sam asks. "Of course it will," Sarah replies. "The Gym Leader's sister is practically joined to Maple's hip, so of course he is going to want to contact her to check on her. All we need to do is hack the computer and learn where those calls are sent. And that is where you come in." Sam rolls his eyes. "For the last time, just because I know how computers work, doesn't mean I know how to use them. I can disassemble and reassemble them. I'm not a hacker!" "Which is why I need you to install this thing into the computer," Sarah replies. Sam blushes a bit, and doesn't say anything else. So, the two of them continue making their way up the tower. They have to slip into the shadows at several points to avoid being spotted, and once or twice even had to duck into random lockers to stay out of sight. "They must've increased security since we were last here," Sarah comments. "Yeah, no kidding," Sam replies.

Eventually, they manage to sneak into The Gym Leader's office. His computer is sitting on his desk, and as luck would have it, it's been left on. Sam takes the chip from Sarah, and fiddles with the computer, eventually finding a means to insert the chip inside. Once he's done that, Sarah begins to look through the computer's files and messages to find any information about the whereabouts of Max Maple and Bonnie Citron. But nothing of the sort appears on screen. Sarah stares at this with confusion. "Why isn't there anything here?" she asks. "It's all just work related." Then, Sam realises something. "Wait, this is his work computer, right?" he asks. Sarah nods slowly. "Then why the Reverse World would he use it to personally contact his sister, when he can use his phone or personal Laptop? Heck, why even bring your personal laptop to work?" Now it's Sarah's turn to go red as she realises this. As quickly and quietly as possible, Sam manages to extract the chip from the computer, then they quickly flee the scene.

They manage to make it down two floors without being caught. But as the two of them are about to flee down the corridor to the stairs, they see the beam of a torch approaching them. They turn around and begin quietly sneaking the other way, then they see another torch beam approaching them. They freak out, and start looking around for a means to escape. Quickly spotting a locker, they duck inside of it, and hold their breaths as the guards walk past them, not stopping to check the locker to see if anyone is inside. The two agents breathe a sigh of relief as they watch the torches disappear around corners, then slip out of the locker. As they do, a bag slips out of it. Picking it up, Sarah spots a name on it. "Megan Ical." After staring at it for a few seconds, she realises that she recognises the name. "This is Sparky's old locker!" she exclaims.

Sam stares at the locker for a few seconds, trying to remember who that is. Sarah recognises this and sighs. "That girl that helped set up the weapon in this tower, only to turn against us and help take it down?" "Oh yeah," he realises. "Do you think she still has some of her old Team Terra gear in here?" Sarah shrugs. "Let's find out," she says. Sam nods, and starts searching through the locker, while Sarah rummages through Megan's bag. Sam finds a few pieces of tech, and some Team Terra pins, but nothing truly of note. Meanwhile, Sarah finds basically nothing in the bag. That is, until she goes to close it, she sees something in a pocket she didn't register before. Picking it up, she sees that it's a device of some sort. It's a big block, with a large screen, a few buttons, and an antenna. She tries to turn it on, but it doesn't. Sam notices this and holds his hand out to take it. Sarah hands it over. "Any idea what that is?" she asks him. He shakes his head. "Whatever it is, it's out of battery," he says, pocketing it. "So, let's just get out of here, and I'll see if I can charge it when we get back to our room." Sarah nods in agreement, and the two of them, continue sneaking out of the building.

After a rather uneventful escape, Sarah and Sam are back in their hotel room. Sarah is looking through her laptop, trying to find any information on their target's whereabouts. While she does that, Sam fiddles with the device they found, trying to figure it out. He'd already worked out that it needs a new battery as opposed to simply charging it. Now, all he needs to do is figure out how to open it and take the battery out. Sarah was interested in what it did, but had long since given up waiting for Sam to work it out. That is, until she hears a clatter and Sam shout, "Aha! I've got it!" Sarah spins around to see that he's managed to take the bottom off, revealing a small hole where the battery is contained. Sam is reaching his hand inside the hole, trying to get the battery out. "Need any help?" Sarah asks. Sam shakes his head. "Nope, I've got it," he replies. "I've got small hands." There's a soft click as the battery comes free. Sam grins as he pulls it out.

He analyses the small battery, trying to see if he has one just like it. Eventually, he figures out that he does, and grabs it out of his bag. He slips the new battery in, reattaches the back, then fiddles with the buttons. The machine turns on, and what seems to be a map appears on the screen. On the map are two blinking lights. Both Sarah and Sam stare at it quizzically for a bit, before Sam realises what this is. "It's a tracking device," he says. "But, who's it tracking?" Sarah asks. Suddenly, the two of them remember an incident outside of Cyllage 2 years ago, where Megan had saved Maple and Citron, before she knew they had the Jade Orb. Both of them remember her saying something about a tracking device as they fled with Maple's bag. Both of them grin as they figure out who it is tracking. Immediately, Sam fiddles with more of the buttons, managing to learn where they are. "Pallet Town, in the Kanto region," Sam reads. "Wait until the Boss hears about this!"

But before he can grab his phone to call it in, Sarah grabs his hand. "Wait," she says. Maybe we shouldn't tell them." Sam looks at her quizzically. "What do you mean?" he asks. "If we do, we'll get so much recognition." Sarah nods, but still doesn't look convinced. "True," she says. "But remember what happened in Hoenn. It was almost levelled in Bannai's desperation to capture Maple. Plus, you saw all of the chaos that was reigned. Maple was almost killed!" Sam thinks about this, seeming to beginning to agree with her. "Not to mention, if we tell them where they are, then that will bring a good chunk of Team Terra down on the region," she points out. "Including Debbie and Cooper." Sam looks at her quizzically. "I thought they were arrested?" he says. "They were," she replies. "But they could break out. Not to mention, there are others like them. Besides, if we manage to capture them ourselves, think of all the recognition we'd get in Team Terra!" Sam grins at this. "I suppose it would be beneficial to us and Maple if it was just the two of us going after him," he agrees. Sarah nods. "Ok, let's do it!" With that, the two make plans to get on the next flight to Kanto.

Chapter Text

Max and Bonnie aren't the only two stuck in Pallet Town over the course of the month. Agents Hilbert and Hilda, twin partners of Agent Looker, are also stuck in the small town. At first, the two of them were quite happy to have a break from the hustle and bustle of the Interpol headquarters, which is why they agreed to the job. But, after sticking around here for a month, they've long since grown bored of the place. Or at least, Hilbert has. On this particular day, about 3 days after Max's birthday, the two of them are getting lunch in one of the cafés that Pallet has. Delia has offered them a spot at the table anytime they want, but not only could that compromise their position as undercover agents looking after the two kids, but it would also alert the two kids that they are being looked after by Interpol agents. And Hilda figured that if Max is made aware of this, he and Bonnie will try to sneak out of the Town at the first opportunity. So, the two of them keep away from the Ketchum residence, only actually looking out for Max and Bonnie whenever they step out into Pallet Town itself.

So, on this particular day, the two of them sit at the café, and Hilbert has his head on the table, so bored he's about to fall asleep. "Why did we take this assignment?" he grumbles. "Why did we take this assignment? Why did we take this assignment?" He's been grumbling this all day, and has no plans on stopping. Hilda tries her best to ignore him, but eventually she snaps. "Will you stop asking that!?" she demands. Hilbert looks up at her to find her with an annoyed expression. "Sorry," he says. "I'm just bored." "Oh, trust me, I'm aware," Hilda replies. "But do you have to constantly bring up how bored you are?" Hilbert sighs and apologises. "Look," Hilda goes on, "I don't think we'll be here for much longer. It won't be long before we can leave here I'd say." Hilbert looks at her with excitement. "Really?" he asks. "What makes you think that?" "Because, knowing the two we're keeping an eye on, it won't be long before they set out on their adventure. And when they do, we follow them."

Hilbert brightens up at this. "Excellent!" he says. "Now all we need is actual Team Terra agents, and this could actually be fun!" Hilda chuckles and rolls her eyes. "You know that Team Terra agents showing up here would be a bad thing right?" she tells him. "Besides, Kanto is very out of the way. I highly doubt anyone from Team Terra would try anything here." Hilbert's excitement diminishes at this. "What?" he complains. "Then what is the point in us being here?" Hilda rolls her eyes again, but doesn't chuckle. "Because there's always the chance that a Team Terra agent could show up here looking for the two kids. We need to be prepared." It's Hilbert's turn to laugh at this. "Oh yeah, right," he says. "Like some Team Terra agents are going to show up here in the back-arse of nowhere looking for them."

At that moment, two people that Hilbert doesn't recognise appear before them, a man and a woman. The man has matted green hair, while the woman has long, curly blonde hair. Hilda chokes on her drink as they approach. Hilbert pats her on the back awkwardly, before turning to the strangers. "Sorry about her," he says. "She can be an idiot sometimes. Can we help you with anything?" The man nods, holding out 2 pictures. One is of Max, the other, Bonnie. Now, Hilbert gets a nervous feeling in his stomach, but he ignores it in favour of keeping a cool head, especially since these guys caused his twin to freak out. "We're looking for these two kids," the man tells him. "Have you seen them anywhere?" Hilbert squints, pretending not to recognise them. "Hmm, no I haven't," he responds casually. "May I ask what you want with them?"

Both the man and the woman look at each other, expecting the other to answer the question. "Oh, well, they're old friends of ours," the woman responds quickly. "We moved away when we were young, but now we're back, and we've been hoping to reunite with them." "Ok, that's definitely a lie," Hilbert thinks to himself. Out loud, he says, "Sorry, my sister and I aren't from here, so we don't know them." The two nod, then the man puts the pictures away. "Well, that's a shame," he says. "Thanks anyway." Then the two of them depart. When they do, Hilbert immediately turns to Hilda, who's been eyeing the strangers suspiciously since she coughed up her drink. "Who were they?" he asks her. "Team Terra agents," she whispers back. "They're the duo Brendan captured and interrogated about the Tremors." At this, Hilbert realises that he does recognise them. "Their names are Sarah and Sam correct?" Hilda nods, pulling money form her wallet. "We need to get out of here," she says quickly. "Max and Bonnie aren't safe here anymore." Hilbert nods, throwing money down himself. Then the two of them race over to Delia's house to fetch Max and Bonnie.

While all of this is happening, Max is finishing off his notes on all the pokémon that appear in Kanto. He sighs, wondering just how much longer the two of them will be stuck here before they can set out and properly explore Kanto. He'd been here before, but he doesn't know it as well as he know Hoenn, so he's hoping that what little he remembers from 6 years ago will be enough to help him and Bonnie navigate the region. He's snapped back to reality by Bonnie's voice calling his name. He turns around to see her staring down the road. "Max!" she shouts again. "What?" he asks. "Any idea who they are?" she asks, pointing to where she's staring. "They look familiar, and they seem to be looking at us."

Worried, Max immediately looks to where Bonnie was pointing, and he groans. "Oh come on!" he complains. "Give us a break!" Hilbert and Hilda, the two agents who helped 'protect' them in Larousse last year, are running up to the house. As they do, Max quickly reminds Bonnie who they are, causing her to groan too. When the two agents arrive at the gate, Max immediately demands, "What are you two doing here?!" Hilda holds up her hands. "Literally, none of that matters right now!" she replies. "We need to leave. Now!" Max and Bonnie look at each, with mixtures of worry and excitement on their faces. "Why?" Max asks. "And where are we going?" Bonnie adds. "Anywhere but here," Hilbert responds. "As for why," Hilda adds, "Team Terra are here, and they're asking about you. So, we need to get you out of Pallet before they find you." Max and Bonnie nod, then run back inside to start packing.

As soon as they're finished doing that, they run down the stairs to meet with the two agents, eager to finally begin their journey through Kanto. As they do, Delia comes out of the kitchen, holding 2 large bags of food. "I've made you two some food for the road," she tells them. "It's not much, but it should be enough to get you to the next Town." Max and Bonnie smile at her and thank her, before taking the food and putting them in their bags. Then, they head out to meet with Hilbert and Hilda. "We're still staying in Kanto right?" Max asks. Both of them nod. "As far as we can tell, only these two actually know you're here," Hilda explains. "There are other Team Terra agents here, but these two seem to be the only ones who actually know you're here. So, if we can just sneak you out of here, we should be safe." Upon hearing this, Max and Bonnie groan. "It's Sarah and Sam isn't it?" Max asks. Both agents nod again, causing the two of them to groan louder. "Not so loud!" Hilbert insists. "They might here you. Now come on, we need to leave."

With that, the four of them begin to walk out of Pallet Town. As they do, Max suddenly thinks of something. "Wait!" he exclaims. "I need to stop by Professor Oak's Lab!" Now it's the agents' turn to groan. "Why?" Hilda asks. "I was promised that a Mega Stone for Sceptile would be sent to his lab for me!" Hilbert sighs. "It's not safe," he says. "But here's what we'll do. We'll sneak you out of here, without Team Terra knowing. Once we've successfully fled, you call Professor Oak and ask him if the Mega Stone has arrived yet. If it hasn't, we keep going. If it has, either Hilda or I will run back to get it, how does that sound?" Max thinks about this, then nods in agreement. Once that's settled, they head on out.

Unfortunately, the only way they could go to get out of Pallet and not end up lost is through the Town itself. Meaning, they needed to sneak through the main town to get away from Sarah and Sam. To make matters worse, the two of them are standing in the centre of the town, staring at some sort of tech. Sam seems to be vigorously studying it, and smacking it every now and then. They seem to be distracted, so the four of them try to casually walk behind them. At that moment, Sam lets out a triumphant "Aha!" as the machine he's holding starts to beep. Both Sarah and Sam turn around at this, and spot them standing there. The 6 of them stare at each other for a moment, before Sarah shouts, "Max Maple! Get over here right now!" The four of them bolt. Sarah and Sam tear after them.

As they run through Pallet, Max and Bonnie expect some giant machine to come out of nowhere and start following them. But that doesn't happen. It seems like it's just Sarah and Sam following after them. This raises Max's suspicions, but he doesn't say anything about it for now. He just focuses on getting out of there. Hilbert and Hilda also seem to notice this, because they look at each other and nod. Then, they slow down and disappear into some bushes. Sarah and Sam pay this no mind, and continue to run after Max and Bonnie. As they do, they fail to notice Hilbert and Hilda stick their feet out from the bushes and trip them up. The device goes flying out of Sam's hand and smashes against the ground. The twins continue running to catch up to Max and Bonnie. As they do, Hilda stamps on the device, smashing whatever was left of it to pieces. Sarah and Sam watch them run, too annoyed and out of breath to carry on chasing them. Without their big robots, this will be a lot harder than they first thought.

Chapter Text

The four of them keep running for about another kilometre before they realise that Sarah and Sam aren't following them. They stop to catch their breath for a bit, before deciding to figure out what to do next. "We need to go back," says Max. Hilda stares at him like he's just suggested they take a trip directly into Mt. Chimney. "Are you nuts?!" she exclaims. "We just escaped from Team Terra, and now you want to go back into Pallet, where no doubt Team Terra have begun to swarm by now!" "But I need to see if Professor Birch sent Professor Oak the Sceptilite!" he argues. "It would be easier to defend myself if I had it." Hilbert shrugs at this, looking at his sister. "I mean, he does have a point," he agrees. Hilda sighs with annoyance. "Fine, he does," she admits. "But you're still not going back to Pallet!" Max looks like he's about to protest, when Hilda pulls out her phone. "One of us will be doing that instead."

She opens her phone and goes to the map, looking for the nearest town or city. She spots it, but cringes a bit at the result. "Ok, the nearest city to us is Viridian," she tells them. Hilbert also looks concerned by this, but Max and Bonnie are completely non-plussed. "What's wrong with Viridian?" Max asks. "It used to be the location of Team Rocket's headquarters," Hilda explains. "Before their numbers drastically shrunk." "Nowadays their base is somewhere in Johto," Hilbert continues. "Although we have no idea where." "But even so," Hilda argues, "how can we be sure there aren't any residual Team Rocket members hiding out in the city?" Hilbert looks troubled by this. "Well, even if there are," Bonnie argues, "they aren't the ones hunting us down. Team Terra are!" "Plus, they would have to be pretty stupid to enter another group's territory if they don't want to have to fight them as well," Max argues. Hilda sighs, then agrees to take them to Viridian.

As they travel there, Hilda goes over the rest of her plan. "Ok," she says, "once we arrive there, we'll get two rooms in the Pokémon Centre. Then, while you two stay in Viridian, one of us will stay with you, while the other goes back to Pallet to check to see if the mega stone has arrived yet." Neither Max nor Hilbert is happy with this. "What!?" they both cry out. "You are not going back to Pallet on your own!" Hilbert exclaims. "I never said I was going to be the one to do it," Hilda argues. Hilbert scoffs at this. "Maybe not, but remember, I'm your twin," he points out. "The two of us have been joint at the hip since birth! To the point that I've actually been asked if we were conjoint before!" "No you haven't," Hilda replies. Hilbert goes a bit pink. "Ok, fine, no I haven't," he admits, going slightly pink in the face. "But regardless, I know you better than I know the back of my own hand! And I know that you're planning on being the one to go back there."

"Well I can't let my little brother get into terrible danger while I mind these two!" she argues. "Oh come on!" Hilbert complains. "I'm only 10 minutes younger than you! It's not safe for just one of us to go back. For all we know that place is swarmed with Team Terra?" "Why don't you both go then?" Max asks. Hilda shakes her head. "Nope, not going to happen," she replies. "Why not?" asks Bonnie. "Because I've heard about you Max Maple," Hilda replies. "And I know that if we left you alone, you two would sneak away the first chance you get." "Why would I do that?" Max asks. "You're going back to get my mega stone. Why would we run off?" "Well, maybe not away," Hilda corrects herself. "But you would try to sneak back to Professor Oak's lab, see if the stone is there yourself, then sneak off to get away from us." Max goes a bit pink at this. In truth, he had been planning to do just that.

They continue on their journey to Viridian. All the way there, Hilbert and Hilda continue to argue over who should go back to Pallet Town, and who should stay in Viridian with Max and Bonnie. They eventually arrive in the city by the late afternoon, and they still haven't come to an agreement. Max was just about to suggest they drop the matter and continue onwards, when they hear a voice call out from behind them. "If you need someone to keep an eye on those two, Tracey and I could do it!" Max and Bonnie spin around and spot Tracey and Misty walking over to them, arm in arm. Max feels a pang of guilt when he gets a good look at the two. Tracey has a bandage wrapped around his head, while Misty has a few burns and scratches on her body. "Hey guys!" Bonnie says happily. "What happened to you two?"

"Team Terra happened," Tracey replies, massaging his temples a little bit. "We stopped an attack they tried to perform here in Kanto. But in the process, we got caught in an explosion. Misty dived onto me and saved me, taking the brunt of the blast, but in the process I hit my head on a rock." Max and Bonnie wince at this. "When did this happen?" Hilbert asks. "Like 2 or 3 days ago," Misty replies. The 4 who've just arrived sigh with relief. Then, Hilda looks at the couple. "If you could watch these two, that would be great," she says. "Me and Hilbert need to return to Pallet for something. We should be back tomorrow. Please don't let them leave." Both Misty and Tracey nod, then they watch as the twins start heading back to Pallet.

As they go, Bonnie starts asking Misty and Tracey about the attack they prevented. "Oh, it wasn't much," Misty replies. "It was just a few armoured trucks coming to attack Pewter. Tracey and I helped Forrest fight them off. We blew the trucks up, and that's when we got hurt." Max winces again, which Misty notices. "Hey, it wasn't all bad. I did get to try out my new mallet at last!" she says. Both Max and Bonnie look at her quizzically, to which Tracey chuckles. "During the second Kalos Crisis," he explains. "I jokingly promised to get her a giant mallet for her birthday, so she could hit people who annoyed her with it. Well, she took me seriously, and started genuinely asking em for one for her birthday. So, I got it for her." Misty nods happily, before turning towards the Pokémon Centre. "I have it with me in our room in the Centre," she tells them. "Want to see it?" Max and Bonnie nod, then run after the two of them to the Pokémon Centre.

It takes the twins the rest of the day to reach Pallet. By the time they arrive at Professor Oak's Lab, night has fallen. Hilda sends out a small drone to scout the building for any signs of disturbance. Upon finding none, she recalls the drone and the two of them make their way inside. Upon entry into the building, they quickly realise just how quiet it is. The two of them begin walking through the building, looking around for any sign of the professor. "Hello!?" Hilbert calls. "Professor Oak?" At that moment, Oak comes bursting through a door to their left, a shotgun in his hands. The twins scream with fright and throw their arms in the air, grabbing their badges as they do to show him that they're with Interpol. Hilda immediately jumps in front of Hilbert in a protective manner. Oak sees their badges and visibly relaxes, lowering the gun. "Sorry about that," he says, putting the gun away. "I've had quite a few break-ins recently."

Both agents look at him quizzically. "Who?" they ask together. Oak shrugs. "I don't know," he responds. "They rifle through my research, but never seem to steal anything," he replies. "I have no idea what it is they are after." He suddenly looks at the two of them, as if registering for the first time that they're there. "But wait, why are you two here?" he asks. "If it's not for the break-ins, then what brings you to my door?" The twins look at each other, suddenly feeling a bit stupid. "Well, uh, you see," Hilda begins, before Hilbert cuts her off, deciding to be blunt instead. "We're here to see if Professor Birch sent you a mega stone for Max," he states. "Team Terra have started looking for him here in Kanto, so we need to know if you have it." Oak looks quite surprised by this. "Well, uh, no, I don't," he says. "Why didn't you just call and ask me?" Both agents stare at him, then look at each other. Then, they facepalm. "In truth," says Hilda, "we didn't think of it."

After confirming with Birch that the stone hasn't been sent yet, as he's still trying to find one, the twins try to make their way back to Viridian as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it's gotten so dark that they're forced to make camp for the night. As they sit around their fire, Hilbert can't help but look at his sister. As he does, he thinks back to Max, and the fact that his has recently gone missing. It's no wonder he's so keen to get going. No doubt he wants to find her. Hilda eventually notices his staring. "Yo, Earth to Hilbert!" she calls. Hilbert snaps to attention. "Sorry, were you saying something?" he asks. Hilda chuckles. "No, I wasn't," she replies. "But I did notice you were staring at me. Everything alright?" Hilbert wants to reply and say he's fine, but he knows Hilda will see right through that.

"I'm just thinking about Max Maple," he replies. Hilda looks at him with concern. "Anything more specific?" she asks. Hilbert sighs. "His sister," he continues. "And how she's gone missing." It doesn't take Hilda long to pick up what's troubling her brother. "You're worried that something like that could happen to me?" she suggests. Hilbert looks away, suddenly red in the face. "It's stupid, I know," he says. "But, we've been by each others' sides forever. Even after mum and dad abandoned us, we still had each other. And then, I hear about May Maple's disappearance, and then you jump in front of me to protect me from as gun, and I just suddenly got scared of losing my other half." Hilda lightly punches Hilbert's arm at this. "Hey, don't be worrying about something like that," she says. "I'm not going anywhere. We're stuck together like glue, ok?" Hilbert nods, chuckling slightly at his worries. He leans over and rests his head on her shoulder. "Of course we are," he agrees.

The next morning, Max and Bonnie wake up and immediately run down to the lobby to find out if the twins had returned during the night. The two of them had spent the day with Misty and Tracey, mostly smashing stuff in Viridian Forest with Misty's mallet, which would've gone up to about Max's waist when he was 6. After that, they sat in the Centre and caught up on what happened in their lives since Brock and Olivia's wedding. Misty was mostly running her gym, but she has started using the Cerulean Gym as an area to give kids swimming lessons, when her sisters aren't using it for shows of course. Meanwhile, Tracey has been spending his time as Professor Oak's assistant, when he isn't sketching pokémon of course. After that, they got something to eat, then spent the evening hanging out. Bonnie and Misty even had a mock battle, in preparation for when she challenges her for real. Then, they went to bed, but not before constantly checking to see if the twins had returned.

Now, Max and Bonnie are standing in the reception, waiting to see if they were able to get the mega stone. Eventually, they do spot the two of them coming into the Centre, and immediately run up to them. "Did he have it?" Max asks. Both agents shake their heads. "Professor Birch hasn't been able to locate one yet," Hilda replies. "But he'll send one along as soon as he does." Max is disappointed by this. Just then, Misty and Tracey arrive. "So, if you weren't able to get what you were after, where are you off to next?" "We don't know yet," Hilda replies. "But we need to find somewhere to hide these two again." "WHAT!?" Max and Bonnie exclaim. "Now that Team Terra know you're here, it's only a matter of time before they come looking," Hilbert explains. "So, it'll be safer to just send you somewhere else for a while. Maybe the Orange Islands?"

Bonnie wants to protest some more, but before she can, Max pulls out a paper map of Kanto. "Or," he says, "we could not do that." The twins look at him, perplexed. "They'll catch you otherwise," Hilbert points out. "Not if we keep moving," Max argues. As he talks, he traces his finger over different pathways. "If we keep going around Kanto, and never stay in one town or city for more than 3 or 4 days, we can stay one step ahead of Team Terra." "And while we do that," Bonnie adds, "I can challenge the gyms!" They look at the two agents, who think about Max's plan, before nodding. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually," Hilda agrees. So, they agree. With that, Max and Bonnie gather their things from their room, bid farewell to Misty and Tracey, with Bonnie promising to face Misty in the gym, then, they head off to Pewter City.

Chapter Text

Ash isn't happy. He's on the phone with Misty, who's just told him about what happened in Kanto with Max and Bonnie, and how they're now on the move. "I don't like this," he says. "Keep an eye on them for me please?" Misty chuckles at this. "I already told you there's no need," she replies. "Those two agents from the Second Kalos Crisis are with them. The ones who were with Looker." Ash nods, though it's clear he's still sceptical. Not that he distrusts them, but he isn't sure if they can keep Max and Bonnie safe, should they be attacked by a large group of Team Terra agents. "Look, at least check up on them every now and then please," Ash says. "With May's disappearance, I have no doubt that Max will want to try to sneak away and look for her." Misty nods to this. "That, I can do," she replies. "They'll be reaching my Gym eventually, so I'll give you an update then, ok?" Ash agrees to this, then they end the call.

While this fight has been going on, Ash and his allies have made a base of their own in Galar. It's in Wyndon, in one of the buildings near to the stadium. Right now, he and a few of his friends are in that building, planning their next move. Namely, trying to think of how to find and rescue May. If she even needs rescuing that is. Ash is confident that wherever they have her, she's putting up a good fight. But, that doesn't mean much when they can't find her. So, he, Serena, Drew, Brock, Dawn, Paul, Miette, Sophocles, Lillie, Elio, Zoey and Olivia meet up in this building to discuss the matter of locating her. Drew is particularly anxious about this meeting. He's been terrified of what they might do to his girlfriend if they find out that she's the Blaziken Mask.

Ever since she went missing last week, Ash has personally led a few raids on Team Terra bases trying to find her, with Drew accompanying him every time, and taking on basically all of the ones he didn't attack, but no luck. Now, with a week having gone by since her disappearance, they're still no closer to finding her. Or finding out what it is that Team Terra want with Max Maple. In short, the month after he first challenged Team Terra directly has been the most frustrating month in Ash's life. And this first week into the second month has been no better. In fact, it may actually be worse. He sighs as he puts his phone away. "Things have just gotten a bit more complicated," he says to the group, before relaying what Misty just told him. There are mixed reactions to that. Half of them are in support for this idea, while the other half are vehemently against it, and Ash is too tired to tell who is on which side. "Look it doesn't matter!" he exclaims. "The fact of the matter is, is that they're safer like this. Our focus needs to be on finding the base that May is stuck in." Paul rolls his eyes at this. "That's a good point," he says. "Except for the fact that none of us know where to even begin searching for her!"

"I do," says a voice from behind them. Never before have pokéballs flown into hands as fast as they do in this moment as everyone in the room wheels around to see who spoke. Once Ash, Drew, Brock, Olivia, and Serena see who it is, they lower their balls. Standing just inside the windowsill is a person wearing some sort of mechanical armour, with a mask covering their full head. "Camo?" Ash asks. Camo nods, then looks around at everyone else in the room, who are still looking at her with immense suspicion. Noticing this, Ash raises his arms. "It's alright everyone," he says, signalling for them to lower their pokéballs. "They're on our side." "How do you know that?" Dawn asks. "They helped us during the Larousse Incident," Serena replies. "Not to mention they also helped us at the battle at Pewter Gym," Brock adds. Everyone else looks at each other, before lowering their Pokéballs as well.

"You know something about May's location?" Drew asks eagerly. Camo nods. "I can't tell you much," they respond. "Because I haven't been able to gather enough information to narrow it down to an exact location. But, I can tell you that she is being held in the Kanto Region." Everyone in the room stares at them. "Anything more concrete?" Miette asks. "It's somewhere in the south," Camo replies. "But I will need to gather some more information in order to narrow it down further. I'm sorry." With that, they turn to climb out of the window. But before they can, Zoey calls out, "How do we know we can trust you?" Camo stops and turns. "Because, as the Monarch said, I helped your side out before. Shouldn't that be enough?" "Not when we've been betrayed before!" Paul replies. "So, I think the only way we can trust you is if you show us your face!" Camo visibly freezes at this for a few seconds, before shaking their head. "I can't do that, they reply. "I have people I need to protect, and I can't protect them if people like Team Terra know who I am." "At least tell us your name!" Lillie exclaims. "Camo is the only name I go by," they reply. "While in this suit, I have no other name."

With that, they turn to go again. But before they can, Sophocles calls out, "Wait! Why are you helping us?" Camo stops again and turns to look at him. "I have my reasons," they respond. "Team Terra have wronged me, I want my chance to pay them back. That is all." Once again, they try to leave, but Elio steps forward to try and grab them to stop them. He grabs their hand, but they twist around and knock him away gently. Lillie runs over to help him, but before she can, Camo goes invisible. They see the window shake a little bit a few seconds later. Clearly Camo jumped out of the window to escape them. The group rushes to the window to see if they can spot them, but there's no trace of Camo anywhere.

"Who the fuck was that?" Paul asks. Ash, Drew, Brock, Olivia, and Serena shrug. "No idea," Serena replies. "They just appeared one day and saved Ash and Brock when Team Terra attacked Pewter. Then they appeared again during the Larousse Incident. Other than that, we don't know anything about them." "But you're sure we can trust them?" Paul asks. They shrug again. "Not certain," Drew replies. "But they seem to want to help us." Elio writes something down on his whiteboard at this. "So did Megan, and we all saw what happened there." "Hey, that's not fair!" Sophocles argues. "She changed sides and helped us win in the end!" "But she still betrayed us first!" Lillie argues back. "So, how do we know that Camo won't do the same!" Sophocles doesn't say anything at first. "Ok, we don't," he admits. "But I'm willing to give her a chance."

Everyone nods at that and turns their attention to narrowing down their search. As they do, Olivia notices something that Sophocles said. "Wait, how do you know Camo is a woman?" she asks him. Sophocles looks at her quizzically. "You called Camo 'she'," Olivia points out. "How do you know?" Sophocles shrugs. "Her voice," he replies. "It sounds like a woman's." Everyone stares at him incredibly quizzically. "How the Reverse World could you tell?" asks Miette. "Their voice was distorted by the mask." "Besides," Lillie adds, "just because someone sounds like a woman, doesn't mean they are one." Sophocles nods at this and apologises. Then, they get back to work. But, Sophocles can't get Camo out of his head. More specifically, the feeling that he's met her before.

Chapter Text

It's been 2 days since their little group left Viridian City. Since the region has less pokémon than the previous 2 they visited, and it's generally smaller, Bonnie thought that maybe they might move a bit quicker through Kanto than they did in Hoenn and Kalos. Boy was she wrong. Apparently, the behaviour of the pokémon native to Kanto is incredibly fascinating, and as a result, he's still just as slow as ever. But, it's not all bad, because she gets to watch him enter his Observant State once more. Ever since they arrived in Kanto, Max hadn't been using his Observant State while documenting the pokémon that can be found around Pallet Town. She understood why, since a small part of him blamed himself for their predicament, which severely affected his ability to take in information about pokémon. Now that they're on the road again, his Observant State has returned, so Bonnie thinks she can deal with the slow pace once more.

Hilbert and Hilda however are amazed by Max and his ability to gather information. They stare in utter shock as he gathers an incredible amount of information in an incredibly short period of time. Eventually, when the group stops for the night, Hilbert asks to see his notebook. Max obliges and hands it over. While Max and Bonnie discuss plans for how she'll take on Pewter Gym, the twins read over Max's notes on the pokémon that he's seen in Kanto. When they finish with that, they also look through his other two notebooks as well, their fascination only increasing. Eventually, they've looked through all 3 notebooks. Hilbert stands up and walks over to Max, holding his notebooks out to him. "Well, I must say that is some incredible work there Max," he says. "I know you must be tired of hearing this, but I'd say there are many researchers out there who would give up the use of their legs to have that kind of analytical mind." Max nods absentmindedly, not wanting to admit that, sometimes, he'd give up the use of his legs to not have this ability anymore.

The next morning, they pack up their things and leave quickly. They don't want to spend too long staying in one place, lest Team Terra catch up with them. They agreed early on that the only times they'd really stop, at least for now, was for dinner and sleep. Other then that, they'd keep going. They'd even eat their lunch while walking, unless they had some reason why they couldn't. These rules don't stop Max form walking really slowly however, which Bonnie notices causes the twins a bit of stress. But, none of them tell him to speed up, because they know that it keeps him happy, and that it's his entire reason for setting out on this journey. But also, Bonnie knows that if he isn't allowed to do this, his dark thoughts and self-hatred will start to consume him. So, she allows him to continue to work on his notes, even if it does cause them to slow down a lot.

Around the afternoon, Max has started slowing down even more than usual. Earlier in the day, he'd taken a picture of a Weedle, and has been trying to stick the picture into his notebook, but it keeps slipping out, leading to him stopping a few times to fix it. Bonnie slows down as well, and is about to yank the notebook out of his hands and demand he fix the picture later, when the two of them here a cry of fear coming to their right. The four of them spin around, ready to take on whatever made that noise, only to find a terrified Weedle burst out of the bushes. It crashed into Max, causing him to drop his notebook. The notebook flies into the air, only to be knocked out of the sky by a small flock of Spearow that are chasing the Weedle. Max and Bonnie run to catch the notebook before something happens to it. Dedenne leaps out of Bonnie's bag and manages to successfully catch the notebook. He throws it back to Max, then aims to fall back into Bonnie's bag. But before he can, a Spearow spots him and swoops down, catching him in his claws, before flying after the Weedle.

Bonnie bellows with rage and fear and chases after the flock. Max, Hilda, and Hilbert follow after her, with Max tucking his notebook safely into his bag, just to be safe. Bonnie releases Talonflame and has her chase the Spearow, while Max release Sceptile to try and grab the antenna pokémon out of the bird's claws. Hilbert and Hilda also join in, releasing an Emboar and Serperior help the two of them. The Spearow clutching Dedenne stands no chance. It's blasted by 4 different pokémon moves at the same time, and hits the ground hard. Luckily, Dedenne is relatively unscathed by the attack, and he squirms his way out of the Spearow's claws, before leaping into Bonnie's arms. "Ok, we got him," says Hilda. "Now let's leave before we piss off that whole flock. Bonnie and Hilbert nod and turn to go, but Max continues to stare at the Weedle being chased. "I have to help it," he says to them, before running after it.

He barely hears his companions' protests as he tears through the forest after the poor Weedle. He ducks through branches, making sure to avoid being seen by the birds. Eventually, he manages to catch up to the Weedle. Without thinking, he pulls out a pokéball he bought in Pallet a few days before they left, and threw it at the bug. It was caught in no time at all. Max cheers and picked up the ball, before going to attach it to his belt. Only for it to disappear in his hands. He stares at his hand for a few seconds, before remembering that he never transferred his team back to Birch like he'd planned. Now, he's without the Weedle, and a whole flock of Spearow, angry at him for stealing their lunch. He chuckles at the birds, before taking off back towards the path. The angry flock chases after him. He has Sceptile use his vine whips to interfere with the birds' flight path, but they still manage to gain on him. Before they can attack him however, they're all nailed with a powerful electric attack. Max turns around to find Bonnie and Hilda standing there, with Dedenne and a Galvantula zapping the Spearow. Max runs over to them, thanking them as he does. They call off the attacks, then all 3 of them return their pokémon, before making a hasty retreat.

They reunite with Hilbert, who went on ahead to find a Pokémon Centre while the girls saved Max. "I've got two rooms for us," he tells them, before turning to Max. "Did you manage to save the Weedle?" Max nods. "I caught it, but then it got transferred to Professor Birch," he explains. Bonnie looks at him quizzically. "Why?" she asks. "Because I never had the chance to leave my Hoenn team with him before we left," he explains. Bonnie's eyes widen in realisation. "And neither did I!" she exclaims. "You can do that when we get to the Pokémon Centre," says Hilbert. "They have a machine for that. It's just around that corner." Without another word, Bonnie takes Max's hand and leads him to the Centre. She's so focused on getting there that she fails to notice Max's blush as he's pulled along behind her.

It barely takes them 2 minutes to reach the Pokémon Centre. When they do, the first thing they do is run to the machines to transfer pokémon. Thankfully, there are 2 machines free, so they're able to call both professors to have their pokémon transferred. When Birch sees Max on the other end, his face brightens. "Good to see you well," he says. "Staying one step ahead of Team Terra?" Max chuckles and nods. "We're getting by," he replies. "I'm calling in regards to transferring some pokémon." Birch smiles at this and nods. "Of course," he says. "I take it you want the Weedle you just caught?" Max nods. "And I want to send my team from Hoenn over to you," he explains. "I also want you to send Pidgeot over to me too please." Professor Birch nods, then makes the transfer. While this is happening, the two of them catch up with each other. Max learns that Brendan is making a recovery, and should be able to take his title back from Brodie soon. This cheers Max up. Once the transfer is complete, Max thanks him, then ends the call.

Right as he does that, Bonnie also ends hers. Max checks her belt to find 3 pokéballs on hers too. "Who's the 3rd one?" he asks. "Talonflame," she replies. "I figured I should keep her on the team, in case we need to make a quick getaway." Max laughs at that. "I came to the same conclusion," he replies. "Which is why I have Pidgeot with me." He shows her Pidgeot's ball. "Good thinking," she replies. Before turning and looking around the room. She spots the twins sitting at a table, waving them over. She points them out to Max, and the two of them join them at the table. Once they've sat down, they decide to spend the night here, before carrying on in the morning.

Chapter Text

Now with only 3 pokémon each on their teams, Max and Bonnie begin to feel like this is a new beginning for their journey through Kanto. Well, a newer beginning than the one they already had. After spending the night in the Pokémon Centre, they, along with Hilbert and Hilda, leave the place early the next morning, pretty much as soon as they've finished breakfast. As they head out, Hilda instructs Max to send his Pidgeot into the sky to scout the path ahead, just in case there are any Team Terra agents on the prowl. The 4 of them stand around, watching as the bird flies off in the direction of Pewter City. She comes back a few minutes later, and lands on Max's arm. "Was there any Team Terra agent on that path?" he asks her. She shakes her head. "Ok, we're in the clear then," Hilbert sighs. "Thank Arceus." Max gives Pidgeot a few snacks as a reward, then returns her to her ball.

True to Pidgeot's word, there are no Team Terra agents on the path they are travelling on. Relieved by this, the 4 of them carry on their journey. But, that relief was poorly timed. In the bushes along the route, Sarah and Sam lie in wait, ready to spring out and grab Max's bag. "This would be so much easier if we could use machines," Sam complain. "Maybe so," Sarah replies curtly, "but if we use them, we risk drawing attention to us. How would you like it if our glory was snatched from us by other members of Team Terra, simply because we drew too much attention to ourselves?" Sam sighs, but sees where she's coming from. So, the two of them wait patiently for their targets to walk past. They've decided to go for the old faithful booby trap, the concealed net. All they need to do is wait for Max Maple to walk over it, then he'll trigger the trap, get caught, and Sarah and Sam will have his notebooks, and sub-admin titles before the week is done.

Soon enough, the sound of a 12 year old girl excitedly talking reaches their ears. Sarah and Sam grin to each other, then patiently wait for the trap to spring. Sure enough, Maple and Citron round the corner, accompanied by those 2 agents from Interpol. They walk along the path, and are about to step on the trap, when a strong gust of wind blows its concealment away, revealing it to the 4 of them. Max is about to step on it, but Bonnie manages to pull him back in time. The 4 of them start looking around, trying to see who set the trap. "If we stay quiet," Sarah whispers, "maybe they'll think the trap was set by poachers and leave." "Come out you pair of morons!" Max yells. "I know it was you that set this!"

The pair sigh, then stand up. "I'll admit, that was rather unfortunate," says Sam. "But it doesn't change the fact that we will take your notebooks!" Max sighs and interrupts him. "So just hand them over and you'll be on your way?" he finishes. Both of them stare at him. "How did you know I was going to say that?" Sam asks. "Because it's what you say every time you fail to take it." Sarah and Sam glare at him, before taking out their pokémon. "Well that doesn't matter," Sarah snaps. "What's important now is if you don't hand them over, we'll be forced to use force!" Max, Bonnie, Hilbert, and Hilda roll their eyes, then pull out their own pokéballs. Then, they release their pokémon. Sceptile, Delphox, Emboar, and Serperior come out, while Sarah and Sam send out Gourgeist, Mr. Mime, Vileplume, and Dustox. The 2 sides are about to engage in combat, when suddenly that gust of wind appeared.

It kicks up a bunch of leaves and dust, blocking their view of Team Terra. Seizing the opportunity, the group returns their pokémon and makes their escape. While they do that, some pokémon start getting agitated, and make a lot of noise. The wind dies down, and stops obscuring Team Terra's view of them. The two look around, then hear the sounds of the agitated pokémon. Assuming that the noise is coming from their targets, the duo chase after them, eager to take the notebooks. The 4 watch them run off from the safety of some bushes, then use this opportunity to make their escape, for real this time. Once they're far enough away from the duo, they stop running, and continue the journey at walking pace.

As they do, they discuss what happened back with Sarah and Sam. Specifically, the large gusts of wind that aided them, and the agitated animals that drew the two idiots away. "What do you think happened with that?" Hilbert asks. Hilda shrugs. "Maybe a helpful pokémon?" she suggests. "Unlikely," Max replies. "Pokémon have been known to aid people in trouble, but that only happens when it's obvious that the human is in trouble, or the human gave the pokémon something, so it's returning the favour. But if it does happen, that pokémon always reveals itself to the human, either for praise, a gift, or to be captured on rare occasions. The fact that no pokémon has shown up after all of that makes it unlikely to have been a pokémon that aided us." Max is going to continue his explanation, but at that moment, Bonnie trips over a root, because she got distracted by Max's ramblings.

But his ramblings aren't all Bonnie is distracted by. She thinks she saw what caused the wind, but she can't say what it was, because it would make her sound crazy. But, right as the wind had obscured Tea, Terra's view of them, she believes she spotted a glowing blue figure for just a second, before it vanished into thin air. But, judging by the other 3's conversation, they clearly didn't see it. So, bringing it up would make her look insane. So, she decides to keep quiet about it. But, this marks the 3rd time since arriving in Kanto that she's seen these strange glowing blue figures. She doesn't know what they are, or what they want. All she knows is that they seem to be drawn to her. Almost like they're trying to tell her something.

Eventually, the group decides to stop for the night. They set up camp not far off from Pewter City, about a day's walk from it. They would've continued going, but they didn't want to be walking through the night. So, they found a small clearing in the woods not far from the path, and set up camp there. In order to avoid drawing attention to themselves, they don't light a fire, instead having Emboar quickly use its flames to cook their food, while not drawing any attention to themselves. Once they're finished cooking and eating their food, they get ready for bed. As Bonnie pulls out her tent and sets it up, Max rifles through his bag to get his own. But it's not there. He starts to panic, and empty his bag to find his tent, but it's nowhere to be found.

"Uh, guys," he says, "my tent's disappeared." The other 3 look at him quizzically. "Do you think you lost it during the gust of wind?" Hilda asks. "Maybe," Max says. "Now what am I going to do?" "Just share Bonnie's tent," says Hilbert, nonchalantly. Both kids go bright red at the thought, and Max is about to refuse, claiming he'll be fine to sleep outside, when a droplet of rain told his answer for him. So, with both of them blushing madly, they settled in to Bonnie's tent, with Max promising to buy a new one once they get to Pewter. Bonnie nods, then rolls over and falls asleep, sure that she'll be fine as long as she doesn't acknowledge the fact that she's sharing a tent with her crush of 2 years.

Bonnie wakes up in darkness. at first, she thinks she just woke up super early, and goes to roll back over in her sleeping bag. Only to find that she's no longer wrapped in it. She's standing up in pitch darkness. She puts her hand up to her face, and realises that she can't see it. But then she can, as it starts to glow. Only, her hand isn't glowing, a light has appeared in the distance. She begins to walk towards it. After a couple of minutes, she starts to run. As she does, the light gets bigger and bigger. Eventually, she reaches it, and steps through the light, and enters a world on fire. All around her are burning buildings. Bodies litter the streets, covered in various wounds. Some are still alive, but barely, while most of them are dead. A few people have been crushed under rubble, while others have been stabbed, or burned to death. Soldiers dressed in metal armour march through the streets, stabbing every single body they find, making sure to finish the job.

These soldiers approach her, and she instinctively holds her arms up in defence. But they just walk straight through her. She continues looking through the streets, trying to see if she recognises the place. But it's hopeless. Either because of the flames destroying the city, or because she's never heard of it before anyway, she doesn't recognise this place at all. But, considering the way that the soldiers were armed, as well as the clothes on all of the corpses, this no doubt happened in the past. But, she has no idea when. As she wanders, she suddenly spots someone standing there. A blue figure. "Hey!" she calls. "You're the one who helped us earlier!" The figure turns to face her, and Bonnie feels her breath catch in her throat. The figure is a ghost, with several stab wounds on his body, and a charred, burnt face. He stares at her, and opens his mouth, before croaking out the words, "To... know... the... past!" He reaches out to her, the makes a grabbing gesture.

Immediately, the images around Bonnie change. Suddenly, she finds herself standing on a cliff, overlooking the sea. She recognises this cliff as one that's near Pallet Town. As she looks around, she suddenly spots something that makes her heart quicken considerably out of sheer terror. Max is standing at the cliff, face to face with Sarah and Sam. He's beaten badly, and clearly on his last legs. He looks down at the water below his feet, as if contemplating jumping. "Don't you dare!" Sarah shouts. "Not even you are that stupid!" But Max only looks at them, then he turns and jumps.

"MAX!" Bonnie screams, shooting up in her sleeping bag. Max also shoots awake, staring around, wide-eyed and fearful. "Is everything alright?" he asks. "Bonnie what happened?" Bonnie just looks at him, then bursts into tears, before tackling him into a tight hug. Max goes very red in the face, but ignores it, focusing instead on calming his best friend down. "It's alright Bonnie," he says in a soothing voice. "It's ok. It was just a dream. It was just a dream." The two of them remain like that for the next half hour, with Bonnie holding tightly to Max while he comforts her. Eventually, she's cried herself dry, and falls back asleep. Max smiles at this, then lies back down and goes back to sleep himself. He's so tired and still a bit shook from Bonnie waking him up, that he fails to notice that the two of them are practically cuddling each other as he drifts off.

Chapter Text

Bonnie wakes up with her arms wrapped around something. She has no idea what it is, but it's very comforting. As she snuggles up closer to it, she feels a slight smile on her face. Then, she feels whatever it is shift, and hears some mumbling. Confused, she opens her eyes, and finds herself practically snuggling Max in her tent. She immediately panics and tries to squirm free, waking Max up in the process. Going very red in the face, Bonnie begins apologising profusely, but Max cuts her off. "It's alright Bonnie," he says. "You had a nightmare, and it must've been bad from how you woke up. I don't mind you needing to hug me if you got frightened like that, it's ok." Bonnie smiles at him, still blushing, but for a different reason.

The two of them sit in silence for a while inside Bonnie's tent. Eventually, Max asks, "So, do you want to talk about it?" Bonnie doesn't want to talk about it, but she figures that it might help her if she does. So, she tells him about the burning city she saw, and the weird blue figure that appeared in front of her, as well as the weird thing he said, "To know the past." However, she doesn't say anything about the second portion of the dream, where she saw Max turn and leap off a cliff. She doesn't want to think about that again. But, this is Max she's talking to, and she can tell that he can tell that she hasn't told him everything. But, being a good friend, he doesn't push her to say more. Instead, he starts getting up. Sighing with relief over not having to explain the second part of her dream, Bonnie starts getting up too.

By the time the two of them have left the tent, after taking turns changing in there, they discover that Hilbert and Hilda aren't outside. Their tents are still up, but they're open, meaning they've already left. Max goes over to their tents, and finds a note attached to Hilda's. "Max and Bonnie; the two of us have gone on ahead to scout the area and make sure that there are no Team Terra agents nearby. We'll; be back soon. Please, for the love of Arceus, don't sneak off to Pewter without us. If you're caught, we could lose our jobs. Get started on breakfast, we should be back before you're done. Hilda." Max reads the letter out loud to Bonnie, who immediately agrees with Hilda that they should wait for the twins to return. "I know you don't like feeling like you're being protected," she argues. "But if we don't wait for them, we could be captured." Max sighs, realising that she's right. So, he decides to get started on making their breakfast.

The twins woke up relatively early, and quickly discovered Max and Bonnie sleeping, with Bonnie cuddled up beside Max, and their arms wrapped around each other. Deciding to leave the 2 be, they went about making breakfast for themselves. When they finished, Hilbert suggested that they go scout ahead to see if Team Terra are nearby. Hilda didn't like the idea. "If we do that, Max and Bonnie will use this as an opportunity to escape us," she pointed out. "Or, Team Terra might use it as an opportunity to nab them." Hilbert did look a bit worried about that prospect, but he didn't back down. "I just think it would be easier to keep the two of them safe if we know what's coming." Hilda thought about this, before nodding. "Alright fine," she said. "But one of us is staying here to keep an eye on them," Hilbert nodded in agreement.

With that settled, they tried to think of a way to decide who would stay and who would go. They tried playing a game of Fire, water, grass, but they kept drawing. So, they both offered to stay behind, which led to a bit of an argument. Eventually, Hilbert sighed. "Why don't we just go together," he asked. "Strength in numbers, and it'll be easier to spot any danger." Hilda didn't like the idea at all. 2But Max and Bonnie could slip away or get caught," she argued. "Not if we leave them a note explaining why they shouldn't," Hilbert replied. "If we explain that we could lose our jobs if we lose them and they get caught, we can at least convince Bonnie not to leave. And Max will definitely listen to her." Hilda thought about this, before relenting. She quickly wrote down where they were going, and asking them to stay put, then, headed off into the forest.

That's how the two of them find themselves sneaking around the outskirts of Pewter City, spying on 2 Team Terra agents. Specifically, the two agents that attacked them not too long ago. They're standing at the entrance to Pewter, staring down the pathway that the twins had come up earlier, before spotting the two Team Terra members and dipping into the forests of the side of the path. After making sure that the Team Terra grunts didn't see them, they begin to inch closer to them, to see if they can gather any information about how they found Max and Bonnie in the first place. Upon reaching the duo, Hilbert notices that the man is staring at a device in his hand, while the woman is looking out at the path. "Are you sure they're close by?" the woman asks. "Positive," the man responds. They haven't moved from that spot since this morning, which means that they're probably camping down there."

The twins exchange nervous looks at this. "If that's the case," the woman adds, "then why don't we head down there and grab the notebooks while they sleep?" "Because found out that Admin Angie is nearby," the man explains. "If we engage with them in their campsite, it might draw attention." "As opposed to engaging with them at the entrance to the city itself?" the woman counters. "Which would certainly have more eyes on us." At this, the man holds up his hand, then reaches into his belt. "That's where this little guy comes into play," he says, pulling out a pokéball. "with my latest catch, they won't even know what hit them." The woman grins at this. Then, she asks, "And we're sure that Angie doesn't know they're here, right?" Sam nods. "These trackers have been in their bags for 2 years, and we never picked them up until we found this," he points out. "The Admin doesn't know they're here." The woman nods, then the pair resume scanning the path in front of them, waiting for Max and Bonnie to arrive.

Hilda and Hilbert don't wait around however. The two of them slip back into the trees, and begin racing back to Max and Bonnie as quickly and quietly as they can. It took them just under 2 hours to reach Pewter, so it takes roughly half that time to make it back to the campsite. Hilbert keeps checking behind them to see if anyone is following them, but nothing shows up. "Ok, I think we're definitely safe," he says. As soon as that sentence leaves his mouth, he lurches forward slightly. Hilda looks at him with concern, before his face hits the dirt. Hilda panics and begins to analyse him, quickly finding a dart in his neck. She starts to panic even more, worrying that he'd been poisoned. "Don't worry," says a voice in front of her. "It's only a tranquiliser dart. He'll be awake soon." Hilda's head snaps up to find a Team Terra Admin standing there, a short, thin woman with orange hair. "You must be Angie," Hilda responds. The Admin nods. "That I am," she replies. "And you must be Hilda Touko. I know a lot about you."

"What do want from me?" Hilda asks. Angie shrugs. "Not much," she replies. "Just your help." Hilda actually laughs at this. "If you think I'm actually going to help you, then you don't know me at all." Angie shakes her head. "Oh, I suppose we don't. Darn, I was really hoping that would work." She sighs, then turns away, acting like she's about to leave. Then, she turns back around, a file in her hands. "Hilda Touko," she says, reading from it. "Age, 23. Birthname, Hilda Touya, changed it to avoid affiliation with family. Relatives, Unknown father, left shortly after birth. Mother, Abigail Touya, abandoned according to you. That's a rather cruel way of putting it. Brother, Hilbert Touko, twin, born Hilbert Touya, only living relative. Lived on the streets of Castelia City from ages 5 to 10. Orphanage for 1 year before running away. Stole starters from Professor Juniper, and set off on journey. between 11 and 18, journeyed around Unova, and a few other regions. Aged 18, signed up for Interpol." With that, she closes the file. "Tell me, did we miss anything in our research of you?"

Hilda is stunned by all of this, which Angie notices. "We also know that you're an expert hacker, having learned how to do so during your teenage years," she goes on. "So, I will say this again. We need your help." At this, Angie pulls out another gun, this time a real one. The sight of it causes Hilda's breath to catch in her throat, as bad memories force their way into her brain. She watches as the gun is pointed at Hilbert's unconscious form, and finds herself short of breath. "Your twin is all you have left right?" Angie asks. "You wouldn't want to lose him too, would you?" Hilda shakes her head, finding herself unable to speak, tears pricking her eyes. Even from behind the mask, she can tell that Angie is smiling. "Good," she says, lowering the gun. "Don't worry, we don't need you for anything big. Just a few pieces of information, that's all. Once we have it, you'll never hear from me again. Ok?" Hilda can only nod.

Angie nods, then turns to leave. As she does, Hilda finds that she can speak again, if only faintly. "Why me?" she asks. Angie stops, then turns to look at her. "Because we need someone good with computers to gather the intel," she replies. "And, as cruel of a tactic as it is, sometimes trauma can be a much better negotiator than threats any day. You'll hear from me soon what kind of information we need. I look forward to seeing what you can supply us." She starts walking off. "Oh, and don't go telling anyone about this, or else..." she trails off, miming shooting a gun at Hilbert. Hilda can only nod again, once again unable to speak. Angie chuckles, then walks off, leaving a distressed Hilda to sit next to Hilbert, guilt tearing her insides out as she waits for her twin to wake back up.

Chapter Text

By the time Hilbert and Hilda return to the campsite, Max and Bonnie have finished eating breakfast and have begun to pack their things. Both twins look visibly relieved to see that they're still there, although there's clearly something wrong with them. Hilbert looks a bit fatigued, and he's being helped back to the campsite by Hilda. Hilda looks physically fine, but there's something deeply troubling her. She doesn't look at her brother as she carries him back to the campsite. "Oh thank Arceus, you're still here!" she exclaims. "We were worried you'd take off without us." "Don't worry, we read your note, and felt it was best to wait for you," Bonnie tells them. She elbows Max in the ribs subtly, and he nods along. "What happened to you?" "Wild pokémon encounter," Hilbert replies. "I got hit with Sleep Powder, so Hilda fought it off by herself. Quite impressive I must say."

Max looks over at Hilda. No doubt about it, she's definitely not looking at Hilbert as he tells this story. "What type of pokémon attacked you?" he asks her. "A Vileplume," she responds quickly. Almost too quickly. "Really?" he asks. "Because Vileplume don't attack without provocation." Hilda looks slightly panicked at this. "Oh, uh, maybe we were approaching its nest and it wanted to defend its eggs. I don't know. But it attacked us for some reason." By this time, both Bonnie and Hilbert are looking at Max quizzically, while Hilda clearly wants the conversation to move on. So, Max decides to allow that. "Sorry," he says, rubbing the back of his head. "I was just curious. More stuff to note down about behaviour, that's all." The 3 of them seem to accept this answer, and they get back to packing up there things. But Max doesn't take his eye off Hilda. He can't shake the feeling that she's hiding something. But, he decides not to push it.

After they're packed up, they set off to Pewter City for Bonnie's first Gym Battle in Kanto. As they travel, Hilbert and Hilda warn the two of them about Sarah and Sam, and how they're waiting for them at the entrance to Pewter City. They also explained to them how they were found in Kanto to begin with. When Max and Bonnie learn about the trackers, they immediately begin to think back to when Sarah and Sam could've placed trackers into their bags. "I can't think of a moment where they did," says Bonnie. Max nods in agreement. "I mean, Megan put some in our bags back in Kalos, but-." He cuts himself off as he comes to a realisation. "Megan put some in our bags," he says to Bonnie. "What if she never took them out again!"

Bonnie's eyes widen as she too comes to this realisation. She takes her bag off her back and begins to rummage through it. Max is about to do the same, when he remembers that this is a new bag that he got for his 11th birthday. "Did they say anything about only one tracker?" he asks. Hilbert and Hilda look at each other. "No, I think they mentioned they were tracking the both of you," Hilda replies. Max is confused by this. How could they be tracking him when he replaced his bag? At that moment, Bonnie manages to find the tracker stitched into her bag. Max releases Sceptile and has him cut it out, while he decides to look through his stuff to find it. Bonnie holds up the small tracker, which is two times smaller than the nail on her pinkie. Using this as an example, Max scours his possessions for the tracker.

After a few minutes of searching, he eventually finds the tracker attached to his pencil case. “How in the name of all that is holy did she do that?” he wonders. Sceptile manages to cut through the pencil case to retrieve the tracking device from it, without also damaging the case too badly. "How did I not notice this," he wonders again, examining it in his hand. "Probably because you never notice anything that isn't pokémon related," Bonnie quips. The others laugh, even Max, then they place the tracking devices on the ground. "Maybe this is how they knew where we were in Kalos before they attacked us outside of Lumiose," Max points out. Bonnie makes a grim face, both at the thought of that and at the memory of that attack. With that, they place the trackers on the ground at their feet, before stomping on them, smashing them to pieces.

The little machines spark and sputter when the two of them lift their feet up. Hilbert examines them carefully. "Yep," he says, "they're definitely broken. Those two idiots will have a hard time finding you guys now." "But what about the rest of Team Terra?" Bonnie asks. "Oh, you don't have to worry about them," Hilda tells them, before explaining the conversation they overheard between the two Team Terra agents. "So, they haven't told anyone about this?" Max asks. "Doesn't seem like it," Hilbert responds. "Maybe they kept it to themselves so that they can gain the glory of nabbing you." "But you know what this means?" Hilda asks. Max nods. "It means that we need to keep a low profile while we're in Kanto." The twins also nod. "For the love of Arceus, don't do anything that will draw attention to you," Hilda warns them. "If you do, then all of Team Terra will descend upon you like a swarm of bees." Max and Bonnie promise to keep low profiles, then they continue on their way.

As they approach the entrance to Pewter City, they slow right down, and keep their eyes and ears at the ready for any sign of Sarah and Sam. But they aren't there. Confused, the twins creep cautiously forward. "Do you think they left?" Hilbert asks. Max and Bonnie shake their heads. "No way," Max replies. "Those idiots are way to persistent to give up that easily." "They're probably hiding somewhere in the city, waiting for us." The twins make a note of that, then Hilbert pulls out his gun, while Hilda pulls out a pokéball. Hilbert looks at her quizzically, and seems to be about to ask her why she doesn't pull out her gun, when the two of them cross the threshold into the city. As soon as they do, they freeze up, as Stun Spore covers the two of them. They collapse to the ground, as Max and Bonnie look around, their own pokéballs in their hands.

"Come out you two morons!" Max yells. "Show yourself!" Sarah and Sam step out of an alleyway, grinning broadly. "So, I see you managed to find our tracking device," says Sarah. "Very clever. But that doesn't mean that you've won!" Sam nods. "Now that those two are incapacitated, you've got no defence against us, so you might as well give up." Max actually laughs at this. "No defence?" he asks. "I seem to recall that the two of us have beaten you basically every single time we encountered you. So, what makes this any different?" He expects the agents to realise the same thing, and cover themselves up with something stupid, but instead, they seemed ready for that response. "True," Sarah acknowledges, "but that was back when it was just the two of you. Now there're four of you, two of which are currently unable to move. So, you could battle us, and risk hurting them, or attempt to escape from us, and leave them behind."

At this, Sam pulls out a paralyse heal. "Or, you could hand over your notebooks, and we'll trade you this for them," he says, holding it out. Max stares at them, then at the Twins lying on the ground. Though they can barely move, Max can see the way they shake their heads slightly, indicating to him not to take the deal. Sam notices this and pulls out a pokéball. How about I make this decision easier for you," he says, before releasing a new pokémon that he didn't have before. A Bellsprout pops out of the ball and immediately created a wall of leaves, blocking their way out of the city. "There, now your choices are either fight us, or hand the notebooks over," says Sam. Sarah laughs at this. "Good thinking Sam," she tells him. Sam grins at this, a small bit of pink appearing on his face. The two of them turn back to Max and Bonnie again, but before they can say anything else, footsteps suddenly sound behind them. Suddenly, a figure jumps out from behind Sarah and Sam, yelling, "Rhyperior, GO!"

A giant bipedal rhinoceros appears before them, roaring with anticipation. Max stares in awe as his Pokédex tells him it's a Rhyperior. In a panic, Sam orders Bellsprout to attack it with Vine Whip. But Rhyperior's trainer just grins, before Rhyperior dodges the attack and lunges at Bellsprout. To everyone's amazement, fire erupts from Rhyperior's arm as it uses Fire Punch, taking Bellsprout down in one hit. Sarah sends out Vileplume next, in order to stop Rhyperior. But the same thing happened again. Rhyperior effortlessly dodged Vileplume's attacks, before launching Fire Punch at it, taking it out too. Getting desperate, Sarah and Sam send out Gourgeist and Mr. Mime to battle it. Once again, Rhyperior effortlessly dodges all of their attacks, before using Crunch on them both, taking them out too. Sam scrambles to release his final pokémon, but before he can, Rhyperior uses Dig to burrow under the ground.

Both Sarah and Sam look around frantically for where it will come up. Suddenly, the ground shakes violently, and Rhyperior bursts out from right under where the two agents are standing. They're thrown into the air by the force of this attack, and fly away out of sight. Before they do, Rhyperior's trainer leaps forward, managing to snatch the bottle of paralyse heal out of Sam's hand before he flies away. He watches them go, then turns around and uses the Paralyse heal on Hilbert and Hilda. Once they're no longer paralysed, he helps Hilbert to his feet, while Hilda gets up on her own. "Thanks," says Hilbert. "You really saved our asses back there." "Who are you?" Bonnie asks. The trainer smiles and turns to look at them properly. Now that Max looks at him, he realises that he looks almost exactly like Brock did when he first met him. "Hey guys," says the trainer. "I'm Forrest Stone, Gym Leader of Pewter City."

Chapter Text

After helping Hilbert and Hilda to their feet and making sure they're ok, Forrest leads the 4 of them through Pewter City, towards the Gym. As he does, he turns to look at them. "You know, Brock told me you'd be coming here eventually," he says. "I just didn't think it would be this soon." Hilda shrugs. "Well, we got into a bit of trouble with Team Terra, so we had to leave Pallet earlier than planned," she tells him. Forrest nods in understanding, then turns back around. "I could see that," he says. "But luckily for you, I think those 2 were the only Team Terra folks in this city. So, you won't have to worry about them for a bit." Noticeable looks of relief spread across the group at this, which makes Forrest smile. "That's some good news I take it?" he asks. Hilbert nods. "Very," he replies. "Hiding these 2 from them has been a pain."

They continue on their way through the city, with Forrest occasionally pointing out important landmarks. "Where's the nearest Pokémon Centre?" Max asks. "Oh, it's pretty close to the Gym actually," he replies. Max sighs happily at this. "Great," he says, "can you show us the way there first please? We need to drop our bags off." Forrest stops walking at this. "Not happening," he says. "because I insist that you stay with us while you're here." Both Max and Bonnie look at him with amazement. "Really?" Bonnie asks. Forrest nods. "Of course," he replies. "With Brock no longer living with us, we have a spare bedroom. So, you can stay here." "Thanks for the offer, bu-" Max tries to say, but Bonnie covers his mouth. "We'd be very happy to accept!" she says quickly. Forrest grins at this. "Excellent," he says. "In that case, follow me!" Then, he turns back around and leads them to the Stone residence.

Max squirms free of Bonnie's grip and glares at her. "Why did you stop me?" he asks. "Because you're being a noble moron, that's why," Bonnie replies. "Forrest just offered us a place to stay while we're here to take him on. How can we not accept that!?" "Because Team Terra are here hunting me," he hisses. "And if we stay with them, we could put them in danger!" Bonnie just stares at him. "Max, do you really think that Sarah and Sam could pose a threat to him?" she points to Forrest. "He kicked their asses without even trying! And, no one else from Team Terra even knows we're here! There's nothing they can do to us." Forrest starts laughing all of a sudden. "Please," he says, "my house withstood a full frontal assault from Team Terra a few months ago. I think we can handle 2 morons like them." Max finds himself laughing at this, and feels better about staying with the Stones. Hilbert and Hilda turn down the offer, saying instead that they'd be more comfortable in a room in the Pokémon Centre. Forrest just shrugs at this. "Suit yourselves," he says, before leading on.

A few minutes later, they see the gym at last. Bonnie starts getting very excited at this, which Forrest notices. "So, I take it you're the one here to challenge me?" he asks. Bonnie nods, reaching to her belt. "That I am!" she exclaims. "In fact, I-" This time, it's Max's turn to block Bonnie's mouth. "Yes, but that will be happening tomorrow," he says. Forrest laughs at this, then turns back around and starts walking back towards the gym. As he does, Max feels something wet touch his hand and realises that Bonnie has just licked it. He moves his hand away from her mouth very quickly and wipes it on his trousers, giving Bonnie a death glare. "Why did you stop me?" she asks him. "Think for a minute Bonnie," he replies. "Who do you currently have on your team?" Bonnie pulls out her 3 pokéballs. "Delfox, Dedenne, and Talonflame," she responds, before realising. "Oh, I see."

"Exactly," says Max. "You don't have the team for this battle. Forrest will just wipe the floor with you. And I don't want to have to deal with another one of your funks." Bonnie punches him for that. "I haven't fallen into a funk after every battle I've lost!" she exclaims. "True," Max agrees. "Just all of them bar 1." He then has to run away, because Bonnie starts angrily chasing him. Forrest, Hilda, and Hilbert watch them do this and laugh, before he leads the two agents into the Gym. After Bonnie has gotten a good few swings at Max with her bag, the two of them joined them in the gym, which also doubled as the Stone residence.

As they head inside, they're immediately bombarded by a lot of kids. Half of them look like smaller versions of Brock, and the ones that don't look like a female version of him. "So, this is Brock's family?" Bonnie asks. Max nods. "I always knew he had a big family, but I had no idea it was this big!" Forrest notices their shock and laughs. "What can I say," he says, "Mum and dad were certainly busy." Max notices a hint of bitterness in his voice as he says that, as his face darkens slightly. But, it's gone as soon as it came, and he quickly heads to the kitchen to through together some lunch for everyone. Max wants to refuse, not wanting to be a bother, but Bonnie beats him to it by grabbing his arm and dragging him with her and the rest of the Stone family into the kitchen. Max is blown away by just how many people are sitting at this table, and even more amazed when he sees the amount of food that Forrest starts carrying out.

After lunch, Forrest retreats quickly from the family, claiming to need to head to the gym to train. Max watches him go with a bit of concern. "Is he ok?" he asks the oldest kid there, Salvadore he thinks his name was. The kid nods. "Forrest has been left in charge of all of us again," he explains. "Our parents have gone out on another one of their adventures together, and since Brock moved out, it's up to Forrest to care for us now. He's got less to do now that we're all older, but we can all tell that he'd rather focus on the Gym, and building his team. Yolanda and I both have our own starters, so we've both been able to leave the house on our own adventures, but Forrest never had that. He's basically been manning the gym since he was 10. So, he never really got his chance to explore Kanto. He loves being the Gym Leader, but we can all tell that he wants to go out and be by himself."

Max and Bonnie look at the door that Forrest has just walked through, both of them pitying him. Bonnie goes towards the door, wanting to talk to him about this, but Yolanda stops her. "I know what you're thinking, but going to talk to him about all of this will just annoy him," she says. "He's never liked it when people are concerned for him. For some reason it makes him think others see him like a child, especially when compare to our older brother." Now that, both Max and Bonnie understand. So, they agree to not say anything about this to Forrest. Instead, they help with the clean up from lunch. By this time, the twins declare that they're heading to the Pokémon Centre to check into their room. Max and Bonnie decide to head out as well, and go to the woods to find a Grass Type for Bonnie. "Tell Forrest we'll be back later!" Bonnie tells Yolanda, who nods and waves them off.

After getting a bit turned around in Pewter City, Max and Bonnie find their way back to the place where they entered the city. After making sure that no one from Team Terra are there to catch them, they slip into the woods, and begin searching for a Grass Type. Max pulls out some incense he bought in Pallet a few days before they left, and sprays it on Bonnie to help attract pokémon. At first, the only types that really show up are Bug, which are basically useless to her. Max still takes the opportunity to document everything in audio logs for later, which causes Bonnie to become a bit distracted. They're at this for a few hours, but they make no progress in finding a Grass Type pokémon. By this time, the incense has worn off, and it was Max's last one. So, they decide to give up and try again tomorrow.

But, just as they come to this decision, they hear rustling in the bushes. Bonnie goes over to it to check, and has to jump quickly out of the way to avoid being sprayed by Stun Spore. A Bellsprout jumps out of the bush, glaring, and ready for a fight. Bonnie grins at this, then sends out Talonflame. She cries out in anticipation, then swoops in for a simple Drill Peck. The Bellsprout leaps out of the way, then uses Bullet Seed. It hits Talonflame, but barely does anything to her. Talonflame uses Drill Peck again, which does a lot more damage than last time, since it actually hit. Bellsprout gets a bit dizzy, and as a result its attack completely misses Talonflame. "Throw the pokéball now!" Max shouts. "I know Max!" Bonnie replies, grabbing a ball. "No need to give me a tutorial!" Then, she throws the ball at Bellsprout. It disappears into the ball, which shakes 3 times, before being caught. Max and Bonnie celebrate her catch, before she grabs the ball and places it on her belt. They high five, before returning to Pewter City to come up with a plan.

Chapter Text

It's early evening by the time the two of them return to Pewter Gym. By then, Forrest is throwing together some dinner, with Hilbert's help. Hilda meanwhile is messing around with the younger kids, showing off her pokémon unique to Unova. "Why aren't you helping with dinner?" one of the kids asks her as Max and Bonnie pass. Hilda laughs at this. "Oh, I'm completely useless in the kitchen," she replies. "I could burn water." The other children laugh at this. Max and Bonnie also chuckle at this, before joining them. They sit around for a while and talk, while some of the other children mess around. However, this comes to a screeching halt when the youngest child, Tilly, finds something on Hilda's belt. "What's this?" she asks, pulling Hilda's gun from her belt and holding it up innocently.

The effect this has on the agent is both instantaneous and startling. Hilda freezes at the sight of the gun, and begins to hyperventilate a bit. Her eyes suddenly have a hunted look to them, like she's no longer in the present, but reliving a terrible memory. Tilly apologises and goes to put the gun back on her belt, but Hilda slaps it away and it goes clattering to the floor. The noise of this alerts Hilbert and Forrest, who come to investigate. Hilbert takes one look at his sister, before muttering a swear to himself. Then, he rushes over to her and helps her stand up. "We'll be back in a few minutes," Hilbert tells them. ""If the food's ready before we get back, just start eating without us!" Then, without another word, he carries Hilda out of the house.

Everyone watches them go in stunned silence. Bonnie turns to Max, and he can immediately tell that she wants to follow them to find out what that was about, but before he can debate whether or not he wants to follow them, Forrest shuts the idea down. "I don't want any of you going out there to eavesdrop," he says to his siblings, though it's clear he's also talking to Max and Bonnie when he says this. "This is none of your business whatsoever. If they want to, they will tell us." His siblings nod, then go back to doing what they were doing. Forrest goes back to making dinner, but not before shouting, "And don't you dare ask them what that was!" His siblings agree not to, as do Max and Bonnie.

Nothing else of note happens after that. The twins return shortly into dinner, everyone eats, then does their own thing until it's time to go to bed. Before they do however, Bonnie declares to Forrest that she challenges him to a battle. Forrest smiles at her and tells her that he's looking forward to it. Then, they all head to their rooms, or Brock's old room in Max and Bonnie's case, and go to sleep. They're woken up in the morning by the delicious smell of breakfast. At first, Max and Bonnie think that Forrest is the one cooking. But they're quickly proven wrong when they open the door of Brock's room to see him tearing down the hallway, a look of worry on his face. "How many times have I told you not to use the cooker when I'm not there!" he yells as he races down the stares. Max and Bonnie follow, suddenly concerned. However, that concern is quickly washed away when he sees who's standing at the cooker.

"Brock!" Forrest exclaims, before running over and hugging his older brother. Brock laughs as he hugs his little brother. "Hey Forrest," he says. "Have you been handling the Gym well?" Forrest nods, before looking around. "Is Olivia here?" he asks. Brock nods. "She's out the front right now, talking to the post boy." At this, Forrest's face lights up, and he runs to the front door. Max, Bonnie, and Brock watch him go, with the former 2 being very confused. The 3 of them follow him out to seem him walking over to Olivia, who is talking to a young boy and girl around Forrest's age. "What's he doing?" Max asks. Brock laughs at this. "Well, Forrest is similar to me in a few different ways," he explains. "He's a fierce battler, he's responsible, and he's an outrageous flirt, just like I was." At this, Max notices that his eyes are trained on the girl. "Oh Arceus," he says. "Not another one." Brock laughs again. "Yep," he says. "Except there's a difference between him and me in this regard. You see-."

At that moment, Forrest arrives at the boy and girl. Max expects him to start hitting on the girl, but instead, he immediately turns his attention to the boy, and produces a flower seemingly out of thing air. "Forrest is gay," Brock finishes, chuckling slightly at his little brother's antics. Olivia also laughs while the boy in question just looks flustered. The girl he's with laughs as well, before pulling the boy along, waving goodbye as she does. Meanwhile, Olivia turns back around and heads back towards the gym, with a disgruntled Forrest in tow. "You'll get him one day," Brock says as he walks past. "Shut up," Forrest grumbles as he steps into the gym.

By this time, the rest of the family have awoken, and are all crowding around Brock and Olivia, welcoming them in excitedly. Max can't help but notice that things seem a bit happier with Brock present. He does most of the jobs that Forrest was doing yesterday, except he clearly is a much happier to do them than Forrest was. As a result, there seems to be a cheerier air around the place. As they sit around the breakfast table, Forrest seems to be looking at Brock with a hint of suspicion. "What are you doing here?" he finally asks. Brock looks at him. "Well, I caught wind that Bonnie would be challenging you," he says. "So, Olivia and I decided to stop by to watch." Both Bonnie and Forrest beam at this, then wolf down their breakfast as fast as they can, in order to have their battle quicker. Everyone else can't help but laugh at this.

Once everyone has finished breakfast, they all migrate to the gym itself. Bonnie, Forrest, and Brock head to the main battle arena, while everyone else heads to the spectators' area. Brock will be refereeing the battle, which makes this all the more exciting. Soon enough, both opponents are on opposite sides of the pitch, with Brock standing in between them. "You must be a good battler if my brother has come back to watch this one," says Forrest, excitement clear in his voice. "I hope you don't mind if I take this moment to show off a bit." Bonnie grins at this. "Be my guest," she replies, cockily. Up in the spectators area, Max closes his eyes in annoyance. "She doesn't have the team to be getting this cocky," he mutters to himself. Down below, Brock goes through the rules of the battle, to which both opponents accept. Then, Bonnie's first battle in Kanto begins.

Due to only being allowed use 2 pokémon in this battle, Bonnie isn't able to use the full extent of the plan she and Max came up with. Instead, she needs to use the shortened version. So, instead of sending out Dedenne, as planned, she jumps straight to Delphox, while Forrest sends out a pokémon Bonnie doesn't recognise. It's a small brown shelled pokémon with yellow legs and red eyes underneath it. According to her Pokédex, this is a Kabuto. Forrest smirks at this. "You like it?" he asks. "It's an ancient pokémon that I found from a fossil!" He then demonstrates his new pokémon by having it use Ancient Power. Delphox reacts quickly, using Psychic to block the attack and throw the rocks away. However, she's too distracted by doing this that she fails to notice the Aqua Jet shooting straight for her. It hits her straight in the chest and sends her flying backwards, leaving her open to another Ancient Power attack. She manages to dodge this, but barely, and uses Psybeam in retaliation. She follows up quickly with Psyshock as well. Both attacks hit, but don't do enough damage. Deciding to try and end this quickly, Bonnie has Delphox get in close and hit Kabuto with Psybeam at point blank range. But, as she gets in close, Kabuto uses Ancient Power, this time hitting her dead on. Delphox is thrown backwards, and this time, she doesn't get up.

"Delphox is unable to battle!" Brock declares. Bonnie returns Delphox and thanks her, before sending out Bellsprout. If Forrest is nervous about this, he doesn't show it. Instead, he has Kabuto use Rapid Spin. Bellsprout avoids the attack, then uses Razor Leaf. Finally, it starts doing a lot of damage to Kabuto. Before it can do anything else, Bellsprout uses Vine Whip to finish it off. "Kabuto is unable to battle!" shouts Brock. Forrest return Kabuto, before saying, "I'll admit, you're pretty strong. But, I still have 1 pokémon left. If this was a serious battle, I'd ne using Rhyperior, but as you don't have any badges left, I decided to use this guy instead." Then, he sends out a Rhyhorn instead. Bonnie feels immense relief at this. She was concerned that she'd be having Bellsprout go up against Rhyperior, but that isn't happening now.

Still, the battle isn't an easy one either. Rhyhorn starts off by charging at Bellsprout and using Horn Drill, which Bellsprout narrowly manages to avoid. But, he fails to avoid Rhyhorn suddenly turning and using Tackle, throwing him into a wall. Bellsprout peels himself off the wall, then rushes forward and uses Vine Whip once more. Then, he uses Stun Spore, which freezes Rhyhorn in place. Forrest grunts in annoyance as he realises that this is the case. Rhyhorn tries to hit Bellsprout with Horn Drill again, but it doesn't do anything. Bellsprout take this opportunity to Use Razor Leaf again, then another Vine Whip. He goes in for another Vine Whip, when Rhyhorn is able to work through the paralysis to stab him with it's horn. Then, Rhyhorn charges towards the wall, aiming to slam Bellsprout into it. In order to prevent this, Bellsprout starts using Razor Leaf over and over again. Eventually, Rhyhorn manages to crash into the wall, creating a dust cloud. Everyone watches with baited breath to see who won. Eventually, the dust clears, and one pokémon is left standing. Bellsprout, though he is on his last legs.

Everyone stares at the sight for a few seconds, unable to believe what they just watched. Brock is the first one to snap out of his stunned stupor. "Rhyhorn is unable to battle!" he declares. "Making Challenger Bonnie Citron the winner of this match!" Max, Hilbert, and Hilda cheer as they watch Bonnie jump for joy at the win. Forrest returns Rhyhorn, then smiles at Bonnie. "I'll admit, you're good," he says. "It's been a while since I've had a battle this close. Makes me want to bring out Rhyperior and see how you fare against him." Bonnie gets a bit worried at this, but Forrest chuckles. "Nah, don't worry, I'm not going to do that," he tells her, as he starts rummaging through his pockets. "Instead, I'm going to give you this." Then, he holds out the Boulder Badge. Bonnie grins as she happily takes the badge, waving it up to Max excitedly. Max throws her the thumbs up, then begins making his way down to her, while she, Forrest, and Brock make their way out of the arena.

Chapter Text

Max runs down to catch up with Bonnie and congratulate her on her win. While he does that, Forrest's family gather around him to congratulate him on a well fought battle. Hilbert and Hilda flitted between the two groups, congratulating both. As he's talking to Forrest, Brock notices that his little brother keeps glancing off at Max and Bonnie. After seeing that, a small smile creases Brock's face. He recognises that look, as it's one he too had just about 6 years ago. But, he decides to hold off on brining it up for now. Better to leave it for when he can get Forrest alone. For now, he simply leads the way back to the main house and begins to prep some lunch for everyone.

A few hours later, Brock finds Forrest by himself, training his pokémon. He remembers his little brother's excitement when he caught this team himself, or discovered it in the case of Kabuto. However, the 2 pokémon he used in his battle against Bonnie, as well as his Rhyperior, are all the pokémon he has. He never really got the chance to go out and explore the region like Brock did. Salvadore and Yolanda did, and the rest of his siblings are going to get their starters soon. But Forrest has been subjected to the duties of the oldest, now that Brock has moved out to live with Olivia. He hides it well, but Brock can tell he's frustrated. So, when he finds his little brother training his team, he decides now is probably a good time to speak with him.

He stands there for a while whilst Forrest trains. Forrest is so focused on his training that he fails to notice his older brother watching him. Finally, Brock decides to make his presence known. "I think you should take a break!" he calls. "You've been training for a while!" Forrest jumps out of his skin at this, and wheels around to find his older brother standing there. "How long have been there?" he asks. Brock shrugs. "A while," he replies. Forrest nods, then returns his pokémon to their balls, before walking over to Brock. The two sit down on a rock while Forrest uses his t-shirt, which he'd removed during his training. Neither brother says anything as Forrest puts his t-shirt back on. They continue to sit in silence for a bit, before Brock turns to his little brother. "You want to travel with them, don't you?"

Forrest turns to look at him with surprise, which makes Brock laugh. “You don’t need to hide it, I can see it in your face when you look at them.” Forrest goes slightly pink. “How could you tell?” he asks. Brock chuckles. “Because I had the exact same look on my face 6 years ago, when I first met Ash and Misty,” he replies. “I was about your age at the time. Although, I was more enthusiastic about helping my younger siblings than you seem to be.” Forrest panics slightly at this, thinking that Brock is cross with him. Instead, Brock affectionately rubs the top of Forrest’s head. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad,” he tells him. “If anything I understand.” Forrest is incredibly confused by this. “What do you mean?” he asks. “You were amazing at raising us! Way better than mum and dad ever were!”

Brock chuckles at this. “Thanks for saying that,” he says. “But I’ll admit there were times I felt a little frustrated. It’s one of the reasons why I left with Ash so many times. And I can see the same frustration in your eyes. The only difference is that you clearly want it more than I did.” Forrest doesn’t say anything for a bit. Then, he says, “I’ll admit, I have wanted to leave for a while now. But I can’t just leave the others behind like that. Yolanda’s only 13, it would be fair on her to leave her in charge of everyone.” Brock nods in agreement. “You’re right, it wouldn’t be fair,” he says. “Which is why Olivia and I will stay here for a bit to allow you to travel with Max and Bonnie.”

Forrest jumps to his feet at this. “What?” he exclaims. “Brock are you sure?” Brock nods. “Of course I’m sure,” he says. “You’re a brilliant trainer Forrest. I’d say if you got some experience out in the world, maybe caught more pokémon for your team, you’d be an even better trainer.” Forrest grins at this, before embracing his brother in a big hug. “Thanks Brock,” he says. Brock smiles and he hugs him back. “Don’t mention it,” he replies. “Now, I’d say you’d better go and get packing.” Forrest nods, then runs back to the house to begin gathering his things.

While Forrest and Brock have this conversation, Max and Bonnie go over their map to see which way they will be going next. Once they’ve determined that their next stop will be Cerulean City, they decide that they should inform the twins about this. So, they go in search of them. They find them coming out of the Pokémon Centre with their bags already packed up. “Oh, says Max. “Are you not coming with us?” Hilbert looks up at them and gives them an apologetic smile. “No, we’re not,” he replies. “We’ve been stationed elsewhere. So, you won’t have us breathing down your necks anymore.” Max is conflicted by this. On one hand, it’ll be nice to have the journey be just him and Bonnie again. But on the other hand, having company was nice. “Why are you leaving?” Bonnie asks. Hilbert and Hilda look at each other, before having an eyes only conversation. After a short while, they turn to look at Max and Bonnie again. “Because of me,” Hilda explains. “And what happened last night.”

Max and Bonnie look at each other, unsure of what to say to this. Hilbert notices and decides to take over for his sister. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Hilda suffers from PTSD.” Max and Bonnie nod. “Well, I suffer from it too,” Hilbert continues. “Both of us witnessed an event when we were 5 that severely impacted us. Now, we get triggered by the sound and sight of guns. We’ve been going to therapy for it since our late teens, so we’ve been doing alright with it. But, we’ve had moments where we can get triggered and cause us to, well, relapse. As you saw Hilda did last night.” Hilda takes over from here. “I was triggered by the Vileplume that attacked us. During the commotion, my gun went off, which triggered a flashback, and I relapsed. I hate using that word, but it fits.” “So, we’ve requested that we be transferred to the prison in Unova where some of your old Team Terra buddies are locked up,” Hilbert finishes. “So, we’ll be out of your hair from tomorrow onwards.”

Bonnie opens her mouth to ask a question, and Max can immediately tell she's about to ask them what this event was. So, he quickly elbows her in the ribs, then quickly asks instead, "But what about our Team Terra 'buddies' that are chasing us here? What if the rest of Team Terra figure out we're here?" The twins look at each other. "Well, I don't think you need to worry about that for much longer," says Hilda. "Brendan's recovery is going well. He's been relearning to walk over the past few days, and soon enough he should be ready to take his title back from Brodie." This brightens Max's mood. "But, it would probably also be a good thing if someone travelled with you, just for a bit," Hilbert adds.

"I can do that!" shouts a voice from behind them. Max and Bonnie spin around to see Forrest Stone running towards them, with a bag on his back. "Brock told me that he will watch over the Gym for a bit," he explains once he reaches them. "So, I can finally set out and see what Kanto has to offer. Any chance I could join you two for a bit?" Both of them agree immediately. "After seeing how you singlehandedly take care of Sarah and Sam, how could we not want you travelling with us?" Forrest brightens at this. "So, we're going to Cerulean right?" he asks. Max nods. "Don't suppose you know which way that is?" he asks. Forrest nods. "That I do," he says. "Just get your things and we'll set off. I've already said my goodbyes, so I'll be waiting for you at the route!" With that, Forrest speeds off. "Well, he's excited," Max comments. He and Bonnie laugh, before bidding farewell to the Touko twins. "Good luck with the prison!" Bonnie calls happily. Hilbert chuckles and waves them off. Hilda does the same, but none of them notice the way her face darkens at Bonnie's words.

Chapter Text

All things considered, this war could be going way worse for Ash's side. It could be going a lot better, sure, but it could also be going a lot worse. They could be losing after all. Instead, they're stuck in a stalemate. It seemed like every Ash's seized, Team Terra weren't far behind to even the score. It's getting so bad that Ash actually had to bring Kenny onto his side of the fight, much to Dawn and Zoey's displeasure. "I'll make sure to keep I'm away from you," he promised when Dawn confronted him about it. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but we need all the help we can get, and he offered to join the fight." Dawn sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry," she said. Ash smiled at her, then gave her a hug. "But, if he gives you ay grievances, I will throw him out, no questions asked, alright?" Dawn nodded, grinning at the thought. "Thanks Ash," she replied. "But I think I can do that myself."

With all of this going on, Ash's forces are stretched pretty thin. He's tried to launch videos begging for support from ordinary people, but those have only had minimal success. Now, Ash holds a meeting with one of his top strategists, Paul Shinji, and his advisor Serena. Miette is there too, with a claim of just wanting to be a part of the action some more. But both Ash and Serena know that she wants to be with Paul. She seems to enjoy watching him strategise. He and Ash are standing over a table, with maps of every region in the world. They're looking over these maps, hoping to find any locations that look like they might house a Team Terra base, then use an attack on them to rally some more support. But, this turns out to be much harder than they thought it would. Eventually, Paul gets so frustrated that he knocks some of the maps to the floor.

"I don't even know why we're doing this!" He exclaims. "We'll never find anything using paper maps!" Ash nods in agreement, kind of embarrassed that he even thought this would work. "Well, maybe we could use these to come up with places for strongholds in the regions?" He suggests. Paul laughs a bit at that. "Oh yeah, that'll work," he comments. "Except for the fact that we don't have enough full time fighters on our side to man these strongholds!" Ash blushes again. Paul relaxes a bit. "Sorry," he says. "I shouldn't have snapped at you." He bends down and picks up the maps he threw to the ground. "Ugh, f only we knew something they were planning," Serena complains. "Then we can stop them in the act." Miette nods in agreement. "That would make recruiting people much easier," she comments. "Well, then you're in luck," says a voice from the window.

In an instant, everyone spins around to face the window, pokéballs in hand. Then, Ash and Serena see that it's Camo, and lower theirs. Paul and Miette keep theirs up until Ash says, "It's ok, they're an ally." Miette lowers her ball, but Paul keeps his up. "How do you know that?" He asks. "Have they given you a reason to trust them?" Ash is about to explain what they did in Hoenn and Kanto, when Camo speaks first. "That's why I'm here," they say. "I have some information that I think you'll want to hear." Paul finally lowers his ball, and Ash indicates to Camo to continue. "This will prove I'm on your side," they say, as they step into the room. They walk over to the table, and pick up the map of Galar, the region they're in right now. Then, they point to Hulbury City.

"Tonight, Team Terra are going to be shipping weapons to another region from this spot," they tell the group. "And judging by the size of the containers they were carrying over earlier, I'd say there's a lot of weapons." The other 4 look at each other worriedly. "How do you know these are weapons?" Miette asks. "And how do you know they're a part of Team Terra?" Paul adds. "Were they wearing the uniform?" Camo shakes their head. "I recognised one of the people driving the containers as a Sub-Admin of Team Terra," they explain. "And here's the proof of the weapons." Then, they place a picture down on the table. On it is an open container, all containing various guns. "Why are they shipping them out of here?" Serena asks. "I don't know," Camo replies. "My best guess is that they're using Wishing Stars to power them, but I can't be certain."

The other 4 look at the map where Hulbury is. "Ok," says Ash, "I'll send people down tonight to deal with them." Camo nods. "I hope that this will prove to you that I'm on your side," they say, before turning to leave. "Wait, one more question!" Serena calls. Camo turns to look at her, indicating that she continue. "Do you know which region they're taking these weapons to?" Camo stops and thinks about that for a moment. "I believe they're taking the weapons to the Kanto region," they say, finally. Ash freezes at this. "What?" He asks. Camo repeats themselves, which makes Ash start to panic. "Ok," he says. "Thanks for the info." Camo nods, then disappears. A few seconds later, they see the window shake, signifying that they just jumped through it.

The others turn to look at Ash, who's checking the map of Galar again. "Who are you going to send?" Paul asks. "Myself," Ash replies. "If what Camo said is true, this has become far more serious than the realise." Everyone stares at him in shock. "What!?" They exclaim. "Don't try to talk me out of it!" Ash says to them. "There's something I need to check with this, so I'm going!" Paul nods at this. "If you are, then so am I," he says. Now Ash looks at him with shock. "Look, you're our leader, whether we like it or not," Paul explains. "So if we lose you, we're pretty screwed." Ash looks dumbfounded by this statement. "What are you talking about?" He asks. "Yeah, I started this war, but I'm not the leader. This is a group effort! You guys do just as much as me, so calling me leader is a bit much!"

Paul shakes his head. "I don't think it is though," he says. "Yeah, you may not be very intelligent, or good at strategising. And you may be extremely impulsive as well." "Does this have a point to it, or are you just insulting me?" Ash interrupts. "A bit of both," Paul admits with a laugh. "But, where you lack in intelligence, you more than make up for in will. You had the will to oppose Team Terra, and the will to keep fighting. It's your will that inspires people. If we lost that, we might not stand a chance against Team Terra." Serena and Miette both nod in agreement at this. "If you weren't here leading the pack, we wouldn't have nearly as many supporters as we do right now," Miette tells him. "That's why it's probably wise if Paul goes with you." "Plus, while you don't strategise very often, you are amazing at improvising," Serena points out. "So, with you and Paul working together. I'd say you'll be unstoppable." Ash looks at Paul, then grins at him. "Alright then," he says, holding out his hand. "Let's do this!" Paul nods in agreement, then the two shake hands.

After donning disguises so they aren’t recognised, Ash and Paul head for the Wyndon station in order to catch the train to Hulbury. Before they got on however, they first bid farewell to Serena and Miette. Serena decides to give Ash a kiss for luck, which he returns happily. This makes Miette feel somewhat emboldened, so she leans forward and plants a small peck on Paul’s cheek. Paul’s face goes bright red when she does this. He stutters out a thank you, then quickly hops on the train. Serena and Ash laugh at this, kisses Serena on the cheek, then follows Paul on the train.

On the train, Paul refuses to look at Ash as they sit facing each other on the train. Ash looks at him with a smug grin on his face, while Paul determinedly avoids his gaze. Eventually, as a means of changing the subject, Paul asks, “Why is it so serious that Team Terra are going to Kanto?” Ash drops his smug expression, suddenly looking serious. He closes his eyes for a few seconds, before visibly relaxing. “Sorry,” he says, dropping the volume of his voice, “I was just making sure no one is listening in. We seem to be good for now.” Then, he leans in more, just to be extra careful. “Max and Bonnie are hiding in Kanto.” Paul’s eyes widen. “So, you’re worried that they found out they’re there?” Ash nods. “And I don’t want to think about how they could’ve gotten this information, which is why I need to head to the docks to find out.”

Paul nods in understanding. “How do you think they could’ve found out?” he asks. Ash sighs, looking at the table between them. “Honestly, I don’t want to think about that,” he replies. “But there are 2 possibilities. 1, someone that sympathises with Team Terra spotted them and tipped them off.” “And 2?” Paul asks, when Ash doesn’t continue his train of thought. “Someone leaked the information,” Ash finishes. “I’m hoping that it latter is the case, it was an accident.” “Who else knows about their location?” Paul asks. “Only those who were involved in my initial declaration,” Ash replies. “So it can’t have been intentionally leaked.” Paul nods again. "So, the plan is to head to the docks, subdue the shipments, then work out why they're going to Kanto in the first place?" he summarises. Ash nods. "Yeah, that's pretty much it," he replies.

It's the evening by the time the two boys arrive at Hulbury. They get off the train quickly and disappear into the crowd, with Ash using his Aura to make sure they aren't being followed. Once he's positive they aren't, he and Paul make their way down to the docks. sure enough, when they get there, there are a few people loitering around near some of the ships. When Ash uses his Aura to scan them, they appear red. "Found them," he mutters to Paul. Then, he moves towards them. But before he can, Paul puts an arm out to stop him. "Wait," he says. "If we act now, then we lose the element of surprise. "They can warn the approaching shipment, and they'll delay it, or move it somewhere else. Not to mention it'll tip them off that we have a spy." Ash thinks about this, then realises that he's right. "So, what do you propose we do?" he asks.

Paul scans the dock. "Point out which ones are the Team Terra agents," he tells him. Ash does so using his Aura. Paul examines each person carefully, before focusing on two in particular. "Those guys look about our size," he says, pointing to 2 people not far from them. "I say we get them alone, knock them out, steal their clothes, then get to the shipments that way." Ash thinks about it, before agreeing to this plan. "Glad you talked me into bringing you," he says. Paul smirks at this. Then, the two of them hang around the dock, looking as natural as they can until the two agents move.

Finally, after about 20 minutes, they start moving. Paul nods to them, and he and Ash follow the two as they head to the Pokémon Centre. Ash and Paul don't follow them, instead choosing to loiter outside to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Finally, they come back out of the Centre. By this time, night has truly begun to fall, making it harder to see. So, Ash and Paul wait in an alley until the agents pass them by, then they pounce, dragging them into the alley and knocking them out. Then, they steal their clothes, swapping theirs for the agents. They leave the agents with their clothes, then slip out of the alley and head down to the dock. By this time, 3 big trucks arrive, all carrying big containers. So far, it seems like Camo's intel was correct. The rest of the agents standing on the dock start moving towards the trucks to unload the cargo. Ash and Paul follow them, keeping an eye on the cargo as they do.

They gather around the first truck and help lift the loads out of the truck. Then, while everyone else go off to the next load, the two of them carefully lift the lid to see what's inside. Weapons. A lot of weapons. Camo was right. The two of them lower the lid back down, then help unload the rest of the trucks in order to keep blending in. Soon enough, all of the truck have been unloaded. As the rest of the agents go to wait by the edge of the water the approaching boat, Ash and Paul step to the side to talk in private. "I think our best bet on stopping this shipment will be to sink the boat," says Ash quietly. Paul nods in agreement, before realising something and cursing. "What's wrong?" Ash asks. "I didn't bring a water type with me," Paul replies with annoyance. Ash produces a pokéball at this. "Luckily for us, I did," he says.

Paul quickly comes up with a plan to stop the shipment. While he causes a distraction. Ash quickly runs back to the alley to change back into his normal clothes, to make sure that this looks like an accident. While he does that, Paul positions himself near on of the crates of weapons, making sure to be standing near the last one. As he does this, he listens in on conversations, hoping to catch why these weapons are being taken to Kanto. This, unfortunately, doesn't go unnoticed by one of the agents. "Oi, what are you doing eavesdropping on conversations!?" Paul tensed up and wheeled around to see an important looking agent walking over to him. No doubt this is a Sub-Admin. Thinking quickly, replies, "Oh, I was just trying to learn why we're shipping these to Kanto of all places. I was just stationed here, and I didn't want to be kept out of the loop."

The Sub-Admin regards him for a few moments, before rolling his eyes. "It's nothing major," he responds. "Just that Admin Angie requested them for the agents she has there. Apparently there has been an increase in supporters for Ash Ketchum in Kanto, so she needs more weapons just in case." Relief floods through Paul at this. Max and Bonnie haven't been caught yet. He just nods, then goes to follow other agents who are moving the guns onto the boat. But, before he can leave, the Sub-Admin calls, "Hey wait, what's your agency number?" Paul freezes, with absolutely no idea what that is. He subtly scans the uniform he's wearing, hoping to find something to indicate what it is. But, clearly he's taking too long. The Sub-Admin walks over to him, and before Paul can do anything about it, the hood he's wearing is ripped off, and he is recognised immediately. The Sub-Admin moves to grab him, but he's quick to dodge him and take off running. As he does, he starts shoving boxes of weapons into the water, hoping to divert people's attention away from Ash. "Well, you wanted a distraction," he mutters to himself as he swerves around Team Terra. "You've got one. Just be quick!"

While he's doing this, Ash returns from the alley to find Paul fleeing a bunch of agents. Swearing to himself, Ash clambers down to the side of the water, and releases his Floatzel. He quickly explains what he wants the water type to do, then sends it off towards the big boat. As Floatzel swims towards it, Team Terra begin loading it with as many weapons as they can when they aren't chasing Paul. Ash runs over to him, then lets Pikachu out of his jacket. "I hat being stuffed in there!" he complains. "Would you rather be in your pokéball?" Ash asks him. Pikachu shakes his head. "Thought not," Ash replies, before explaining the situation to him, as well as his plan to get Paul out of there without tying himself to the situation. Pikachu looks perplexed by this. "But, won't doing something like this only increase the chances of you being noticed?" he asks. "Just do it," Ash begs. Pikachu sighs, then turns towards a box.

Paul spots a crate he's yet to knock into the water and runs towards it. Once this has blown over, he plans on coming back here to help Nessa clean these out of the water. Speaking of blowing, he's barely 3 metres from the box when it suddenly explodes. He swears loudly, then turns to run another direction. But before he does, he hears Ash's voice calling out to him. So, he takes a risk and jumps through the flames, finding Ash on the other side. "What on earth were you thinking!?" he demands. "Hey, it got you away from them right?" Ash asks. Paul wants to argue that it doesn't matter since he also could've been injured from that stunt, when the two of them notice the boat begin to shake violently. As they watch, Team Terra agents are thrown overboard as the remaining crates of weapons are knocked into the sea. The shaking gets so bad that it causes the boat to capsize, before sinking under the water. Ash subtly retrieves his Floatzel, and the two of them flee the scene, glad to have finally dealt a decent blow to Team Terra.

Chapter Text

Max, Bonnie, and Forrest are in a Pokémon Centre when the news first hits. After leaving Pewter City, they spent the day walking towards Cerulean. But, in typical Max fashion, he slowed them down by stopping to take pictures or record stuff on his audio logs. Eventually, night starts to fall, and they've barely made any progress at all. "Is this what travelling with him is like?" Forrest asked Bonnie as they started looking for a Pokémon Centre or a place to camp. Bonnie nodded. "Ever since we met in Kalos," she replied, which made Forrest laugh. Luckily for them, Max, who went on ahead to chase after some Butterfree, called out to them suddenly, shouting that he found a Pokémon Centre. sighing with relief at the thought of not having to camp, Forrest and Bonnie ran after him.

Now, they're sitting in the Pokémon Centre, eating breakfast and mapping out which route to take to Cerulean. At that moment, something in the news, which is being broadcasted on the nearby TV, catches Max's ears. "News of a shocking battle occurring in Hulbury City in the Galar Region has sparked a surge of support for Monarch Ash's Ketchum's side in his ongoing conflict with the Eco Terrorist group known as Team Terra," Max's head swivels round to pay attention to the broadcast. Doing this draws Forrest and Bonnie's attention to the news too. "Last night, an incident occurred on the shores of Hulbury City in the Galar Region," the news reader continues. "What seems to have been an attempt at smuggling weapons out of the country had been stopped by 2 unknown individuals. However, several eyewitnesses claim they saw Monarch Ash Ketchum, along with rising star battler in Sinnoh, Paul Shinji, during the chaos. Whether they were actually responsible for this attack remains uncertain at this time, as both parties were unavailable for comment."

Max can't help but smile slightly at that. "Seems like Ash's side is finally fighting back," he comments. Forrest looks at the TV and nods. "Makes me kinda wish I was out there fighting them as well," he says. "Of course, I'm perfectly happy just wandering Kanto, but still, it looks kinda fun." Bonnie laughs a bit. "Well, technically you are involved in this conflict," she points out. "You're protecting us from being discovered by Team Terra's larger forces. Doesn't that count as fighting in this conflict as well?" Forrest thinks about this, then laughs as well. "Yeah, I guess it does," he admits. The three of them sit around in the Pokémon Centre for a while longer, before deciding it's time to set off once more. So, they gather their things and do just that.

As they depart from the Pokémon Centre, Bonnie's eyes briefly fall onto Forrest's belt, where she notices something. "Eh, Forrest," she asks. "Why do you only have 2 pokéballs on your belt?" Forrest looks down at her, then at his belt. "Oh that," he comments. "I decided to leave Rhyhorn with my family. I already have Rhyperior, after all. Rhyhorn is just for the newbies who've yet to have a gym battle. If someone stronger were to challenge me, then I'd use Rhyperior." "So, you've come with us to add new pokémon to your team?" Max asks. Forrest nods. "Amongst other reasons, yes," he replied. "I want to improve my team, and also get some more experience in the real world too." Maybe get into some more proper battles." Max and Bonnie chuckle at this. "Oh, trust us," says Max. "You'll be getting into one of those soon enough.

As it turns out, Max is right on the money. Towards the end of the day, the trio starts thinking about where to camp for the night. Max and Bonnie are hoping to run into another Pokémon Centre, but Forrest really wants to be able to camp out. "Haven't done it since I was younger," he tells them. "And when I did, it was usually in Viridian forest. This will be my first time properly camping." Max can't help but laugh at this, then he agrees to look for a spot to camp. Forrest cheers at this. Then, he starts eagerly looking around for a good spot to camp for the night. While he does, Bonnie looks at Max. "You know there's a Pokémon Centre not far from here according to your map right?" she tells him. "I know," he replies. "But he really wants to camp, so we'll do that, ok?" Bonnie sighs, then nods in agreement. They turn to follow Forrest further on, but stop when they notice that he's gone tense.

"Hey Forrest," says Max, a little cautiously. "What's going on?" Forrest glances back at them and raises a hand. "We're not alone," he says. "Get a pokéball ready." Max picks out a ball at random, while Bonnie has Dedenne climb out of her bag and onto her shoulder. The three of them look around anxiously, their eyes darting to every shadow that moves in their line of sight. Suddenly, a Psybeam shoots out from one of the trees, heading straight for Max. He luckily spots it in time and manages to dodge out of the way. "Who's there!?" Forrest yells. "Show yourself!" Suddenly, out of the shadows of the growing darkness of the evening, steps Sarah and Sam. Max and Bonnie roll their eyes. "Oh good," he says. "For a moment I was worried it was something dangerous attacking us."

Sarah and Sam seethe at this. "We are plenty dangerous when we desire to be," Sarah argues. "You remember the state we left you in after we finally took the Jade Orb from you." Max scoffs at this. "Yeah, but that was with all of your Admins and Sub-Admins leading that," he points out. "By yourselves, you're nothing to worry about." The two Team Terra agents glare at them. "Nothing, are we?" Sam asks. "Oh, we'll show you nothing!" Then, they pull out their pokémon. Max, Bonnie, and Forrest just smirk. "You do realise we completely outnumber you, right?" Bonnie asks. "So, wouldn't it be easier to just give up?" Sarah and Sam laugh at this. "It's cute to think that this will cause us to give up," says Sarah. "Because we have more than just pokémon on our side."

At this, Sam pulls out some sort of controller. Then, he presses a button on it, and something comes stomping out of the forest. Max swears at this, and looks around, wondering what mechanical creature the duo cooked up for this. The answer comes in the form of a giant mechanical Wurmple. The trio stare at it for a few seconds, almost amazed by it. Specifically, just how stupid it looks. Not even Sarah and Sam miss they way their faces clearly show that they're struggling not to laugh, which pisses them off. "Oh, you think this is funny huh?" Sam asks. "Well, we'll see if you're still laughing when this robot takes your notebook from you!" Then, he presses another button.

The Mech-Wurmple starts shooting a sticky substance (get your mind out of the gutter) at them, which they barely manage to avoid thanks to Forrest's quick thinking. He summons Rhyperior and orders him to use Earthquake. This causes the ground to shoot up, creating a barrier between them and the Wurmple. The ground seems to shake even more from this attack. While safely behind the barrier, Bonnie releases Talonflame and has her swoop over the robot with Dedenne, allowing him to strike it with lightning while she hit it with fire. Seeing this, Max gets an idea. A really, really bad idea.

He releases Pidgeot and hops on her back, flying out from behind Forrest's cover. Pidgeot flies over the robot, and starts blasting it with air. While it does that, Max hops off her back and lands on the robot. He then proceeds to start messing around with the metal plates on its back, trying to find one that gave him access to the machine's wiring. While he does that, Sarah and Sam quickly catches on to his plans. Sam begins to mess around with the buttons on the controller, trying to shake him off. The robot starts stamping around, shaking its back, and even trying to jump up and down, just to shake him off. Max holds on as tight as he can, continuing to try to find a way to deactivate the machine. When suddenly, the ground starts to shake more violently. At first, Max thinks that it's Forrest's Rhyperior, trying to fight the machine. But it isn't.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet begins to split apart. At first, Max starts having a small panic attack, thinking that the rest of Team Terra found them, and are using the Tremors to try and capture them. But, then he noticed that none of the nearby pokémon are freaking out. If that isn't causing the shaking, then what is? The answer to that question comes when the nearby cliff splits apart, revealing an Onix coming out of the side of it. And it looks mad. Very mad. "I think we may have woken it up," Forrest points out. Max nods in agreement. The Onix roars with anger, then swipes its tail down on to the robotic Wurmple. Max quickly jumps back onto Pidgeot and rides her over to his friends. The Onix slams its tail against the robot again and again, completely smashing it to pieces. While doing so, it also split the path down the middle, separating Max's group from Team Terra.

Seizing the opportunity, Max, Bonnie, and Forrest make a run for it. Unfortunately, doing this caught the attention of the Onix, so it decides to chase after them. Seeing this causes Max to swear again, before climbing back onto Pidgeot. Seeing him do this, Bonnie Mega Evolves Talonflame and climbs on her back too. "Come on Forrest!" Max shouts. "We need to get out of here!" It is only in this moment that Max notices the smirk on Forrest's face. "Are you kidding me?" he asks. "I'm going to try to catch this thing!" Both Max and Bonnie are so shocked by this statement that they almost fall off their mounts. "Are you out of your mind!?" Bonnie asks. "That thing will destroy you!" Forrest smirks again. "Not if you know what you're doing!" he replies, before pulling out a pokéball.

He releases Rhyperior and quickly rolls out of the way. Rhyperior quickly spins around and catches the Onix dead on. before using a strong Headbutt, followed by Horn Drill. Onix moves quickly however, and manages to bind Rhyperior. Undeterred, Forrest has Rhyperior use Earthquake to try to loosen Onix's grip. The Onix struggles to keep Rhyperior as he struggles to free himself. While he does this, Forrest releases his Kabuto, and orders them to use Aqua jet. The attack strikes Onix, which causes it to let Rhyperior go. Rhyperior takes a moment to catch its breath, before taking the opportunity to raise the Onix up in the air, before slamming it back down. Forrest then pulls out an empty ball and throws it at Onix, who disappears into it. The ball shakes once, twice, thrice. Click!

Forrest cheers as he picks up his new Onix and attaches the ball to his belt. Then he grins to the other two. "And you thought I was crazy," he jokes. "No, you're insane," Max says. "But that was really cool!" Bonnie nods in agreement. The two of them return to the ground and return their bird pokémon. "Come on," says Forrest. "I recon we should camp here for the night, then set off in the morning. That way, we can be certain that we lost those 2 losers." The other two nod in agreement, then take their bags off their backs to pull their tents out. But before they can, two people run over to them. With a start, they realise that they're Sarah and Sam, and they immediately pull out their pokéballs. "Wait!" Sarah exclaims quietly. "We don't want to fight you right now!" Sam nods. "We have something much more serious going on right now," he says. All three of them look at them sceptically. "What is it?" Max asks. "Admin Angie has shown up!" Sarah replies. "And she's brought her entire squad with her!"

Chapter Text

There's a very tense silence at Sarah's words. Everyone starts looking around tensely, trying to see if they can spot the Admin approaching them. While they look around, Max keeps an eye on Sarah and Sam, in case they're using this as an opportunity to steal his notebooks from him. After about a minute of standing there, it seems that Sam catches on to his suspicions. "Do you think we're making this up?" he asks him. Max doesn't answer, which only confirms his theory. "Look, why would we make this up?" he asks. "By telling you this, we just raised your guard all the way up. Now, taking your notebooks will be impossible for us." "Maybe," Max replies. "But do you have any proof?"

That answer came in the form of a twig snapping in the distance. Instantly, everyone freezes. Then, a faint voice calls out nearby. "I found a trail of upturned dirt!" the person says. "Something must've happened over here!" Another voice, distinctly female, responds. "Well then check it out!" she calls. "I want to know what caused this carnage!" "This way!" Sarah mouths, beginning to lead the group away from the voices. Then, she and Sam loop back around and start heading back in the direction of the path. Forrest starts panicking slightly at this. "Wait, where are we going?" he asks. "If we go back to the path we'll be seen!" "Not if they're focused on the forest," Sarah points out. "Besides, they don't know you're here, and we'd like to keep it that way. So, quit talking and follow us!"

Soon enough, the 5 of them make it back to the path. When they do, Bonnie finally decides to stop the group. "Why are you helping us?" she quietly demands. "We're enemies. Those guys are your allies. Surely it would be more beneficial to you to let them find us, right?" As she says this, both Forrest and Max subtly shake their heads, silently begging her to shut up, just in case they come to this realisation and make noise. Instead, Sarah and Sam both shake their heads. "We may be on the same side," says Sam, "but allowing them to know you're here will not be beneficial to anybody." When the three of them look confused, Sarah elaborates. "If they find out you're here, they will tear this region apart to find you, just like they did with Hoenn. This will put an even worse image on to Team Terra, especially given how crafty you are. You will no doubt keep escaping them, and getting away, leading to more destruction."

"By helping you escape from Angie," Sam elaborates, "not only do we keep Team Terra's image from worsening, we also get the chance to take your notebooks ourselves. Then, we get the recognition we deserve, and we'll finally be treated with respect." Max notices Sarah shoot a concerned look at Sam as he said this last part. "So, in short, in order to keep this region from ending up like Hoenn, and to gain some respect and maybe a promotion in the ranks of Team Terra, we figured it would be best to keep you guys separate from them until such a time as we can grab your books." That makes sense to Max, for the most part, but he still has trouble trusting them. "And, what's stopping you from grabbing them from me the second we're away from the Admin?"

Sarah and Sam stop and think about that for a minute. "How about this," says Sarah finally. "After we get you guys away from Admin Angie and her troop, we'll leave you alone until the next time we run into each other. Meaning, we won't go actively looking for you. But, the next time we see each other, we're back to the way we were before, how does that sound?" Max and Bonnie look at each other, trying to gather what the other is thinking. Forrest stays out of this, figuring that this isn't up to him really. Eventually, it seems like the two best friends reach an agreement. "Ok fine," says Max. "We'll agree to these terms. On the condition that once we've escaped them, we walk in totally opposite directions, and you don't follow us." Sarah and Sam look and nod. "Fair enough," says Sam. "We agree to these terms."

With that settled, Max pulls out his map while Sarah pulls a device out of her pocket. Looking at it, it's clearly a motion tracker. "The troop has almost completely surrounded this area," she tells them. "They will spot us if we try going down any of these paths." The others look at both the map and the motion tracker in order to figure out what to do. "What about that way?" Forrest asks, pointing to a spot on the map that disappears into a cave. "That goes through Mt. Moon. It doesn't seem like the rest of Team Terra are there yet." The others look between the two devices and see that he's right. "Is it safe though?" Bonnie asks. "Well, it's certainly safer than the other routes we can go," Sam agrees. Then, he pulls out his Bellsprout. "If any of you have grass types, pull them out. We can create a disguise for us to sneak into the caves."

Max is incredibly sceptical about this, but decides it's best not to argue. So, he pulls out Sceptile and helps scrap foliage together with Sam. Bonnie pulls out her own Bellsprout and adds to it herself. Once this, admittedly alright, disguise is ready, the five of them climb under it. Then, they begin to slowly walk towards the cave that Forrest spotted on the map. They almost get spotted a few times, but luckily the foliage helps hide them well in the dark of the night. Eventually, they're able to get away from them and slip into the cave undetected. Once inside, after a brief, but silent, debate, they agreed to ditch the foliage, as it would be very conspicuous if they hid under some leaves in a cave. They leave the disguise outside the cave, then head inside. Once inside, Max pulls out his phone again and gets out his map. He quickly scans through it, then sighs with relief. "Ok," he says, "the map still shows routes through caves. Which means I can get us out of here. Follow me." Then, he turns and walks into the cave, with the others following after.

They all turn their phone torches on as they walk through the cave, making sure not to make too much noise. This whole experience is weird to Max. Everytime he sees Sarah or Sam out of the corner of his eye, he has the urge to jump out of his skin and set one of his pokémon on them, before remembering they're temporarily on the same team. As they walk through the caves, they pass many nocturnal pokémon, such as Zubat, and other sleeping pokémon, like Geodude lying around. Max really wants to pull out his notebook or his audio logs and document them, but he figures it wouldn't be a good idea to pull either of them out while in the presence of 2 people who are actively trying to steal them.

Eventually, they reach a different entrance to the cave. They all smile, glad to find that they've managed to outsmart Team Terra. But, as they step towards their exit, Sarah stops them all and forces them against the wall. On her motion tracker are at least 10 dots. "Team Terra approaching," she whispers. "Stay quiet." The others nod, and wait patiently for them to leave. Sure enough, 10 Team Terra agents step into the cave. The group practically holds their breath as they wait for them to pass. The agents get closer, looking around the cave. "I think this place is empty," says one. "Perfect," says another. "We should be able to rest here for the night. Some inform the Admin!" On Sarah's tracker shows one of the dots moving away from them. Forrest gets the rest of the group's attention and jerks his head backwards, indicating that they leave the way they came. The others nod, then start moving backwards.

As they do, one of their heels knocks into a rock, sending it bouncing down the cave. Instantly, several torch beams fly in their direction. Sarah and Sam slam all of them into the wall as quick as they can, managing to avoid being spotted. "What was that?" one of the agents calls. "Don't know," says another. "But there's no way a pokémon made that sound. We would've heard more noise after it." "Contact the Admin!" demands a 3rd voice. "We're not alone in this cave!" Then, another agent leaves the cave, while the rest of them begin a slow sweep. Max peaks out from behind the wall slightly and sees that they're all armed. "They're armed," he mouths to the group. "What do we do?" Forrest looks around, then has an idea. As subtly as he can, he sneaks back down the tunnel they came from, indicating that the others follow him.

They do so, and make their way back down. As soon as they've managed to gain some distance from the torch lights, Forrest releases Onix, then sends him down the tunnel towards the agents. During all of that commotion, the 5 of them seize this chance to run in the opposite direction. Once Onix has scared the agents away, he returns to Forrest, and he returns him to his ball. Then, they slow down and run more quietly through the cave. They reach the entrance they came from without being seen. But, as they're about to leave, they suddenly see more torch lights approaching from that entrance. Swearing, they quickly duck into another passage before they're spotted. "They may have come this way," says one of them. "Search around! Find them!" With horror, they realise that this is Admin Angie talking. Sam indicates that they go back the other way.

But before they can get very far down the tunnel again, more torchlights shone from where they're going, trapping them in. "What do we do now?" Bonnie breathes. The group looks around wildly for any means of escape, but there's nothing. All they can do is watch as the lights and voices get closer and closer. When suddenly, Bonnie gasps. "Look over there!" she mouths, pointing to the wall on the opposite side. Max notices that her eyes are glowing blue, but she shuts that off the seconds everyone else looks at her. They all follow where she's pointing, and spot a hole in the wall, almost invisible to the naked eye. It must've been made by the Onix that Forrest caught, Max thinks to himself.

As carefully as they can, they start creeping towards the tunnel. Luckily for them the cave is full of stalagmites, so they use them to stay out of the light of the torches. But, they get dangerously close to being caught on several occasions. Once, one of the torches passes over the top of Sarah's head, shining on her bright blonde hair. Several torches lingered on them for ages, and the group froze in fear, holding their breaths as the torchlights passed over their hiding places. Thinking quickly, Sam grabs a rock and throws it across the cave, making sure it stays out of the light. The noise attracts the agents' attention, and they briefly turn their attention to the noise. The group takes the opportunity to break into a near silent run and reach the hole that Onix made when they woke him up. As they get into the hole, Sarah grabs one of the big boulders that were knocked out of the way by Onix, and with Forrest's help, manages to subtly slide it into place.

With their route hidden, they break into a proper run and manage to flee the caves. They reach the crack in the cliff that Onix created without running into anymore of Team Terra. Max is about to step out, when Sarah grabs his shirt. "Wait here," she whispers, then she and Sam step out of the crack. They look around for a few seconds, before indicating to Max, Bonnie, and Forrest to come out of the hole. Forrest goes first, pokéball at the ready, subtly indicating to Max and Bonnie to wait a bit. He goes out and spins around, keeping a lookout for anything. Once he's certain that it's safe, he nods to Max and Bonnie, and the two of them leave the cave too. Then, they all run for it, disappearing into the trees before they can be spotted.

Once they're sure that they haven't been followed, they stop and take a breather. Then, the two groups within the group face each other. "Well, a deal's a deal," says Max. "We allowed you to keep the lie going, so you don't chase us or follow us, until we meet again." Sarah and Sam sigh, but nod their heads. "We are in agreement," Sarah relents. "So, I guess we'll see you both around. But remember, the next time we see each other, your notebooks will be the property of Team Terra." Max can't help but laugh at that. "We'll see about that," he says, before turning and leading Bonnie and Forrest one way, while Sarah and Sam go another. They're all so occupied with their success, that they fail to notice someone watching them. Without a word, the person watches as the two groups separate, before following after Sarah and Sam, as silently as a shadow.

Chapter Text

Once they're sure that Team Terra aren't following them, the trio finally stop for the night. Thanks to the kerfuffle they had gotten into earlier, they're even further from the Pokémon Centre than earlier. By now, it's almost pitch black, so they have no choice but to camp out. After they set up their tents, they decided to go straight to sleep, too tired and worried to light a fire and cook food. But, before they went to sleep, Forrest pulls out his Onix and has him wrap himself in a defensive position around their campsite, in order to make sure they aren't spotted and ambushed by Team Terra during the night. Max and Bonnie release their grass types and have them cover Onix with leaves and vines to better disguise him. Once they're certain they won't be seen, they crawl into their tents and go to sleep.

When Max wakes up, the first thing he does is scour his bag for his notebooks. He quickly finds them, and sighs with relief that they weren't taken. He climbs out of his tent just as Forrest is returning Onix to his ball. He and Bonnie are already up, and have already removed the vines and leaves from Onix. "You could've woken me up," Max tells them. "I would've helped." "You can help by making breakfast," Bonnie tells him. "I'm starving." "Same here," Forrest adds. It is then that Max also notices his hunger. So, he sighs, then starts making a fire. He quickly throws together some breakfast which the group eats happily. While they do, they discuss their plans for the day. "Well, we can always go up Mt. Moon," Forrest suggests. "Apparently if you go up there at the right time, you could have the chance to witness wild Clefairy evolving into Clefable."

Max's eyes widen at this, and he shoots to his feet. "We have to go and see that!" he exclaims. Bonnie looks at him with uncertainty. "Are you sure?" she asks. "Because in case you've forgotten, Team Terra are all over that mountain." Forrest suddenly remembers this and immediately backs out of that idea. Max however, remains undeterred. "They were all over it last night," he points out. "Remember, they said they were only stopping there for the night. Maybe they've moved on." "Or, maybe they've gone further up into the mountain," Forrest points out. "I just don't think it's worth it." Max stares at both of them. "Of course it's worth it!" he exclaims. "This is perfect for my notebooks!" I'll be able to document everything about a wild Clefairy's evolution without the help of a trainer! You've heard what everyone says about my Observant State! Maybe I'll discover something new from it!"

Bonnie and Forrest look at each other. In truth, Bonnie was convinced the second Max said Observant State, but she wants to make sure that Forrest is on board too. "Ok, fine," says Forrest. "We can head back towards Mt. Moon to check it out. But, if Team Terra are still there, we're hightailing it out of there at lightspeed, got it?" Both kids nod in agreement. Then, they disassemble their campsite, before retracing their steps back to Mt. Moon. They walk there in silence, just in case Team Terra haven't moved on yet. As they travel there, they keep an eye and ear out for any other humans walking by, in case it's a Team Terra agent working under Angie. They also look out for Sarah and Sam, in case the two of them went back on their deal, or haven't left this area yet. Luckily for them, they run into neither.

Eventually, they reach a spot where they can spot the entrance to Mt. Moon from behind some bushes. Sure enough, much to Max's disappointment, Team Terra agents are still all over the place. Max swears silently at this, and Bonnie gives him a pity pat on the back. "We can come back here after we finish with Cerulean," she offers. Max sighs with disappointment, then nods his head. But, as they're turning to leave, something catches his eye. He strains his eyes to look at it, and realises that it's a Clefairy. It seems to be doing something. Max stops, and leans forward to get a closer look. "What are you doing?" Forrest asks. "There's a Clefairy over there," he says. "And I think it knows we're here." He stares at the Clefairy, and realises that it has, in fact, noticed them. "It's waving at us," he tells the others, before waving back. The Clefairy waves again, then turns and runs into a cave, one that doesn't have Team Terra Agents surrounding it.

"Where's it going?" Bonnie asks. "No idea," Max replies. "But I think it wants us to follow it." He goes to do that, but Bonnie grabs his shoulders. "Where do you think you're going!?" she whispers, but it's clear she wanted to shout it. "It might be in trouble," Max argues. "Or it could be a trap," Forrest argues back. "Seriously Max, do not follow it." Max sighs, then nods. Relieved, Bonnie lets him go. Only for him to turn around and bolt after the Clefairy. Bonnie and Forrest call out Max's name, maybe a bit too loud, as some Team Terra agents whirl around and point their guns in their direction. The two of them quickly duck down in the bushes. Max dives under the leaves, then pulls out Sceptile. He quickly has him assemble another disguise out of leaves and vines. Then, he starts sneaking towards the cave where the Clefairy ran off.

He has to get very close to some agents as he sneaks his way over. As he does, he hears one of them inform others that they may not be alone in this mountain. One of the agents reports in that she suspects the people they were searching the cave for the night before might still be around. Silently cursing, Max takes extra care not to be stopped by these troops. He makes it almost to the edge of the bushes, when suddenly, an agent appears right in front of him. He freezes as the agent scours the area. Max holds his breath as he gets very close to him. He's practically about to stand on his cover and reveal him. But before he can, the sound of a small explosion of rocks sounds not too far away. All agents immediately run over to where the explosion occurred, giving Max the time to run over to the cave and discard the disguise, before thinking better of it and taking it with him.

Shortly after that, the other 2 meet up with him. "Was that you?" he asks them. Forrest nods. "Rhyperior caused the burst," he explains. "He should be coming back now." At that moment, Rhyperior's horn pokes out of the ground. The second it does, Forrest returns him to his ball. Then, the 3 of them start running through the cave. They quickly catch up to the Clefairy, who seems pleased that they followed it. Then, it turns and begins running again, urgently indicating that they follow it, so follow it they do. Eventually, they come to a stop at a big open area at the top of the mountain. There, sitting at the top is a large black crystal. Surrounding the crystal are a bunch of scared looking Clefa, Clefairy, and Clefable. They see the 3 of them and immediately start panicking, raising their hands to collectively use Metronome.

The 3 humans raise their arms to defend themselves, but the Clefairy they followed stops its friends from attacking. It then proceeds to explain something, something that calms the others. Once the pokémon no longer plan to attack them, the Clefairy they followed leads them onwards, down another passage. They follow it curiously. Soon enough, they come across something that fills them with rage. A smuggling operation. There are a bunch of cages stacked on top of each other, some of which contain some Clefa, Clefairy, and Clefable. Others are completely empty. "Poachers," Max growls. "That must be what has the pokémon so upset," Bonnie comments. Max clenches his fists in anger. "We need to do something about this," he says angrily. Forrest puts a hand on his shoulder. "I agree," he says. "But we need to be careful about it. If we make too much noise, we risk attracting Team Terra's attention. Then the next thing you know, the whole organisation descends upon this region."

Max nods at this, then suddenly an idea strikes him. "That's it!" he exclaims. The others look at him. "What's it?" Bonnie asks. "We get Team Terra to deal with them." "How?" Forrest asks. "We can't just go down there and tell them about the poachers. They'll capture you on sight, or summon their entire army down on the region." "Who said anything about going down to get them?" Max asks. When the others look at him quizzically, he elaborates, a grin of pride spreading across his face. "We get the poachers to bring Team Terra up here." Both Forrest and Bonnie continue to look at him with confusion. So, he sighs. "Just follow me," he tells them. "I have a plan."

By the time the poachers return to their base, Max and his two friends have set up their plan. There are 3 men coming down the trail, all well-built and stocky. They come to their base to find all of the cages broken. All three become very angry at this, and begin running towards the crystal where the Pokémon are hiding. The second they enter the open section, they're blasted by blinding light, as all of the pokémon use Metronome at once. The 3 men are enraged by this, and release their own pokémon. A fierce battle ensues around the crystal, as the poachers attempt to get the the pokémon they stole back, while the Clefa, Clefairy, and Clefable desperately fight back. From where they're hiding, Max, Bonnie, and Forrest can tell that this fight is making a lot of noise. "Any minute now," Max mutters.

Sure enough, the sound of a gunshot pierces through the air soon enough, bringing one of the poachers down. The man clutches his leg as blood starts pouring out. "Someone contact the Admin!" said the Team Terra agent that arrived into his radio. "We've got some poachers on the top of Mt. Moon!" "Copy that!" says the voice on the radio. While they wait for the other agents to show up, the Team Terra agent that showed up produces his pokémon, and makes quick work of the poachers' pokémon. By the time they're defeated, the rest of the Team Terra agents around Mt. Moon show up, accompanied by the Admin. She has her helmet removed, and Max can see a young woman with orange hair, one of the people that attacked him and Bonnie 2 years ago. Thinking quickly, Max pulls out his phone and takes a picture of her, planning on sending it to Ash later to finally learn who she is.

Meanwhile, Admin Angie walks over to the 3 poachers, with a look of utmost disgust on her face, as if she just stood in something revolting. Her agents have tied them up, so they're unable to escape. As Max and his friends watch, Angie takes out a big gun from over her shoulder and points it at the man with the bleeding leg. "You'd better have a very good reason for doing something so disgusting," she tells him, her voice shaking with rage. The bleeding man immediately starts talking. "It's for my family!" he explains quickly. "They're very sick, and we're flat broke! This is the only way in which I can earn money quickly to afford the medicine to save them!" Angie nods, then turns her gun on the man to the right of the first one. "I-I have no family!" he explains. "This is the only way I can afford food to live! I love pokémon, and I don't like hurting them!" She nods again, then turns her gun on the 3rd. "Th-the same as him!"

Angie stops pointing her gun at them and rests it on her shoulder, seemingly believing them. Then, she turns to her Sub-Admin. "Run a background check on these 3," she instructs him. The Sub-Admin nods, then pulls out her tablet. She types on it for a few seconds, before looking back at her Admin. "None of that is true," she informed her. "All three men are very well off. They've made fortunes out of poaching." "Any family?" Angie asks. "All of them were cut out years ago for their poaching," the Sub-Admin replies. Angie laughed at this, but not a joyous one. One of anger. "This is why I despise people like you," she says, pointing the gun at the 1st guy. "You are greedy, dishonest, shallow creatures, and this world is far too good for leaches like you!" Then, she pulls the trigger, blowing his head off. Forrest gasps at this and quickly covers Max and Bonnie's eyes.

Angie turns to the other 2 men. "Run," she says to them. "Now!" Both of them scramble in an effort to get away. She let's them go for a few seconds, before pointing her gun at their backs, and shooting them too. As they drop dead as well, Angie chuckles again. "Now you know how it feels to be poached," she says, resting her gun on her shoulder again. Then, she turns and begins heading back down the mountain. "Gather the bodies," she says to some of her troops. "Let's make an example of them." Then, she turns to some other troops. "Search the area. Make sure there aren't anymore poachers around." They nod, then begin searching the area.

Max, Bonnie and Forrest begin to panic, worried that they might be caught. They begin to search for a way out of this situation, when they hear a voice behind them. "Clefairy!" They turn around to see the Clefairy that led them here indicating to the cliff behind them. Inside it is a small gap big enough for them to fit through, if they take their bags off. So, they remove their bags, and slip into the gap in the cliff. The second Forrest slips in, one of the agents peeks at the rock they were hiding behind not even a minute earlier, only to find no one there.

Chapter Text

After sneaking out of the small cave the Clefairy led them through, Max, Bonnie, and Forrest bid a quiet farewell to it, then start running away from Mt. Moon as fast as their legs can carry them. They're so determined to get as far away from Mt. Moon as they can, as quickly as possible, that they fail to notice the Clefairy following after them. The group doesn't stop running for at least 10 minutes. By this point, they're so out of breath that they need to take a break just to catch their breaths. "Ok," Forrest pants. "I think... we're in... the clear." "Are you sure?" Bonnie asks. "Well, they aren't... chasing us," Max adds. "So,.. I think... we're safe." Forrest nods, still too out of breath to say anything more.

Once they've calmed down enough, Max pulls out his phone and loads up the picture of the Admin. "Why did you take a picture of her?" Bonnie asks. As Max explains himself, he starts typing on his phone. "Of all of the Admins of Team Terra, she's the only one we don't know the real name of," he says. "But, I remember that she knew Ash, so I'm sending him a picture of her, so that he can tell us what her name is." Forrest nods. "That makes sense," he says. "We can find out just how dangerous she is if we knew more about her." Max nods as he finishes typing out his message. "Hey Ash, this is the final Admin of Team Terra. Angie. Any chance you know her real name?" Then, he sends the message, along with the image, before pocketing his phone again. "Now, we wait for him to reply," Max says.

At this, Forrest stands up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather wait for that reply inside of a building," he says. "Plus, My Onix and Rhyperior definitely need to visit the Pokémon Centre. So, I say we make our way over to one, wait there until Ash gets back to you, then make a plan for what we do depending on which Admin she is." Max and Bonnie nod in agreement with this, and get up themselves. Then, Max checks the map on his phone and searches for the Pokémon Centre that they were near to at some point last night. He quickly finds it and sighs with relief. It's not far from here," he tells them. "About 15 minutes away or so." Both Bonnie and Forrest look relieved to hear this. With this settled, they get to their feet and set off for the Pokémon Centre.

As they walk, Bonnie notices that Max seems to be deep in thought. "Are you alright Max?" she asks him. Max snaps to attention, before looking at her. "Sorry?" he asks. She laughs, then repeats the question. Max looks down at the path slightly. "I'm just a bit disturbed by what the Admin did, that's all," he says. Bonnie realises what's going on. "Oh, you feel guilty because it was your plan to bring Team Terra up there!" she exclaims. Max shakes his head. "That's the thing," he replies. "I should be. If I hadn't gotten Team Terra's attention, they wouldn't be dead. But at the same time I can't help but feel like Angie was right about them. That they're leeches that don't deserve to be on this planet." Bonnie wraps an arm around his shoulder. "That's your frustration talking," she says. "This is the 3rd time we've dealt with people like that on our journey. Maybe you're just angry with them and feel like they deserve it because of that." Max nods, looking like he feels a bit better about his lack of remorse.

Sure enough, they arrive in 15 minutes. Forrest goes in first, in order to make sure there are no Team Terra agents of sympathisers. He returns a minute later, beckoning Max and Bonnie inside the building. They follow, taking out their pokéballs to give to the Nurse Joy for healing. While they wait around for their Pokémon to be returned to them, Forrest looks around the room again, just to make sure there are no threats there. Suddenly, he freezes in place. Worried that he spotted a Team Terra agent, Max and Bonnie get ready to duck out of sight. They wheel around to see what he's looking at. It's a young, well-built man with short blond hair and fair skin. Forrest stares at this boy with a blush on his face. "Oh, here we go," says Max. "What's wrong?" Bonnie asks. "Just watch," Max replies.

As the two of them watch their travelling partner, he saunters up to the boy sitting on the couch staring at his phone. "Hey," says Forrest, sliding into place next to him. "I saw you sitting here and couldn't help but notice you. You're quite attractive may I say." Both Max and Bonnie try hard to stifle their laughter at this poor attempt at flirting. It becomes even harder to do so when the boy replies. "Uh, thanks? But I'm afraid I don't swing that way." With that, the boy got up and left, leaving Forrest in a defeated slump. After making sure they're not laughing anymore, Max and Bonnie approach him. "Wow," says Max. "I've seen Brock flirt better than that," he comments. Forrest sighs. "Yeah, I don't know where he got it from, but it clearly wasn't genetic," he replies. Max sniggers. "Actually, Brock's flirting was also terrible," he tells him. "So, I'd say it's pretty genetic." Bonnie giggles at this while Forrest slumps further in his chair. "How the Reverse World did he get Olivia to date him?" he complains to himself. "At this, point, my only hope in finding love would be if I staged one of those accidental kisses."

At this, Dedenne pokes his head out of Bonnie's bag, being the only pokémon that didn't go to get healed. He'd been half listening to the conversation, being to busy napping to properly pay attention. However, at the mention of staging accidental kisses, Dedenne starts paying attention again. "Don't be stupid," Max is saying. "Those only work if it's a genuine accident." Bonnie nods in agreement. "Yeah, if one of you forces it, it isn't genuine, and therefore won't work." Forrest thinks about this, then nods. "So, if someone like you two were to do it, it would work?" he asks. Both of them go bright red at that. "No, of course not!" they both exclaim. "We're just friends!" Forrest smirks at this, but says nothing more. Dedenne however quickly comes up with another matchmaking scheme.

A little while later, once all of their Pokémon have been returned to them, the trio go off to do their own things. Max sits outside the centre and starts writing down things he sees around him. Bonnie goes into the field in front of the centre, not far from where Max sits, to train her team. And Forrest stays inside, chatting up a few guys or looking after his team. Dedenne joins in on Bonnie's training, especially since he's an important part of her and Max's plan to win against Misty. After doing about an hour of training, Bonnie decides it's time for a break. And Dedenne decides that it's time to enact his latest matchmaking plan. He looks over at Max, and sees that he has entered his observant State. Perfect. Now for phase 2.

He waits until Bonnie can see him, then starts running over to Max, hoping that this doesn't disturb his Observant State. Just as he'd hoped, Bonnie follows him, curious to see what he's running towards. Dedenne leads her over to Max. Once Bonnie sees Max in his Observant State, she begins to laugh a little bit. "I see you're studying up on Pokémon again, huh?" she asks him. "But I think Dedenne would like your input on our training." Just as Dedenne hoped, Max doesn't move. Bonnie tries again, and even waves her hand in front of his face, but he still doesn't look up. "Wow, you're really into it this time huh?" she comments to know one in particular. She looks over to Dedenne to tell him that they should get back to training, when she sees him leaning in towards Max's leg, not quite letting his nose touch it. At first, she's about to ask him what he's doing, then she remembers something.

"I used to do that to him when he went Observant State during the early days of our journey!" she realises. Dedenne nods, before looking at her expectantly. Bonnie laughs as she suddenly realises what Dedenne wants her to do. "You think this might get him to snap out of it and come help us?" she asks. Dedenne nods. Bonnie shrugs, then laughs. "Alright," she says. "His reaction to this was always really funny anyway." So, she sits next to him and begins to lean into him. As she gets closer, Dedenne gets ready to enact the final part of his master plan. Right as Bonnie's nose is almost touching Max's cheek, Dedenne shoots a tiny spark into Max's side. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to get his attention. Max feels the spark and spins his head to look at where it was coming from, snapping out of his Observant State as he does. At first he sees Bonnie's face right in front of him, and goes a bit red. A split second later, the pair of them realise that their lips have just touched.

The two of them spring apart so fast it's as if they'd just been electrocuted. Both of them are so red in the face Forrest could cook a full course meal off them. "Sorry about that," Bonnie says quickly. "I was just trying to get your attention, I had no idea that would happen!" "It's ok, it's not your fault," Max replies. "I felt a weird zap in my side so I looked up." At this, Bonnie gets confused. "But I never even touched you," she replies. At this, the two of them look down at Dedenne, who starts to look a little bit nervous. Suddenly, Bonnie starts piecing a few things together. "Oh, I think I know what's happening," she says, picking Dedenne up. "Would you excuse us for a moment." Then, she runs inside the Pokémon Centre, leaving a very confused Max behind.

Once Bonnie is certain Max and Forrest are out of earshot, she sets Dedenne down and glares at him. "Have you been trying to matchmake us!?" she demands quietly. Dedenne shakes his head, but he doesn't meet her eyes. Bonnie thinks about some of those awkward moments she had with Max over the course of their journey. "When the two of us accidentally held hands when we grabbed that flower for Floette," she thinks aloud. "Then there was that moment where the 2 of us woke up holding hands. And wait, you also led me over to him in Rustboro one evening when we were attacked by Team Terra." She looks at Dedenne again. "That was all you matchmaking us, wasn't it?" Dedenne tries to deny it, but it's clear that Bonnie doesn't believe him. So, he just nods his head, admitting to it.

Bonnie sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Look Dedenne, I'm not angry with you," she tells him. "I would be a huge hypocrite if I did. But, I don't want you matchmaking me, alright. I'll admit to you that I like Max, but I want to be the one to tell him on my own, ok?" Dedenne looks at her with a look that says, "Seriously?" "Ok," Bonnie chuckles, "I'll admit that was hypocritical of me. But I've learned since then that it has to be up to the person with the feelings to say them. So, I appreciate it, but please leave it up to me, alright?" Dedenne nods in understanding. Bonnie smiles at him, then heads back out to continue training. Dedenne follows her, deciding to let her be for now. But, if she still hasn't said anything by the end of this region, maybe he will have to intervene.

Chapter Text

Camo stopped physically appearing to give them news after a while. She (for Sophocles is convinced Camo is a she) continues to send texts with the information they require from her, but she no longer shows up in Ash's window in Galar to let him know. Despite the increased risk of being caught sending information like this, Ash is quite relieved with this change. He's started growing concerned that something would happen to his heart if her sudden appearances kept happening. However, just because they have Camo on their side, leaking information doesn't mean that things are going completely swimmingly. One by one, some of their counterattacks have started failing. Team Terra are suddenly more aware of their plans, and are better equipped to handle their strikes. This start worrying Ash that they might have a mole of their own, though he doesn't share his concerns with his friends. He knows that if he shares this, it will cause his side to split apart from being too suspicious of each other. SO, he keeps this theory to himself.

He continues to monitor the progress of the fighting with a few of his friends over the week since he and Paul destroyed that shipment. After that attack, Ash doesn't go on anymore, instead staying behind and sending some of his friends out to do them. This quickly becomes very boring, but, as Serena reminds him, "After your stunt in the harbour, I don't think it would be wise for you to show your face for a few weeks." So, he keeps to himself in his house, only really talking to his friends whenever they stop by. When he isn't making plans or talking with his friends, Ash can be found outside in the garden of his house in Galar. Ever since the events of Mt. Chimney, he's been vigorously training himself to fully control his powers, in order to avoid having another Surge. While he does this, he also tries to learn how to summon a barrier of Aura in order to defend himself from any attacks.

It is during one of these sessions, about 3 days after he and Paul stopped that shipment of weapons to Kanto, that he feels his phone vibrate, the sign of being texted. He ignores it until he finishes his training. He finishes a few hours later, then goes inside for a shower. Upon leaving, he checks his phone and sees the text from Max, suddenly remembering that he'd been texted. "Arceus I hope this wasn't an urgent message," he says to himself, before checking his phone. Upon seeing the message, Ash nearly has a heart attack. On the screen is a picture of one of the Admins for Team Terra, along with a text from Max. "We ran into her on Mt. Moon earlier. Any idea who she is? She calls herself Angie." There, on the screen, is Aldith from Team Plasma. "Of all Team Plasma Agents to become Admin, it had to be that one," he says to himself. He quickly shoots Max a warning about her, after apologising for being late in replying. Then, he decides to keep a closer eye on Kanto for the time being.

Another week or so passes after that moment. Ash continues to train to summon an Aura Barrier, while managing the war effort, and keeping an eye on Kanto for any activity from Aldith. During one morning in Galar, Ash is watching the Kanto news while eating breakfast. As he does, he hears a knocking at the door. He goes to open it, and finds Goh and Chloe standing in front of him. "Hey guys," he says to them. "What are you doing here?" "Making sure you aren't going stir crazy," Chloe replies, as he and Goh step into the house. "Oh, I'm doing fine," Ash tells them. "I've been monitoring a few things, training my Aura, that sort of thing." "Oh, so you aren't going stir crazy?" Goh asks. Ash shakes his head. "Nope, not at all," he replies.

At that moment, Ash's phone starts ringing from his couch. Ash dives for it so fast it's as if he used teleport to get it. He picks it up and looks over to Goh, only to see him smirking at him. "Ok, so I'm going a little stir crazy, sue me," he admits. Then, he looks to see who's calling him, and his face falls. "Who's calling you?" Chloe asks. "Team Rocket," Ash replies. Both of them stare at him in shock, and Pikachu, who was happily eating ketchup on the coffee table, begins to choke on it. "Why are they calling you?" Goh asks. "Can't you ignore it?" asks Chloe. "Unfortunately I can't Ash replies. "I made a deal with them. They helped Max and Bonnie escape Hoenn, so now they want me to help them with something." With that, he answers the phone. "If this has anything to do with our deal, make it quick," he says. "I have other things to worry about."

"Oh trust us," says Jessie on the other end of the phone, "this is something you're going to want to hear." Ash sighs. "Make it quick," he says. "But remember, the deal is that I have the right to refuse any proposal. Which means nothing extremely illegal." "You mean like destroying boats in a harbour at night?" asks James. All three Team Rocket members laugh. "I said 'extremely' illegal," Ash points out. "But what's your plan?" Jessie, James, and Meowth look at each other and grin, before returning their attention to Ash. "There's an old Team Rocket headquarters in the Kanto Region that was handed over to Team Terra back when a bunch of agents defected," James explains. "We need your help taking it back."

Ash stares at them like they've all grown an extra head each. "I thought I just said I wouldn't do anything extremely illegal?" Ash replies. "And helping Team Rocket regain a foothold in Kanto is like, damn near the top of that list!" The trio look at each other again, before Meowth replies with, "We thought you might say that, so we have something that'll sweeten the deal." Ash scoffs, not believing them. "If I recall correctly, you're friends with May Maple, correct?" Jessie asks. Ash freezes, as do Goh and Chloe in the background. "What?" Ash asks. "What does that have to do with this?" Team Rocket smile at each other, before James pulls out a photo. On it is several Team Terra agents, carrying the unconscious form of a young woman. It's blurry, but Ash can see the image of a red bandana.

"One sec, let me check something," he says to them. He calls Goh over to him, and has him take a picture of the screen. Then, he sends the picture to Drew, asking him if he can confirm that that's May. Not even half a minute later, Drew responds. "That's her, no doubt about it!" He then sends, "Where is that? I'll head over right away!" Goh quickly texts him that it's somewhere in the Kanto Region. "Ok, so it's her," Ash says. "Where is that?" "We'll only tell you if you agree to come and help us reclaim it," Jessie tells him. "Otherwise, good luck finding it yourself." "Not to mention," James adds. "You do owe us for smuggling those 2 kids out of Hoenn." Ash groans in frustration, then says, "I'll call you back," before hanging up.

"You're not seriously considering this are you Ash?" Goh asks. "Yeah Ash, this is insane!" Chloe adds. "I know!" Ash replies, running his fingers through his hair. "But this is the first solid lead to May whereabouts in weeks! I can't just let it slip!" "But you also can't let Team Rocket get a foothold in Kanto again!" Chloe argued. "Think about all the hard work that the Kanto police did, the Indigo League did, that you did to erase them from Kanto! They can't be given the chance to come back!" Ash nods in agreement, still thinking everything over. Suddenly, Goh visibly reacts. "I have an idea!" he exclaims. "What if you agree to this, get May out of there, help them reclaim the base, then convince Team Rocket to send Team Terra a taunting message about it. This might get Team Terra to launch a counterattack, thus keeping them distracted and less likely to figure out that Max and Bonnie are in Kanto!" Ash looks at his friend, then grins. "Goh, you're a genius!" he exclaims, before calling Team Rocket back. The second they answer, he tells them, "Alright fine, I'll help you."

Ash stands at the agreed upon meeting point at the agreed upon time. He comes alone, excluding Pikachu on his shoulder and the rest of his team on his belt. He looks around the place, an abandoned site for digging up Wishing Stars near Turffield. "What's taking them so long?" Ash wonders to himself. "I bet they're setting up one of their dramatic entrances," Pikachu suggests. Ash laughs. "Knowing them, you're probably right," he says. Both friends laugh at that, then get back to waiting. Surprisingly, Team Rocket didn't show up and do their stupid rhyme. Instead, they arrived on a giant blimp with a Meowth head and an R on its side. The three of them lowered themselves down on wires, then stood in front of Ash with proud grins on their faces.

"Well, what do you think?" Meowth asks. Ash just stares at them for a few seconds. "Honestly, it feels weird seeing you guys and not hearing, 'prepare for trouble, and make it double!'" Team Rocket look at him, then slump. "You're right," says Jessie. "I really want to say the motto." "Me too," James complains. "But unfortunately time is of the essence, so we don't have time to say it." Ash laughs at their reactions, when he suddenly reacts to something James said. "Wait, what do you mean 'time is of the essence'? What's going on?" Jessie and James look at each other nervously. "It seems that Team Terra may have caught wind of our plan to attack them," she says. "They have more troops on their way to defend the place, meaning we have a limited amount of time to capture it before they arrive and completely overwhelm us."

Ash runs his hands down his face in frustration. "Please tell me you didn't send you motto over to them beforehand as a means of taunting them?" Ash asks. All three of them shake their heads. "Hey, we're not that stupid!" Meowth exclaims. "They must have a few sleeper agents within Team Rocket who informed them of this plan." Ash sighs. "Well then, we'd better get a move on," he says. "I do not want Team Terra to assume my side of this conflict is working with Team Rocket." The 3 of them look like they want to argue that it would be beneficial for Ash to team up with them, but he just glares at them. "We're wasting time," he snaps. "So, let's get moving!" "Alright, alright!" says James, throwing his hands up. "We'll get going, keep your hat on!" With that, he hands Ash the wire he's holding, while Jessie and Meowth grab on to the other one. Then, Jessie presses a button, and the 4 of them whizz up into the blimp.

It takes most of the day to reach the old Kantonian Team Rocket base. By the time they reach it, night has fallen. Looking down at it, Ash is relieved to see that it's not their main one, but a smaller one that must've merely been abandoned due to lack of agents rather than raided out by the police. This brings him some comfort. He turns away from the window and stands with the other 3 in the blimp, and they go over their plan one last time. While Team Rocket storms the main entrance of the base and fights their way through it, Ash will sneak in around the back and look for May. Once he's freed her, the two of them will join Team Rocket in clearing Team Terra out of the base. Then, once Ash's debt has been repaid, he and May will leave while Team Rocket contacts their Johto Headquarters to inform them that the operation was a success. "It's fool proof!" James exclaims. "It's proof that you're fools more like," Ash mutters to himself.

He grabs the wire he used to get into the blimp and gets ready to lower himself down. But before he does, Jessie stops him. "Wait," she says. "You don't want your side to be associated with us, right?" Ash nods. "Then wear this," she tells him, holding out a Team Rocket uniform. Ash stares at her like she's crazy. "If you wear this, Team Terra, along with anyone who sees the attack, will think you're just another member of Team Rocket sent along with us to reclaim the base. That way you don't get recognised." Ash wants to protest that he is not, nor will ever wear a Team Rocket uniform. But then he stops and thinks about it and realises that she has a point. So, he sighs, takes the uniform, and throws it over himself. He stuffs his clothes into his bag, then takes the wire again, and lowers himself down to the ground.

He hits the ground and sends the wire back up, then watches as the blimp carries on until it's over the base. Then, he can just about make out Team Rocket lowing themselves down into the base. An explosion of gunfire echoes around the place, signalling to Ash that the plan has started. He sneaks up to the wall of the base, then summons Bulbasaur. "I need you to use Vine Whip to raise me up the wall," he tells him. Bulbasaur nods and does that, lifting himself and Ash up onto the upper walls of the base. Ash thanks him, then returns him to his ball, before beginning his search around the base for May. It doesn't take him long to run into trouble instead. He runs into several Team Terra agents, but he's quickly able to take them out by using blasts of Aura. The agents are all thrown against walls and promptly knocked unconscious.

He continues through the base, doing that to any Team Terra agents unfortunate enough to cross his path. He scours every inch of the upper floors of the base for any sign of May, but doesn't come across her. Eventually, this leads him to a big open room, that looks like it was once a cafeteria. Jessie, James, and Meowth are still fighting in it, but the numbers of agents have dwindled. So, Ash concentrates his Aura, then shoots out a blast, knocking all Team Terra agents out, while still leaving Team Rocket awake. "Thanks for that," says Jessie. "So, I take it you couldn't find your friend?" Ash shakes his head. "They must be keeping her somewhere else," he replies. "I'll go looking through the lower levels, you guys keep working on retaking this place." "Oh, you're looking for the girl?" asks a voice behind him. "Well, I have her right here."

All four of them wheel around to find themselves face to face with Admin Angie. And standing right next to her is... "May?" Ash asks. Angie removes her mask, revealing the face of Aldith underneath. "Well, hello Ash Ketchum," she says. "It's been a while." "Aldith," Ash replies coolly. "What did you do to May? More of Team Plasma's old brainwashing technology?" Aldith laughs at this. "Oh no," she replies. "See, we'd need Colress for that, but thanks to your brainy friend he's no longer available to us. Fortunately, we have Pokémon that can do the job for us." At this, she steps to the side, and out from behind her walks a Hypno. Ash swears at this. "If you want your revenge on me for getting you arrested, just come at me yourself, don't bring my friends into this!" Aldith laughs at this. "Now, I did originally want to do that," she admits. "But then I thought of something. The perfect revenge. Why should I be the one to fight you, and most likely lose, when I can get your friend to fight you instead."

At this, May steps forward, her eyes glowing blue from the hypnosis. "Deal with him!" Aldith demands, before stepping through the door behind her. May glares at Ash, who takes a breath. "You 3 go on ahead," he tells them. "Finish the job. I'll take care of her." The 3 don't argue with him. "Well then, good luck," says James, before they run on ahead. may tries to hit them, but Ash quickly intercepts her. "I don't want to fight you," he tells her. May doesn't respond. She just pushes him away, then leaps into the air. She spins around and attempts to kick him in the face, but Ash blocks it with his arm, fuelling some Aura into his arm to prevent the attack from hurting. "May stop!" Ash yells. "I don't want to fight! You're my friend!" But May doesn't respond. She just stares at him without a hint of recognition. "Oh, I see," he says to himself. "This is the incident on Mt. Chimney again, but in reverse. Ok then." Then, he gets himself into a fighting stance. May does the same. Then, they charge at each other.

Chapter Text

After leaving Ash behind to deal with his friend, Jessie, James, and Meowth run further into the base, chasing after Aldith. "Are we sure we want to go after an Admin of Team Terra?" James asks. "After all, I hear they have some powerful technology at their disposal." Jessie stops and stares at him. "What makes you think we're going after her?" she asks. "Well, we won't be able to fully take it back with her here," James points out. "Which means at some point, we'll need to confront her." Meowth laughs at this. "Oh come on," he exclaims. "You can't seriously believe we're that stupid!" he exclaims. "Why do you think we brought the Twerp with us?" James stops as he begins to connect the dots. "Ah, I see," he says. "Very clever of us!" Jessie and Meowth look at each other with exasperation.

"Look, all we need to do is clear out the rest of these goons," Jessie explains. "Then, we get the twerp and the Coordinator to handle the Admin, then the base is ours." "But what if something happens to him during the fight?" James asks. Jessie and Meowth smirk at this. "All the better," Meowth replies. "Because then we won't have to worry about him stopping Team Rocket's return." James nods at this, then the 3 of them press on. As they run through the hallways, they quickly come across 2 Team Terra agents, both of which are carrying big guns. They're taken by surprise, and start fumbling with the weapons, giving Jessie and James enough time to ram into them and knock them out. Jessie picks up the guns and throws one of them to James, who fumbles with it. "Wait, don't tell me you expect us to kill people?!" he exclaims. "Of course not!" Jessie replies. "Look, these weapons have a stunning option." James sighs with relief, then he and Jessie set the guns to stun. With that, they resume their walk through the halls, determined to completely clear Team Terra out.

I recommend you listen to Animal by Pearl Jam during this fight.

Ash and May charge at each other, with May's fist raised to punch him. Instead of punching back, Ash grabs her arm and uses the momentum to throw her away. "May snap out of it!" he yells, "I don't want to fight you!" But May clearly can't hear him. She charges again, throwing punch after punch at him. Ash limbos under the first two, then swerves left and right to avoid the others. Then, he lets out a small blast of Aura, knocking her back a few paces. May stumbles backwards, then goes after him again. Ash braces for more punches, but instead she sweeps her legs out, knocking him over. Ash hits his head on the ground and feels momentarily dizzy. He sees May standing over him, going down to punch him in the face, and he quickly rolls out of the way, scrambling to his feet quickly as May throws another barrage of punches. Ash holds his arms up in defence, channelling his Aura into them so that she doesn't do any damage to him.

After taking a few swings, he throws his arms out, sending another blast of Aura May's way. She flies backwards, crashing into another wall. She gets back on her feet, then runs again. But before she can get very far, Ash shoots small pulses of Aura from his hands, the way Bonnie does. "I'll admit, that girl is creative," he says to himself. May staggers from the pulse, but keeps coming. So, Ash sends out a few more, eventually managing to knock her over again. Before she can get back up, Ash is on top of her, pinning her with his knees. She tries to hit him, but he grabs her hands. "That's enough May!" he shouts at her. "Please come to your senses!" But she doesn't. Instead, she squirms around, giving her legs more room to work. Then, she repeatedly knees him in the back, until he's forced off her. As he rolls away, May gets back to her feet and goes in for more punches. Ash goes back to dodging, unable to bring himself to hurt his friend.

"There must be some way to undo this," he mutters to himself, as he jumps over May's legs as she makes another swing at him. He plans to land on his feet and try sweeping her legs out himself, but before his feet can touch the ground again, May quickly gets to her feet and kicks his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hits the wall and feels the air leave his lungs. As he staggers forward slightly, he sees May charging at him again, and barely manages to dodge out of the way. May's fist makes contact with the wall instead, and she cries out in pain from the strike. Ash takes the moment to look around for anything to incapacitate her. And that's when his eyes land on the Hypno, watching the fight from a balcony above them. Ash grins at this, figuring out a way to end this fight quickly. He creates an Aura Sphere in his hand and aims to throw it at the Hypno. But before he can, he feels someone grab his arm. before he has time to react, he feels May throw him over her shoulder, causing the sphere to dissipate.

Ash hits the ground hard, as May slams her elbow into his chest, causing him to become winded again. May starts punching him a couple of times, but Ash quickly shoots a 3rd blast of Aura. May flies off him and hits the ground. She sits up, ready to resume fighting, when Ash suddenly leaps at her. He uses her shoulder to jump higher into the air, where he fills his hand with Aura again. Before May or the Hypno have time to react, Ash hurls the sphere at it. The balcony explodes from the attack, as the Hypno falls from the balcony. It tries to launch a Psybeam at Ash, But Ash blocks it with an Aura Barrier, causing the attack to be redirected at the Hypno, knocking it out. "YES!" Ash exclaims. "That ought to be enough!"

At that moment, May's fist collides with Ash's cheek, sending him spiralling to the ground. "Aw come on!" he shouts. "I thought that would free you!" But it clearly hadn't, as May seems just as intent on fighting him as ever. Ash sighs as he gets to his feet again. "Either hypnosis works differently than I thought, or they modified this pokémon," he says, then gets ready to keep fighting. That's when he remembers an ability that he invented. Tranquilise. With this in mind, he rushes May once again, reaching his hand out to grab her head. But May knocks his hands away, then knees him in the face. Ash staggers back from the blow, giving May the opportunity to punch him in the stomach. Ash lurches forward from this blow, and sees May reach out to punch him again. But, before she can, he quickly lunges, grabbing onto her face. He shoots off a small but intense blast right into her skull, and May collapses to the ground, out cold.

Stop music here.

Ash catches May before she hits the ground. Once she's laying down, Ash checks her pulse to make sure that he didn't hit with too strong a pulse. Once he's certain that she's still alive, he slumps down against the wall and sinks to the floor. "Well, glad to know that ability works," he says to himself, before hurling an Aura Sphere at the door he came through, causing it to collapse. "Team Rocket can repair that later," he mutters to himself. After throwing that sphere, he suddenly finds himself quite drained of energy. "Damn, I overexerted myself," he think to himself. He lets Pikachu out of his bag, and has him stand guard for a bit. Then, he closes his eyes. "I just need to recharge my energy before we continue," he tells him, before nodding off.

Now armed with proper weaponry, Team Rocket continue their raid of their old base. While before, running into agents caused them some trouble, now they could shoot them down with their new toys. Using the stun option of course. Although, they aren't certain that Team Terra are giving them the same courtesy. During one particularly long firefight, one of the bullets grazes Jessie's bare arm, causing her to develop a burn on it. "You know," she comments, staring at the burn, "I think these guys are aiming to kill." "Good to know," James replies. "So, let's not get hit then." He summons his Mr. Mime and has him use reflect to block the bullets, before they dart down another hallway. James makes sure to return Mr. Mime before he leaves.

They start going up some floors, clearing out every single agent they come across. "This would be a whole lot easier if we had some backup," Meowth comments. "We'll have that once the Twerp is done fighting his friend," Jessie points out. "So, we just have to keep going without him for now, and hope he catches up." "That is, if you can get any further," says a new voice from behind them. All 3 of them wheel around to find a Sub-Admin of Team Terra standing in their hallway. And it's one that they recognise. Standing before them is a woman, about 2 or 3 years older than Jessie and James, with short light blue hair in a catlike style. Where a Team Rocket uniform once covered her now sits the uniform of Team Terra, along with the shaded glasses, signifying a Sub-Admin. "Oakley," says Jessie coolly. "Fancy seeing you here and not in prison."

Oakley seems to gain some amusement from seeing her former comrades standing there, two of which are pointing guns at her. "Hello Jessie, James, Meowth," she says, as if meeting them for lunch. "It's been 6 years since we've spoken, correct?" "We're not speaking on friendly terms with a traitor!" Jessie spits. "How can you even side with Team Terra?!" James demands. "You don't even care about the world!" Oakley laughs at this. "That is true," she admits. "But it's profitable. Especially when Team Rocket has become a sinking ship. So, I decided to jump ship before the water reached my ankles." "This is just a temporary setback," Meowth argues. "Team Rocket will bounce back soon!" Oakley laughs at this. "Will it?" she asks. "Because it's losing members by the day, your size has greatly reduced, and now you're relegated to a small corner of the Johto Region. I think the chances of it bouncing back are slim to none."

With that said, she begins walking towards them. Jessie and James raise their guns. "Step any closer and wheel shoot!" James exclaims. Oakley laughs. "Would you really shoot at a former comrade?" she asks him. "I'd gladly shoot at a filthy traitor," he replies. "So don't test me Oakley." Oakley laughs again. "Very well then," she says. "It seems that we'll have to fight each other after all." She stands in a combat position. "And by the way, address me as Sub-Admin O now. That is my new title." The trio roll their eyes, then Jessie and James open fire. O dodges both shots, then runs at them. The two take aim again, but she kicks both guns out of their hands, before spinning around and kicking both of them in the face. They go down with ease, but get back up again. They nod to each other, then charge, with Meowth extending his claws and leaping into the fray.

When May wakes up, the first thing she sees is a young man in a Team Rocket uniform sleeping next to her. She jumps out of her skin, then grabs Blaziken's pokéball, ready to beat the living daylights out of him. But before she can, she hears a Pikachu crying out behind her. Spinning around, she sees Ash's Pikachu waving his arms at her, shaking her head. She looks at him quizzically, then back at the man in the Team Rocket uniform. Upon closer inspection, she realises that it's Ash wearing a disguise. Relieved that she isn't being held prisoner by Team Rocket, May sits back down, as she suddenly registers how sore she is. Looking around, she realises that she's in some sort of destroyed room. "Ugh, what happened to me?" she thinks out loud.

Eventually growing bored of waiting for Ash to wake up, she decides to prod him. When that doesn't work, she kicks him awake. He's on his feet immediately, Aura Spheres at the ready. Then he sees who woke him, and gets rid of them. "Oh thank Arceus you're back to normal," he says. May looks at him quizzically. "What do you mean by that?" she asks. Ash proceeds to explain what happened here, to which May looks horrified. "Well, I'm just glad Drew wasn't here," she says. "I don't think I could stomach it if I found out I hurt him." "Thanks, I'm fine," Ash replies. May smacks his arm. "I've beaten you up before," she points out. "This just makes us even." She looks around at the damage their fight did. "Why didn't you use your Aura by the way?" she asks. "You would've won so much quicker." Ash shakes his head. "Maybe," he says. "But I didn't want to hurt you with it. You're my friend."

May chuckles at this. "Didn't stop you from wanting to blast Megan with Aura spheres when she revealed herself," she points out. "That's different," he replies. "I don't know her as well. She's a friend of a friend, so I don't feel as close. Meaning when I got angry at her, she wasn't close enough to spare her from my powers. If it was one of you, I would've been a lot more hesitant to use them." May nods, then looks around. "So, what happened to you?" Ash asks. "You've been missing for over a month, and then you turn up here, hypnotised and fighting me. What happened?" May sighs. "I found a Team Terra base near Pallet," she tells him. Immediately, a look of worry crosses Ash's face. "Don't worry, it's not an active one," she reassures him. "Anyway, I went scouting as myself first, to find out what's in there before I came back as my alter ego to smash the place. Before I got very far in, I got sprayed with Sleep Powder, and the next thing I know, I'm here."

Ash nods, then starts heading towards the other door, the one he hadn't destroyed. "Come on," he says. "Let's get this done, then you can call Max and your parents and let them know you're ok." May nods in agreement, then they take off. As they run, May starts rummaging through he pockets, pulling out her bandana with her mask attached to it. Before she can put it on, Ash stops her. "What are you doing?" he asks. "I want to be able to cut loose," she replies. "I was locked away by these guys for over a month, I'd like to be able to actually hit them with my full power." "But think about how that would look," Ash points out. "The Blaziken Mask running around with someone dressed in the Team Rocket uniform, right after the Admin left you with said person. At best, they'll think that the Blaziken Mask is working with Team Rocket. At worst, they'll figure out your identity." May realises that he's right, and puts the mask away. "Fine," she says. "But I'm still hitting them as hard as I can." "Wouldn't expect anything else," Ash replies, before the two of them continue running.

May expects thinks that Ash is looking for Team Rocket, in order to join forces and finish the job quickly. Instead, he continues to climb higher and higher up the base, knocking out agents as he goes. Eventually, the two of them come to the top of the base, where Ash knocks down an important looking door, before throwing Aura Spheres at the 3 Team Terra Agents that are manning the place. May quickly realises that the two of them are in the base's main control centre. "Uh, Ash, what are we doing here?" she asks. "Stopping Team Rocket from getting a foothold in Kanto," Ash replies. Before he begins tapping buttons. "What!?" May exclaims. "If I send a distress signal, it will alert Team Terra that the base has been taken over," Ash explains, "they'll send troops over here to take it back, which will keep Team Rocket out of Kanto, and keep Team Terra's attention away from where Max is."

As much as May likes this idea, she stops Ash. "Now it's your turn to think about this," May points out. "If you do this, how long do you think it will take Team Rocket to figure out it was you who sent it?" she asks him. "Well, this is Team Rocket we're talking about," he points out. "SO, probably a while if they figure it out at all." May shakes her head. "No, this is Jessie, James, and Meowth you're thinking about," she replies. "Team Rocket is a lot more than just those 3. One of the other members will notice, and it probably won't take them too long to figure out that it was you who sent it. Then, since you broke your end of the deal, they can just tell Team Terra that Max is in Kanto, and the next thing you know every single Team Terra member has arrived in Kanto!"

Ash stops messing with the controls, realising that she's right. So, he steps away from the controls. "You're right," he sighs. "So, let's go find Jessie and James huh?" May nods, then the two of them leave the control room, heading back around the building looking for their accomplices. "Never thought I'd ever be working with those 2 again," May comments. "If I had a PokéYen every time I said that," Ash jokes, as they run past an open window, overlooking a courtyard. Suddenly, May stops him, pointing out to the other side of the courtyard. Through another window, Ash sees the very trio they're looking for, struggling in a fight against a Sub-Admin that Ash recognises. "Oh boy," he says. "They're fighting a former member of Team Rocket." "So we should help them," May says. Ash nods, opening the window. "That's the plan," he says.

Before May can ask him what he's planning, he fuels Aura into his legs, and leaps out of the window. He fills his fist with Aura and throws a sphere at the Sub-Admin, smashing the window and throwing her against a wall. He releases Lucario right as he enters the room, making it look like he was the one to throw the sphere. Ash slides along the floor coming to a stop next to Jessie and James. He keeps his head down to avoid the Sub-Admin recognising him. "Your top has a hood on it," James whispers. "Put it up." Ash feels around and finds the hood. He pulls it over his head to avoid being recognised. The Sub-Admin, who Ash now recognises as Oakley, smirks upon seeing him. "Well, it seems you have some more help, and this one seems to be decent fighter," she comments. "Why don't we test that?" Ash asks, deepening his voice to avoid being recognised.

Oakley laughs. "Oh please, I'm not that stupid," she says. "I'll be outnumbered 4 to 1, with one of you actually knowing how to fight. So, I think I'll be going now." She pulls a grappling hook off her belt and aims it through the broken window. "Our Admin has already left the place, I was here to merely stall you while she escaped, and it worked. SO, I'll be on my way. Let's catch up soon guys." Then, with a taunting laugh, she uses the grappling hook, and flies off. Ash wants to chase her, but Jessie stops him. "Wait, let her go," she says. "Let her send a message to Team Terra that Team Rocket is back, and not to be messed with!" "Well, that certainly makes my job easier," Ash thinks to himself, before nodding his head.

The rest of the takeover is handled with minimal difficulty. Once they learn that their Admin and Sub-Admin had abandoned the base, they surrender pretty quickly. By dawn, Team Rocket has the base completely surrounded, and Jessie, James, and Meowth are met with cheers as they exit the building, leading hosts of Team Terra agents with them. Ash and May use this opportunity to sneak out of a back window. They remain hidden while Team Rocket celebrate the reclaiming of the base. "There really is a lot less of them than before," Ash comments. Once the brunt of them had gone inside, Jessie, James, and Meowth approach them. "We know you don't want any credit for this," says Jessie. "But we really can't thank you enough for helping us. As much as it pains me to say that." "Oh trust me," Ash replies, "it pains me just as much to hear that." Despite the situation, the five enemies can't help but grin at each other.

"Well, this has been fun," says May, "but Ash and I must really be getting back. Enjoy the base guys." She and Ash turn to go, when a new voice calls out to them. "Just a minute you two! Someone wants a word with you." They turn around to spot a woman with purple hair and glasses, wearing a magenta suit. Ash recognises her immediately as Giovanni's secretary, Matori. She walks over to them, holding a tablet with the screen pointing towards her. Once she's in front of them, she turns it around. There, on the screen, sitting on a chair with a Persian on his lap, and a broad, victorious grin on his face, is the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni himself.

Jessie, James, and Meowth panic at this and kneel in front of him, while Ash and May remain standing, glaring at their sworn enemy. "Relax your 3, I'm not here for you," says Giovanni. "Though, |I do commend your work, and will reward you handsomely upon your return," The 3 of them look at each other with pleased looks on their faces. "I am here to speak with Ash Ketchum, the man of the hour," Giovanni continues. "For, without his help, we would never have been able to reclaim this place." "What do you want?" Ash demands. Giovanni holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Touchy, aren't we,"" he laughs. "Though I suppose that's understandable. Well, alright then, I suppose I'll get right to the point."

A flash suddenly appears from the tablet, and Ash and May are temporarily blinded. When Ash is done rubbing the blindness out of his eyes, he sees Giovanni grinning. "I know you quite well Ash Ketchum," he says. "And I know that at some point, you will be bringing an army of police here, maybe even the Elite 4 themselves, in order to prevent Team Rocket's glorious return to Kanto. What I have just done is created a precaution to avoid such things from occurring." With that, the image on the screen changes, showing a picture of Ash Ketchum, the monarch of the World Coronation Series, standing their in Team Rocket uniform, with 2 other members of Team Rocket standing beside him. As Ash's eyes widen, Giovanni's face reappears on screen. "That's quite the photo, wouldn't you say?" he asks. "Though, it would be a real shame if it were to end up all over the internet. Imagine what it would do to your reputation, or even your war effort, if people found out you sided with Team Rocket."

"What do you want from me?" Ash asks. "For you to keep your end of your agreement with my agents," Giovanni replies simply. "Do not attempt to stop us from regaining territory in Kanto, and do not tell anyone that we have retaken this base. If you do, I will leak the photo, as well as other information I have of you aiding Team Rocket in their return to Kanto." Ash's glare turns to Jessie and James. "You told him about our agreement!?" he demands. Giovanni laughs at this, while Jessie and James look panicked. "Oh don't worry, they didn't have to," he tells him. "I grew suspicious of their behaviour so I bugged their blimp. You wouldn't believe what kind of information I have. Especially in regards to a certain boy that Team Terra are after."

Ash and May look horrified at this. "You wouldn't," May says, which makes Giovanni laugh again. "Don't test me Top Coordinator," he says, "or you will learn what I'm truly willing to do to gain power. Keep quiet about what happened here, and I will do the same. If you share what happened, I will share the photo. If you get one of your subordinates to do it for you, I will reveal the location of Max Maple to Team Terra. Then, your lot will be far too busy keeping them safe to worry about my return to power." Ash and May don't say anything to him, they just nod to show they understand. "Wonderful," says Giovanni with satisfaction. "Well then, that will be all. I must say, it was nice to speak with you again Monarch, let's talk soon." Then, he ends the call. Matori nods to Jessie, James, and Meowth, shoots a hateful look at Ash and May, before walking off. the other 3 don't say anything else, they just follow her, leaving Ash and May alone to think about what they've just done.

Chapter Text

The morning after Max and Bonnie's accidental kiss, the 3 of them were ready to set off. In all of his embarrassment after what happened, Max had forgotten to check his phone to see if Ash had replied to his message about the Admin. He had. On the screen was Ash's response, which read like he read it in a panicked state. And, once Max read it out loud to the other 2, he could see why. "That is a former member of Team Plasma called Aldith," Max read. "She was definitely one of the more crazy ones. Never did anything too bad when she was on Team Plasma. Though now with Team Terra's technology and a much higher rank at her disposal than mere grunt, I'd say she'll be a lot more dangerous. Stay well away from her!" "Well, you didn't have to tell me she was dangerous," Forrest commented. "I mean, we just watched her blow a guy's head off." Shuddering at the memory, the group pressed on, aiming to get to Cerulean quickly, before Aldith and her group can find them.

4 days have past since then, and the group is finally approaching Cerulean City. "I doesn't normally take this long to get her from Pewter," Forrest comments. "Welcome to travelling with Max Maple," Bonnie jokes. Max elbows her in the arm, blushing slightly. As they're about to head down to enter the city, Max's phone starts ringing. Curious, he pulls it out of his pocket. And then nearly drops it from the shock. "May's calling me!" he exclaims, answering it immediately. "MAY! Are you alright! What happened to you!?" May looks physically fine over the phone, but he has no idea what she really looks like. For all he knows, she could be covered in her own blood, but is positioning the phone so that Max can't see that. "I'm fine Max," she tells him. "Ash managed to find me in a Team Terra Base he was raiding. The two of us had a rematch from Mt. Chimney."

She laughs at her own joke in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Max is having none of it. "This is no time to be joking!" he exclaims. "How would you react if I disappeared for over a month, and when I was finally found, I made a joke about it!?" May goes a bit pink at this. "You're right," she says. "I shouldn't have said that." "It's fine," Max replies, calming down. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. Look, just tell me what happened to you please." May recounts what happened to her, from when she found the hidden cave, to her waking up beside an unconscious Ash, to the two of them and the rest of the raiders completing their task. Max notices that she never shares who the other people involved were, but he assumes it's because he doesn't know them, so he doesn't push it. "But, why didn't you fight back?" he asks. "You could've easily just slipped your mask on, then attacked them." "I told you," she responds, "I went into the base as May, so using my abilities would've given me away."

It's clear that this makes sense to Bonnie and Forrest, but this doesn't sit right with Max. "But why would you investigate as May at all?" he asks. "Why not just go in as your alter ego?" He says that last part very quietly so that Forrest doesn't hear him. Luckily, Forrest is distracted by Bonnie brushing her foot off his leg, making him think there's a pokémon crawling over it. May looks a bit awkward at this, especially when Bonnie adds, "We've also noticed that you've only engaged with Team Terra that way once before. Every other time has been the way you are now." May looks like she's trying to think of an argument, but eventually realises that she can't dodge this one. So, she sighs, then admits, "In truth, I haven't been comfortable with using that method lately." Max is extremely confused about this, until he remembers something. "This is because of Larousse, isn't it?!" he points out.

May looks like she wants to argue again, before deciding to just nod her head. "In truth, I haven't been able to use that method since then. Not without feeling a bit sick with myself." Max looks at her with sympathy, then tries to think of a way to get Forrest to stop listening in to the conversation. Luckily for Max, Forrest spots a Diglett burrow out of the ground, and decides to check it out, clearly realising that this is a private conversation between siblings. "May, don't start doing what Ash did," Max tells her. "I don't want to have to deal with that." May laughs despite what they're talking about. "Oh, don't worry, I won't be that bad," she tells him. "I'm not trying to seal my powers away, I'm just not going to use them for a while. Just until I'm comfortable with them again."

"But what happened in Larousse was just as much your fault as what happened in Lumiose was Ash's," Bonnie points out. "So you shouldn't feel guilty about it." May looks unconvinced. "There is a difference between the 2 events," she points out. "Ash didn't know what would happen when he threw the sphere. There was only one way that kicking Shelly off that building would go, and yet I did it anyway. That's the difference." "But the bombs weren't your fault," Max argues. "That was an accident." May clearly wants to nod, but still doesn't look convinced. "True," she says. "But I also can't shake the feeling that, subconsciously, I allowed the button to be pressed."

Max has absolutely no idea what to say to that, so he lets the matter drop. He proceeds to tell her about what has happened to him and Bonnie since they last spoke with her, leaving out the detail of the accidental kiss. May clearly wants to call him out on his recklessness, but refrains from doing so, considering the amount of worry she put her family through. Speaking of... "Have you called mum and dad yet?" he asks her. May goes pink again. "No I haven't," she admits. Upon seeing her brother's face, she quickly adds, "But I'm going to! I just wanted to tell Drew, then you first. I will call and tell them next, don't worry." Max chuckles a bit, imagining how they'd react when she calls them. They'll probably try to force her home and chain her to the house. The two siblings bid each other farewell, then end their call.

It is at that moment that Forrest comes back over to them. "Damn, the Diglett got away!" he tells them. Max smiles at him. "Ah well, you'll get it next time," he replies. "And thanks." Forrest grins at him and rubs the back of his head. "Don't mention it," he replies. "I figured that was a private conversation that I had no part in, so I thought it best to leave you be." With that, they resume walking, heading into Cerulean City.

Upon arriving in the city, the first thing they do is head to the nearest Pokémon Centre and book themselves a some rooms for a few nights. It's Max's idea to book and extra 2 nights on top of the one they're staying for, because he knows their track record, and guesses that, most likely, this will take them more than one day to get out of Cerulean. And he turns out to be completely right on the money. After they drop their bags off in their rooms, with Max and Bonnie sharing one while Forrest takes his own, they head down to the Cerulean Gym to challenge Misty. However, they reach the Gym, only to find that it's closed. "Called it!" Max exclaims. Bonnie just stares in confusion. "What?" she asks. "But, Misty said she'd be waiting for us. Why is it closed." "She and Tracey had to take care of something," says a familiar voice behind them. "They should be back within the next few days."

The three of them turn around and spot Goh walking over to them. Forrest immediately gets hearts in his eyes and rushes over to him, proclaiming how handsome his is. Goh goes slightly pink and chuckles, before saying, "Uh, I'm flattered, and in other circumstances I might even be interested, but I have a girlfriend." Forrest stands back up. "Right, sorry about that," he says, before registering something. "Wait, so you're telling me there's a chance?" Before Goh can respond, Max grabs Forrest's ear and starts dragging him away. "I knew it wouldn't be long before I had to do this to you as well," he grumbles as he pulls him away from Goh. By this time, Chloe shows up, with Flareon sitting on her shoulders. "Don't worry," she says to Bonnie. "You won't have to wait very long, they're apparently on their way back. Just a few days away." Bonnie smiles at this, glad to know she won't have to wait long.

Once Forrest has apologised to Goh, the 5 of them head back to the Pokémon Centre, so that Max and Bonnie can go over their plan again. As they do, Goh stops Forrest. "Actually," he says, "there is something I need to talk to you about." Forrest goes a bit pink, which Goh catches. "Not that," he says quickly. "Something serious." Goh glances at Max as he says this. Forrest instantly understands what he means by this, and follows him away from the Pokémon Centre. Once both of them are certain that neither Max nor Bonnie can hear them, Goh starts talking. "We have a major situation," he tells Forrest. "And it's to do with May being freed." Forrest doesn't like where this is going. "What happened?" he asks. "Team Terra aren't the only ones we have to worry about anymore," Goh tells him. "Team Rocket are also making a play."

Forrest just stares at him. "What?" he asks. "But their power and influence has greatly reduced, how could they have made any play so big that it would make them a threat?" "They've reclaimed an old base of theirs near here," Goh tells him. Forrest falls silent. "How?" he finally asks. "And surely Ash can do something about it?" Goh shakes his head. "Not this time," her replies. "If he does tell the authorities about this, we're in deep trouble." Forrest looks at Goh with confusion. "So, are you going to explain why, or am supposed to guess?" he asks. Goh chuckles at this. "Yeah, I'll explain it," he says. "So, I assume you know how Max and Bonnie got to Kanto, yeah?" Forrest nods. "They had to be smuggled out of the region because an Admin of Team Terra claimed the title of Champion and made Max a wanted man."

Goh nods. "That's mostly it," he says. "But did they ever tell you who it was that smuggled them out?" Forrest is about to answer, when he realises that he doesn't actually know. "Who smuggled them?" he asks. "Team Rocket," Goh replies. Forrest's jaw drops. "Specifically, those 3 morons that constantly chased Ash around," Goh clarifies. "They made a deal with Ash that they would help him with 1 task that would get in Team Terra's way, and in return, he had to help them with one. That one was to help them reclaim the base." Forrest begins to piece it all together at this. "So, if Ash tries to stop them now, or tells the League about this, they'll tell the world that he helped them return to Kanto." Goh nods. "That's correct," he says. "That would ruin our effort against Team Terra. But it's worse than that." "How much worse could it get?" Forrest asks. "Well, Team Rocket know where Max and Bonnie are," Goh points out. "If Ash reveals that Team Rocket are returning to Kanto, then Team Rocket will reveal to Team Terra where Max and Bonnie are hiding."

Forrest doesn't say anything for a bit, taking the time to process all of this. "Why don't you tell Max and Bonnie about this?" Forrest asks. "They deserve to know." Goh nods in agreement. "May doesn't want him to know this," he explains. "She's worried that if he found this out, he'll fall down a downward spiral of self blame, which could end with him handing himself over to Team Terra, just to get it all to stop." Forrest nods in understanding. That does sound like something he'd do. Then, he realises something. "Wait, May was trapped in that base wasn't she?" he asks. "The ones who helped Ash free her were those jokes from Team Rocket?!" Goh nods again.

"That's why she doesn't want Max to know any of this," he says. "So, please keep this to yourself. The only reason I'm telling you this is because you're keeping an eye on them. So, do make sure to steer clear of this area, got it?" He points to a spot on a map of Kanto. Forrest nods. "I'll try," he says. "But with Max Maple, it's impossible to say what his next decision will be." Goh laughs at this. "I suppose that's true," he says. "But still, I felt it prudent to warn you about this situation, just so you're prepared." Forrest thanks him, then the two of them return to the Pokémon Centre, where the others are waiting.

Chapter Text

When Forrest and Goh walk into the Pokémon Centre, Bonnie immediately asks them what they were talking about. Thinking quickly, Forrest explains that he just wanted to know about Goh's vast team of pokémon, especially his rock and ground types. Bonnie seems to buy this, but Max looks at them somewhat suspiciously. Fearing that he's about to start asking questions, Goh quickly asks, "So, what's your plan for defeating Misty?" Bonnie lights up at this. "Oh, it's actually pretty simple, but also ingenious," she explains, before going over the details of her and Max's latest plan. Goh, Forrest, and Chloe agree that it's a clever plan. "So, why not go and practice with it," Chloe suggests. "Just make sure it's fool proof when Misty returns." Bonnie nods, then takes Max's hand and pulls him to his feet. "Come on!" she exclaims. "Let's go and do that!" "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Max replies, as he's pulled along by Bonnie. "No need to keep holding my hand!"

As the other 3 watch them go, Forrest can't help but chuckle to himself. "That boy is far too intelligent for his own good," he says. The other 2 nod in agreement. "I suppose that's why Team Terra are after him," Chloe comments. Forrest looks at her quizzically. "I thought they were just after his notebooks?" he comments. "That's what we thought too," says Goh. "And we think that that's what those 2 morons chasing you believe as well. But the other agents we've dealt with all seem to be after Max himself. Though for what reason? We don't know." "I suppose that's why my brother unofficially tasked me with keeping an eye on them?" he asks. "More or less," Chloe agrees. "But, we also need you to make sure that Max believes they're after his notebooks. If he thinks that, he will try harder resist. If he believes they're after him, he's more likely to give himself up to spare everyone else" Forrest nods in understanding. "No worries," he says. "I'll be sure to do that."

While this conversation is happening, Max and Bonnie are standing in a patch of grass just outside of the Pokémon Centre, working on their plan for the upcoming Gym Battle. While they had been working on it throughout their journey from Mt. Moon to Cerulean, they felt that doing it now would be the best time, because they can try some of the tactics on any wild water types they come across. This proves to be a helpful plan, as it allows Max to fine tune anything that doesn't really work, in order to make sure that it does. Before they know it, they have spent the whole day working on this plan. By the time the two of them are fully satisfied with it, Chloe steps out of the Pokémon Centre, telling them that she, Goh, and Forrest are about to go and get something to eat. Excited by the thought of food, Max and Bonnie pack their stuff away and go to follow her.

But as they walk over to the other 3, Bonnie stops dead in her tracks, as something catches her eye. She turns to look at it, and feels her heart freeze over with fear. A glowing blue figure is standing on the street, not far away from the Pokémon Centre. The figure is staring right at her, and Bonnie quickly realises why this is familiar. This figure was in the nightmare she had before they arrived in Pewter. She also remembers seeing this figure the night Max tried to burn his notebooks. As she stares at the figure, she hears the words they said to her in her nightmare echoing in her mind, "To know the past." She goes to ask them what that means, but before she can she feels a tap on her shoulder.

Jolting back to her senses, she looks around to see Max staring at her with concern. "Are you ok?" he asks. "You're looking pretty spooked." Bonnie looks back at the spot where the glowing figure stood, only to find that they're gone. They stare at the spot for a few more seconds, rubbing their eyes to make sure she isn't going crazy. But the figure is gone. "It's nothing," she says. "I thought I saw something, but I didn't." Max continues to look at her with concern, before saying, "Well, the others have gone on ahead to get something to eat. Are you coming?" Bonnie nods absent-mindedly, suddenly not feeling particularly hungry. "Yeah," she says, half-heartedly. "I'm coming." Then, she follows Max to where the others are.

Bonnie spends the rest of the evening worrying about the ghostly figure she saw. The last time they appeared, she had a nightmare full of death and destruction. Then again, she saw this person 2 other times before this, and neither occasion involved a nightmare, so maybe that will be the case this time? In order to take her mind off the figure, she spends the evening caring for her pokémon, from brushing Dedenne to making sure all of them are intimately familiar with the plan. "Ok, something is up," Max points out. "You're never this meticulous about anything, which leads me to believe that you're trying to keep your mind off something."

Bonnie freezes, unable to believe that Max Maple of all people picked up on that. But then she remembers him telling her that he learned to pick up her emotional behaviours. "I'm just worried about Misty and Tracey," she lies quickly. "With everything going on right now with Team Terra and our friends, I'm worried that something might've happened to them." Max keeps looking at her, as if he's trying to decide whether to believe her or not. Eventually, he seemingly decides to believe her. "I suppose that would make you worried," he admits. "But don't. Both of them are tough. Plus, Misty has a giant hammer, I doubt anyone would want to fuck with someone like that." Bonnie smiles at him. "You're right," she says. "I'm just being overly paranoid." With that, the two go back to their own devices until it's time for them to go to sleep. As she does, Bonnie reminds herself that just because it happened once, doesn't mean that she'll be having another nightmare now.

Bonnie wakes up on something soft. At first, she thinks it's because she woke up in the morning without a nightmare, and sits up happily. Only to find herself in a place she doesn't recognise. Looking around, she sees that she's in a domed room that feels miles below ground, with intricate carvings on the walls. But that's not what draws her attention. Instead, as she stands up, she finds that the room is filled with people, all women and children. Around the walls are armed guards, wearing 2 different types of armour. One was made of chainmail, and covers most of their bodies, although it looks like you can still move nimbly about in it. The other is made of some sort of very strong leather, but also very light too. She notices that the ones wearing the strong leather are wielding spears, while the chainmail soldiers are unarmed.

Looking around the room, she sees the women all huddled together, keeping worried eyes on the doors around the room, while the younger children run around together, playing happily. It doesn't take Bonnie long to notice that the oldest male child in the room looks no older than 14. Suddenly, she realises what's going on. These must be the women and children from the place that was being destroyed in her previous nightmare. She walks around the room, and notices that she physically travels through the people, meaning she doesn't have to walk around them. As she does, she sees that all of the older people have terrified looks on their faces, while the young kids are all confused, but happy to be around so many new playmates.

Suddenly, the scene is interrupted by the sound of marching coming from one of the door. Some people look hopefully at the door, while others look warily at it. The marching stops suddenly, causing a wave of worry to pass through the room. Some of the guards stand at the door, hands and weapons raised. Bonnie has barely enough time to look at the door, before it's suddenly blasted off it's hinges, crushing two of the guards standing in front of them. Soldiers come streaming into the room, weapons raised and pointing at the women and children. Their armour looks exactly the same as the ones worn by the soldiers killing people in her last nightmare. Not wanting to see a repeat of that, she turns her back to the scene. But she can't close her ears on the screams that follow. As she watches the far wall, she sees everyone running desperately towards the far wall, trying to find a way out.

Bonnie looks another way, closing her eyes and trying desperately to block out the sound of the massacre. As she does, she sees a bright light, and opens her eyes. In all the chaos, no one but her seems to notice 8 children, 4 boys, 4 girls, having successfully chipped through a door enough to crawl through. Deciding that this was a more hopeful image than what's happening behind her, she follows them. But before she can reach the crack, the ghostly figure appears before her again. This one is obviously a woman, and has a long slash across her neck, and her head looking dangerously close to falling off. Before Bonnie can utter a single word, the woman says, "To... know... the... path!" Then, she makes a grabbing gesture towards Bonnie, like the previous spectre did.

Suddenly the image changes again, and Bonnie finds herself in a weird cave she doesn't recognise. But she isn't the only one there. To her utter amazement, she sees herself standing there, staring with pity at something that current Bonnie can't see. Vision Bonnie looks to be a year older, and there are clearly other people with her, but she can't make out who they are. One thing is certain though, she can tell that none of them is Max. She tries to see what future her is looking at, but she can't make it out, other than the fact that it's definitely a person. Suddenly, a deep, growling voice echoes from a spot ahead that Bonnie can't see. "Leave! Me! Alone!" it screams, before sending out a powerful blast of energy.

Bonnie wakes with a start in the room she and Max rented in the Pokémon Centre in Cerulean. She pants heavily, trying desperately to shake the images of what she saw out of her mind. Seeing that it's the early morning, she decides not to worry Max, or try to go back to sleep, worried that she'd see those haunting images again, she decides to get up. She dresses quietly and steps outside, leaving her bag and pokémon behind, so as not to worry Max. She leaves the Pokémon Centre, and walks down to the nearby river, where she proceeds to splash water on her face to help clear her head. As she throws water on her face, she hears the sound of someone approaching. Looking up, she sees Max looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?" he asks. "I heard you wake up suddenly, then get up and leave."

Bonnie sighs, she should've known that he'd wake up from that. Then again, he didn't wake up from her first nightmare, so who's to say with him? "I just had a nightmare," she tells him. "It was along the same lines as the first one." Max looks at her with concern. "Another vision of the past?" he asks. Bonnie nods, feeling sick at the memory. She explains to him what she saw this time, once again leaving out the second half, where she saw an older version of herself surrounded by people that weren't him. Coupled with what she saw the first time, this fills her with dread. When she finishes, Max wraps her in a comforting hug, which make her blush despite the situation. "I don't really know what to say to any of this," he says. "Other than I'm sorry you're dealing with this." Bonnie smiles and hugs him back. "You don't need to apologise," she tells him. "It's not your fault."

Their moment together is interrupted by the sound of shouting. Bonnie's mind flashes back to her nightmare, and she looks around wildly to see if she can see any ghostly figure. There isn't one, which calms her down. But then, they hear the screaming again, a cry for help. Other people start coming out of their houses to see what the matter is. Looking at each other, Max and Bonnie nod, then run up to the screaming to see what's happening. When they can see what's wrong, both of them gasp. Misty is running up the road towards the City, clearly freaking out. Both Max and Bonnie get a proper look at her, and see that she's not alone. She's carrying Tracey on her back, and he seems to be unconscious. When Misty get closer, they can see what's wrong. Tracey is unconscious, and he has a large red stain in his hair. A stain that's unmistakeably blood.

Chapter Text

The sight of Tracey makes Max nearly feel sick. Tracey's head is covered in blood, and he's clearly unconscious. Misty has him on her back as she rushes him to the Pokémon Centre. "I need a doctor!" she screams as she arrives. "NOW!" Nurse Joy rushes forward to examine Tracey. "He'll be fine," she tells her. "It's just a bash on the head. We'll fix him up right away." Then, she has her Chansey help her take Tracey off Misty's back and carry him away. "What happened?" Goh asks, coming down the stairs and seeing Tracey's state. "Is he going to be ok?" Misty suddenly rounds on him, slamming him into the wall. "WHO ELSE DID YOU TELL ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING!" she bellows at him. Goh is flabbergasted. "Wh-What?" he splutters. "How else knew about what me and Tracey were doing!?" Misty asks again. "Only people in our group I swear!" he replies. Misty glares at him, then lets him go.

Chloe rushes over to him to check to see if he's alright, while Misty storms out of the Centre. Max and Bonnie follow her, leaving Forrest to check on Goh. "Where are you going?" Max asks Misty. "To grab my mallet!" she snaps back at him. "I dropped it in our escape!" Then, she continues storming off, muttering to herself, "If one of those fuckers took it, I will raze that place to the fucking ground!" Max and Bonnie stare at her in amazement. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone this angry in my life," says Max. Bonnie nods in agreement. "Same here," says Bonnie agrees. "And I've seen my dad react to boys flirting with me." Max decides not to acknowledge that last comment. Instead, he turns to go back inside the Centre. "Goh seems to know where they've been," he says. "Let's ask while we wait for Misty to return." Bonnie nods and follows him in.

They go into the Centre to find Goh massaging his shoulders. "Where's Misty?" Chloe asks when they enter. "She's gone back to find her mallet apparently," says Bonnie. Goh, Chloe, and Forrest look at them with confusion. "It was a birthday present from Tracey apparently," says Max. "But more importantly, what was that about?" Goh sighs. "I sent her and Tracey, along with Mallow and Lana, down to take care of something serious. But clearly, something went horribly wrong." "Where are Mallow and Lana by the way?" asks Chloe, looking out at the street. "Did you guys see them coming at all?" Max and Bonnie shake their heads. Both Goh and Chloe look at each other nervously. "I'd say they're fine," says Goh. "They're both really tough." Chloe nods. "Though, I think we should ask Misty what happened to them when she gets back." Forrest points out. Goh looks nervous at this.

It's the evening by the time Misty returns, carrying her mallet over her shoulder. There are a few suspicious stains on it, but none of them dare ask her where they're from. She's still clearly steaming. During all of this time, Tracey hasn't woken up. His headwound has been treated, so all that's left to do is to wait for him to awaken. Luckily, Forrest has the foresight to take her mallet from her before she finds this out, because when she does, she looks about ready to smash everything to pieces. "What happened to you two?" Chloe asks her. "And where are Lana and Mallow." Misty sighs, deciding not to destroy everything in sight. "We got separated after the ambush," she says. "Ambush?" Goh asks. Misty nods. "That's what put him in that state," she says, gesturing to the still unconscious Tracey. "We were ambushed in the location you gave us, which is why I asked you who you told about the mission."

"What mission?" Max asks. "Is someone going to finally explain what the Reverse World happened!?" Misty, Goh, and Chloe look at each other, silently asking, "Should we tell him?" Max is about to angrily yell at them that they should explain, since this was clearly serious, when Goh nods. "Alright, we'll explain," he says. "So, Ash went on a little mission of his own, a secret one that he'd rather not have me explain, so I won't. However, there was a chance that something could go horribly wrong with his plan, and put our whole fight at risk. So, I sent those 4 on a little mission of their own in order to make sure that his went swimmingly. Now, Ash's was a success, but it seems that theirs... wasn't."

"Well, that's not entirely true," says a voice from behind them. "We did get away after all." They all turn to see Tracey with his eyes open, grinning weakly at them. Misty immediately jumps onto him, hugging him tightly. Tracey blushes, then accepts the hug. Once Misty lets him go, she raises her fist to hit him, but is stopped by Forrest quickly grabbing her arm. "What were you thinking you moron!?" she shouts at him, tears in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I saw blood on your head!" Tracey looks apologetic. "What was I supposed to do?" he asks. "It was either that or have you be in my position! What would you have done!?" Mistry doesn't respond to that, so she just hugs him again. While she does that, Max looks back at Goh. "Please continue," he says. Goh nods, then begins the explanation, with Misty and Tracey joining in where necessary.

Goh's mission for the 4 of them was simple. He wanted them to go to some old ruins on the route between Cerulean and Vermillion, which weren't far from an old Team Rocket Base that was abandoned after a police raid a few years ago. He'd called Misty about it, since she was nearest to it, but for the other 2, he called together a group of people together to ask for volunteers. Among those contacted, along with Mallow and Lana, were Paul, Miette, Kenny, a guy from Unova called Trip, Trevor from Kalos, and a few other people. When asked who wished to take this on, Lana volunteered immediately, due to it's proximity to Cerulean. Hearing this, Mallow offered to go as well. So, they got on the next flight to Kanto.

When they got there, they met up with Misty and Tracey, who were already on their way to the location Goh had told them to go. It was the early evening, about a day before Max, Bonnie, and Forrest arrived in Cerulean. They all greeted each other, then made their way to the ruins in question. None of them said anything as they went, as they were worried about what Ash was trying to do that needed them to do this. As far as they were aware, they just needed to prevent any Team Terra agents from going past them. Goh had other people stationed elsewhere for the same reason, but this was the route they were most likely to take, as it was so out of the way from normal routes.

The 4 of them arrived at the ruins, and immediately started setting up a few traps. Nothing to harm any of the agents, but rather they were designed to make a lot of noise. While they waited, they chatted with each other, with Misty and Tracey asking Mallow and Lana about their relationship. ("They kept dodging the question," Misty tells them. "So we just dropped the subject. But, they were both bright red by the end, so that was funny.") Soon enough, this conversation dried up, and they just sat around, waiting for something to happen. Soon enough, the sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance. They look around, getting to their feet expectantly. "Well, there's Ash," said Misty. "So, how long before we get involved, do you recon?" Mallow laughed at this. "I don't think we'll be needed at all," she replied. "Ash will have them all flattened before we even get to do anything.

The sound of a stick snapping proved that wrong almost immediately. Everyone tensed, then looked around. Pokéballs flew into hands and Misty picked up her mallet as they readied for anything. "Who's there!" shouted Lana. "Come out!" Nothing happened. "Maybe it was just a pokémon?" Tracey suggested. Mallow shook her head. "A pokémon wouldn't only snap one stick and then stop," she pointed out. It would be making a lot more noise than that. Someone is clearly watching us." Everyone looked around, waiting for something. "Come out!" Misty demanded, waving her mallet threateningly. "Or I will start swinging!" Suddenly, a small cloud of leaves started swirling around them. They raised their arms to protect themselves, but the leaves still cut into their skin. After a few seconds of this, Misty rushed forward, throwing her mallet in the direction of the leaves, putting a stop to them.

Suddenly, out of the bushes came several Team Terra agents. ("I counted at least 8," Misty says. "But there may have been more.") One of them smiled evilly. "Well, look what we have here," he said. "It seems that we have some back up for the Monarch." The other agents sniggered. "Cut the crap," Mallow told them. "You knew we were here. We could hear you sneaking up on us!" The Team Terra agent rolls his eyes, then released a pokéball. A Raichu appeared out of the ball. "Raichu, Thunderbolt!" the agent ordered. Misty quickly dived on Tracey, while Lana did the same with Mallow. Once both were sure the other was ok, Misty leapt into the bushes, grabbing her mallet.

By this time, the other agents pulled out their pokémon. There were a lot of electric types amongst the enemy's teams, along with a few flying, bug, and grass types. Attacks started flying everywhere, leaving no time for Misty, Tracey, Mallow, or Lana to even pull out their own pokémon to defend themselves. Eventually, a particularly strong electric attack struck a spot near all four of them. blasting them apart. "Scatter!" Misty called. "We'll try to meet back up in Cerulean!" Mallow and Lana agreed, then they ran off in one direction, while Misty and Tracey took another. ("That's the last we saw of them," Tracey says. "We don't know how they fared against that attack.")

Misty and Tracey took off, being chased by half the agents that were sent after them. If one got too close, Misty swirled around and smacked them with her mallet. Eventually, they learned to back off, and use their pokémon as a means of attacking them. "Come on!" Misty shouted. "If we just get to Ash, we can team up with him to deal with these guys!" Tracey thought that was a terrible plan, but he agreed to go along with it since they had no other options. That, and he was scared that Misty would smack him over the head with her mallet if he argued. But, they never got to instigate this plan. Suddenly, several attacks blasted apart the ground in front of them. Misty managed to knock most of the debris away with her mallet, but she missed a large rock, which was sailing straight for her head. Without thinking, Tracey dived on top of her, sparing her from the rock, but getting hit himself.

"And the next thing I know, I'm here," he concludes. Misty rubs his arm affectionately, then finishes the tale. "I had to drop my mallet and carry him all the way back to Cerulean," she finishes. "Which, ass you could tell, took a long time. Especially since I was also trying to lose Team Terra in the process." No one spoke for a while, too stunned to do so. Eventually, Goh broke the silence. "How did they know you were there?" he asks. Misty and Tracey shrug and shake their heads. "No idea," Misty replies. "At first, I thought it was because we were talking too loud when we were teasing Mallow and Lana about their affection for each other." "But we stopped talking long before we heard the stick snap," Tracey pointed out. So it can't be that." Misty nods in agreement. "Well, that just leaves the obvious reason then," says Max darkly. Everyone looks at him. "What would that be?" Chloe asks. Max doesn't want to say it, but he must. So, he does. "The only other explanation is... there's a spy in your ranks. One that's working for Team Terra."

Chapter Text

Hilbert yawns as he stares at the screen in front of him. He wasn't tired by any means, but he was bored out of his mind with this new position. He misses rushing around different regions, battling with bad guys and taking down terrorists with Looker and Hilda. Reverse World, he'd even take babysitting those two kids in Kanto some more over this. At least that had some action, as stupid and as quick as it was. "What are the chances that something super high-stakes and exciting happened to them since we left them with Forrest," he mutters to himself as he monitors the cameras. "Wouldn't that be just my luck." He sighs, slumping his head on his arms as he stares at the screens. As usual, nothing of interest is happening.

After suffering an episode due to her PTSD, Hilda requested that she be transferred over to Interpol's Prison in the Unova region for a while. The episode caused her to relapse into having panic attacks around guns again, so she wishes to stay there until she's made it through the relapse. Hilbert decided to go with her, not wanting to leave her side while she struggled through this once again. She would do the same for him after all. But now, as he sits at a desk, staring t security cam footage as it jumps through the different sections of the prison, a small part of him wishes he offered to stick with monitoring the two kids. But then, he glances over at his sister, and sees how calm she is. He sighs, knowing that had he done that, he would've felt immense guilt. So, he settles with what he has, and gets back to monitoring the cameras,

It isn't long before he's stifling another yawn. "Tired?" asks Hilda from behind him. He looks over at her and shakes his head. "Nah," he replies. "Just bored out of my mind." Hilda laughs at this. "Looker never could get you to stay sitting at a desk for every long, could he?" Hilbert also laughs, shaking his head. "No he couldn't," he replies. He turns back to the security footage. While it's wrong for a security guard of a prison to be hoping for a jailbreak, it would at least give him something to do other than walk around the same halls or stare at bloody computer screens. He groans, his head once again finding itself slumped on the table. Hilda chuckles and stands up. "Don't worry," she tells him. "It won't be long now until we're relieved from here, and we can go on our rounds." Hilbert grins at this. This part of the job is always more interesting than the monitoring. Especially when they get to question some of the prisoners about other members of Team Terra still at large.

Almost 1/3 of the prison were Team Terra agents by this time. Because of Ash's ongoing conflict with the group, Interpol agents have been given clearance to directly talk with the agents in the cells, in order to ascertain any new clues towards bringing the group itself down. So far, all of the Team Terra agents in the prison have been rather tight-lipped about any plans that the organisation may have. The closest they have ever come to gaining any insight was from the lunatic that Looker interrogated last year after the Mt. Chimney Incident. They haven't been able to gather anything new since. But, Hilbert is confident that he will get someone to talk at some point. With his hopes raised for something even slightly more interesting than staring at images of hallways happening today, Hilbert goes back to monitoring the screens.

As soon as two other security guards come to relieve them of their duty of monitoring the cameras, Hilbert practically leaps to his feet. "Ugh, finally!" he exclaims. Hilda laughs as she gets to her feet too. "I take it you're ready to go walking again?" she asks. Hilbert goes a bit pink. "Sorry," he says. "I'm just bored of sitting there." Hilda nods in understanding, apologising to the two agents who've relieved them. Those 2 agents nod, insisting it's fine, before sitting in the seats that the twins had just been occupying. Hilbert and Hilda bid the 2 farewell, then head off to do their rounds around the prison. As they leave, Hilbert thinks he sees a subtle change in Hilda's behaviour. But he brushes it off as just her also being bored with this job.

The two of them make their way around the prison, specifically focusing on the section dedicated to housing the members of Team Terra. "You'd think with the amount of their agents we keep arresting, Team Terra's numbers would dwindle," Hilbert comments, to which Hilda nods in agreement. "Their recruitment methods must be top notch," she agrees. A chuckle comes from the cell next to them. "Recruitment has nothing to do with it," says the person in the cell. The two of them turn to find someone sitting in a cell, grinning. "People join because they believe in our Boss's cause." The two agents walk over to the cell. "Show me your face," says Hilbert. "Now!" The Team Terra agent looks up at him. He's a tall man with long black hair going down past his shoulder blades, and a beard forming on his face. Hilbert thinks he recognises him, but can't quite place it.

"Who are you?" he demands. "I think I've seen you before!" The prisoner grins. "You have," he replies. "You knocked me out in Larousse last year while housing those 2 brats." He stands up at this. "You know, I still haven't quite forgiven you for that." With that, he lunges at the two of them. Both of them leap back as he slams into the bars, determined to reach them. A laugh comes from the cell next to him. They look over at it to find a woman, about the same age as the man, with cat-like brown hair and a pudgy face. "Still bitter about that?" she asks, also standing up. The man stops trying to reach for the twins. "Of course I am!" he snaps. "It hurt!" "Still," says the woman. "It's not them who got us arrested. It was that freak and her enabler that caused it!" This seems to jog Hilda's memory of them. "You're Debbie and Cooper!" she exclaims.

Both of them stop talking to grin at her. "The one," says Cooper, bowing. "And only," finishes Debbie, also bowing. Both of them chuckle at this. "So, what brings the two of you here?" asks Debbie. "I thought you were off protecting those 2 brats." The Twins stiffen at this. "How did you know that?" Hilbert asks. "Word gets around," says Cooper. "Unfortunately, the word has yet to reach our admins. Nor has word reached anyone as to which region you had them hidden." "And of course, by the time word actually started spreading, you have been placed here," Debbie adds. "So, why not complete our information by telling us where they are." The twins both sigh with relief, then laugh. "As if we'll tell you something like that," says Hilbert." The agents look disappointed. "Why not?" Debbie asks. "We're in prison. We can't go after them in here." "Well, if word got into you from outside," Hilda points out, "then word can get back outside from you. We're not stupid enough to take that chance."

But agents sigh. "Well, it was worth a try," says Cooper. He continues to leer at them, as if determined to grab at them. Obviously disgusted by his attitude, Hilda steps forward and pushes him away from the bars, causing him to fall to the ground. He laughs at this as he gets up, before slipping his hands into the pockets of his prison uniform. "Alright, point taken," he says. "Come now Debbie, we mustn't keep these two for too long. They have a few other friends to speak to." Debbie chuckles at this, before stepping away from the cell bars. "Let's go," Hilda says, stepping away from them. Hilbert is about to follow, but before he does, he turns back to the prisoners. "Do either of you know what your boss wants with Max Maple?" he asks.

The criminals look at each other. “To be honest, we haven’t the foggiest idea,” Debbie admits. “I don’t think anyone lower than the Admins knows.” “Maybe one or two Sub-Admins might,” Cooper points out. “You could try asking one of the ones you have imprisoned here.” Hilbert nods, then backs away from the cell. He goes to join Hilda, but she continues to look at them. “Why are you telling us this?” she asks suspiciously. Cooper grins at her. “Well, we’re curious ourselves,” he tells her. “All we know is that the Boss wants some sort of knowledge that Maple has, and it has something to do with a plan known as Project: Restoration. But as for what that is, we don’t know.” He glances at Debbie at this. “If you want more information on those, the Sub-Admins will be your best bet,” she says. Winking at Hilda.

Hilda shifts uncomfortably at this, then walks away. “Thank you for your time,” she says with hostility. Then, she leads Hilbert away from them. Hilbert follows after her, not looking back at the 2 criminals, who seem to be chuckling together. “Are you ok?” he asks her. “I’m fine,” she replies, not looking at him. “They were just annoying me with all of their smirking, that’s all.” Hilbert thinks there may be more to this, but he decides not to push it, and they continue on down through the prison. They walk past several other agents of Team Terra, most of whom were involved in the Second Kalos Crisis, although some of them had a hand in the Attack on Larousse, and a few of the other skirmishes at occurred between Team Terra and Ash Ketchum and his friends.

A few minutes later, the twins stop outside of another cell. They look inside to find another Team Terra agent. This one however was one of the 2 Sub-Admins they have in this prison. Sub-Admin R, Roberto Fernanda. He looked up at them and grinned. “Well, well, well,” he says with mock happiness. “If it isn’t the twin dogs of Interpol. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Hilbert scowls at him, while Hilda crosses her arms and speaks to him. “We just have a few questions for you,” she says. “And I have an answer for all of them,” Roberto replies. “Piss off!” Hilda chuckles darkly, then reaches in and grabs his uniform.

She pulls him towards her and glared at him. “You’d better answer my questions you little prick,” she demands. “If you know what’s good for you!” Hilbert stands by in case something happens. But luckily, Roberto just grins. “Well, I’ll see what I can do,” he says. Hilda lets him go, and Roberto steps away from the bars. He puts his hands in his pockets and grins at the two of them. “So then,” he says. “What do you want to know? Best in mind, I won’t be able to tell you everything.” “What else is new,” Hilbert mutters. Hilda giggles at that, then turns her attention back to Roberto. “First up, what is Project: Restoration?” Roberto starts to laugh at that. “Do you really think I would know something like that?” he asks. “I am merely a Sub-Admin. That kind of information is Admin level clearance. Although, maybe a higher Sub-Admin than I would know.”

The twins look at each other. “Alright,” says Hilda. “But what does Max Maple have to do with it?” At this. “None of us know that,” he says. “Not even the Admins. Our best guess is that he has some sort of information that is vital to our cause. As for what it is, we don’t know. He’s never shared with any of us what he needs with the boy.” The twins sigh. Of course it’s not going to be that easy. Do, they turn to leave to speak with someone else. As they leave, Roberto grins at Hilda and winks at her.

Instantly, Hilbert lunges at him, grabbing his neck and pulling him back to the bars. “That’s my sister you just winked at,” he growls. “So you watch how you act, or else not even Interpol’s best Growlithes will be able to find your remains.” Roberto laughed at that. “Ooh, getting angry are we?” he taunts. “I seem to recall that you have a code. Braking it might have some repercussions, no?” Hilda puts a hand on his shoulder. “Hilbert, it’s alright,” she says. “Just let him go.” Hilbert glares at Roberto for another few seconds, before letting him go. He glares at the Sub-Admin, before walking off down the hall, with Hilda following after. As they leave, they hear Roberto chuckling to himself as he sits back down on his bed. “Interesting,” he mutters to himself. “Very interesting.”

The twins keep walking down through the prison, making their way to the last person they need to speak to about what they wish to know. “If this guy sends us to someone else, I will throw him through the wall,” Hilbert complains. He expects to hear his sister chuckle, but when he looks at her, he sees that she’s clearly troubled by something. “Hey,” he says. “Are you alright?” he asks her. Hilda snaps to attention at this. “What?” she says, before registering what he said. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Hilbert looks at her suspiciously. “You don’t look fine,” he says. “Are you sure you’re alright? You know you can tell me anything, right?” Hilda’s lower lip seems to start trembling at this. She nods, then walks quicker, blocking his view of her face, and leaving him incredibly confused.

They eventually arrive at the cell of the last person they need to speak to. When they get there, they hear a strange sound. Clack clack! Thump! Clack clack! Thump! Clack clack! Thump! Confused, and a little worried, about what that sound is, they walk quicker. When they reach the cell, they find the occupant throwing a rock against the wall. When it hits the wall, it smacks into the wall on the right, before flying back into his hand. However, when he sees that he has visitors, he fails to catch the stone, and it flies out of the cell. Hilbert and Hilda dodge it as it knocks into the wall and bounces down the hall. The occupant grins at his visitors. “Well, well, well,” he says with mock glee. “If it isn’t the wonder twins of Interpol. What do you want from me?”

“You’re Colress, former Sub-Admin C of Team Terra, correct?” Hilda asks. Hilbert thinks he detects a hint of worry in his sister’s voice as she asks this. Colress grins. “Current, Sub-Admin C of Team Terra, thank you very much!” he says. “I don’t believe any positions have changed since my arrest, have there?” The twins look at each other, but it’s clear neither of them know the answer to that. “Not as far as we’re aware,” says Hilbert, turning his attention back to Colress. “We have some questions for you, regarding Project: Restoration.” Colress looks at him with an unreadable expression. “Do you now?” he comments. “Which idiot let that one slip?” “That is confidential information that I shan’t be parting with you,”says Hilbert. “Just tell us what you know about it.” Colress shrugs at this. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about it,” he says. “None of us do outside of the boss.”

Getting frustrated, Hilbert is about to grab hold of Colress’s uniform and pull him into the bars, like Hilda did with Roberto, when he hears a loud noise to his right. With shock, he and Hilda stare in shock as one of the prisoners manages to break open his cell door. He steps out of his cell, then spots the twins. “Oh come on!” he complains, before turning and running away. Hilbert charges after him. “Stay with him!” he shouts over his shoulder. “Get as much information as you can out of him!” Hilda nods then turns back to Colress, while Hilbert sprints after the other prisoner. He chases the man across half the prison before he manages to catch up with him. For some reason, Hilbert gets the feeling that he knows his way around the place in order to stay ahead of him. But eventually, Hilbert catches up just as he’s about to reach the wall of the prison and start climbing.

Hilbert tackles him to the ground, then puts him in handcuffs. “Next time, work on your timing,” he taunts as he takes the prisoner back inside. The prisoner laughs. “Oh, I will,” he replies. Hilbert kicks the man’s heels for that, so he doesn’t speak again. He drops the prisoner off with another officer to be brought to solitary for his attempt, then rushes back to Hilda and Colress to see if she managed to get anything out of him. When he arrives however, he sees her quickly drying her eyes. Rage fills him, and he quickly grabs Colress and pulls him back to the bars of the cell, quite roughly at that. “What did you say to her!” he tells at him. “Nothing,” Colress replies calmly. “I only answered her questions, isn’t that right?”

Hilbert turns to his sister, and she nods. “I’m just frustrated,” she explains. “He was also useless to us. He knew nothing about Project: Restoration.” Hilbert swore at this, before letting Colress go. “Let’s go,” he says, stepping away from the cell. “We have the rest of the prison to get through.” Hilda nods, then leads the way away from Colress. As they leave him, Hilbert notices Colress grinning at Hilda. Hilbert wants to run back to him and punch him, but restrains himself and follows his sister. As he does, he looks at her, with a nagging though dancing around his head, “She’s hiding something from me.”

Chapter Text

It takes Tracey another 3 days to fully recover from his head injury. During that time, Misty refuses to accept any challenges to her gym, since Tracey acts as her referee, and she wants to be by his side while he recovers. Bonnie understands this, as if Max got hurt, she wouldn’t want to challenge any gym until he recovered. So, she takes this time to train up her team for this battle.

For his part, Max is kind of glad that Misty won’t accept any challengers while Tracey is recovering. He’s had an idea for a while about a new trick Dedenne could try, but hasn’t had the time to give it a go until now. It doesn’t take much convincing on his part before Bonnie agrees to try it. “I trust you completely,” she says. “Your ideas have given me some great victories in the past.”

So, they spend the next 3 days working on Max’s idea. As it turns out, it’s just as wild as his plan with Stun Spore all the way back in Kalos. However, that turned out to work perfectly, so Bonnie has no doubt that this will too. However, while she and Dedenne get very close, they are unable to fully master it by the time Tracey has recovered, which leaves Max feeling a bit worried. “Maybe you should hold off on challenging Misty until we have this fully mastered,” he reasons. Bonnie thinks about this, before shaking her head. “But she said that she’ll accept my challenge once Tracey recovers,” Bonnie argues. “I don’t want to wait any longer.” Chuckling at her impatience, Max relents and they head to the Pokémon Centre to meet with the others.

For their part, the rest of them have been discussing what happened to Tracey and Misty, as well as what might have happened to Mallow and Lana. Max thinks they may also be discussing possible candidates for Team Terra’s spy, if there is one. Unfortunately, Max hasn’t been able to join in on those conversations, since he’s been busy helping Bonnie with this plan. The others don’t talk about what they discussed with him either, which Max thinks is a bit unfair, given how he was the one to suggest there might be a spy in the first place.

When Max and Bonnie arrive at the Centre, they find Misty and Tracey walking out of it, with Misty helping him down the couple of steps. Forrest, Goh, and Chloe are with them, chatting about various things, no doubt all to do with the conflict. As the door closes behind them, Misty spots the approaching kids. “Hey you two,” she says to them. “Tracey is fully recovered, and is able to leave the Pokémon Centre.” The two of them smile at him. “That’s awesome!” says Max happily. Bonnie nods in agreement, before turning to Misty. “Does this mean you’re finally ready to accept my challenge?” she asks eagerly. Misty laughs at that, before looking at Tracey, who gives her a nod. “Well, I don’t see why not,” she says. Bonnie cheers at this, and races off towards the Gym. Max tags along, calling for her to wait for the fricking Gym Leader herself.

When they arrive there, their group splits off, with Bonnie, Misty, and Tracey heading to the main arena of the gym itself, while Max, Goh, and Chloe head to the spectators area. Misty and Bonnie head to opposite sides of a large pool at the centre of the arena, with two floating pads near the centre for their Pokémon to stand on. Tracey stands at the side of the pool, with flags in both hands. “This will be a 2 on 2 battle between Gym Leader Misty Hanada, and challenger Bonnie Citron!” he calls. “The battle will end when one person no longer has any Pokémon left to battle! Only the challenger is allowed substitutions! Are both parties ready?!” Both Misty and Bonnie claim they are. “Then Bally begin!” shouts Tracey, waving the flags down.

Immediately, Bonnie sends out Dedenne, while Misty sends out Starmie. Bonnie grins at this and glances at Max. He’d anticipated that she’d send that one out first, so it’s lucky for them both that she did. Dedenne immediately starts the battle off with Nuzzle, but Starmie avoids the attack by diving into the water. From there, it launches several attacks at Dedenne, some he’s able to avoid, some he isn’t. After a few of these, Dedenne leaps into the water, before unleashing a massive Thunderwave what he’d been storing up while avoiding Starmie’s attacks. Starmie is paralysed from the attack, allowing Dedenne to send it flying back up to the surface by using the Quick Attack, Play Rough combo. When Starmie crashes back down on the mat, Dedenne uses Thunder Shock on it, severely weakening it. However, before Dedenne could finish it off, Misty uses a Paralyse Heal, removing the effect from Starmie.

From there, things got more difficult for Bonnie. Starmie got better at avoiding Dedenne’s attacks, and at landing its own. Now, Dedenne is being pummelled by Tackle, Rapid Spin, and other attacks like that. But every time he tries to hit it back, it manages to avoid him. Bonnie begins to grow frustrated from all of this, as Dedenne slowly grts weaker. Suddenly, she hears Max call out, “Use it!” She looks up at him quizzically. “Use the attack we’ve been working on!” “But it’s not ready yet!” she calls back, finally understanding what he’s saying. “That doesn’t matter right now!” Max replies. “If you don’t try, you’ll be down one Pokémon!” Bonnie sighs, then nods, before turning to Dedenne. “Dedenne,” she says, slightly worried. “Use Volt Tackle.”

“We’re going to try what?” Bonnie asked on the first day of Tracey recovering. “Teach Dedenne Volt Tackle,” Max replied. Bonnie stared at him incredulously. “But Dedenne can’t learn that move,” she pointed out. “We’ll just be wasting time.” Max grinned at that. “What makes you so sure?” he asked. Bonnie stared at him again. “Uh, the fact that I’ve had him for 6 years and he’s been my partner for 2 of them,” she replied. “And not once has he ever been close to using that move!” She expected Max’s face to fall at that, and for him to move on from that plan. Instead, he continued to grin at her. “Well, I’d say that would be true for a normal Dedenne,” he said. “And I think we can both agree that Dedenne isn’t a normal one.” Bonnie couldn’t argue with that. “Do you really think Dedenne will be able to learn Volt Tackle?” she asked. Max nodded. “If Ash’s Pikachu can learn Iron Tail, then I don’t see why Dedenne can’t learn Volt Tackle.” Bonnie sighed. “Ok, let’s try it.”

The two of them tried for the next 3 days to get this move right. At first, they simply tried having Dedenne use Tackle after charging up electricity. When that didn’t work, Max suggested that the try having him combine Thunder with Tackle like the way he does with Tackle and Play Tough. This also hadn’t worked by the time Tracey was discharged from the Pokémon Centre, however they came very close at several points. Now all they needed was for it to work once. Just enough to finished Starmie off.

When Bonnie says, “Dedenne, use Volt Tackle, Dedenne fills his body with electricity , the same way that he does when using Thunder. However, instead of unleashing it as a Thunder attack, he charges forth at blinding speed with Tackle. Both Max and Bonnie watch with a mixture of worry and anticipation as Dedenne reaches Starmie, who isn’t quick enough to dodge this attack. Dedenne collides with Starmie, and the electricity courses through its body. Volt Tackle has worked. Both Max and Bonnie cheer wildly as Starmie is clearly on its last legs. But, so is Dedenne. So, Misty and Bonnie look at each other, then shout, “Starmie, Rapid Spin!” “Dedenne, Volt Tackle!” Both Pokémon charge at each other with those attacks. They collide in a small explosion and are thrown apart. When the dust settles, it’s clear that both of them are unconscious.

“Both Pokémon are unable to battle!” Tracey declares. “Meaning that both Gym Leader Misty and Challenger Bonnie are down to their final Pokémon!” Misty smiles at Bonnie at this. “I will admit, you’re tougher than you look,” she says. “So, maybe I should up the stakes a bit!” Then, she sends out her final Pokémon. Bonnie and Max stare as a Golduck appears in front of her. Bonnie swallows nervously. They hadn’t accounted for this one. However, Max’s plan should still work here. So, Bonnie decides to follow through with it, and sends out Bellsprout.

To everyone else watching this part of the battle, Max’s strategy for Bellsprout is a bit of a joke in comparison to what he did with Dedenne. At least, at first. All Bellsprout is doing throughout this battle is dodge attacks and occasionally throw a few of his own, usually Razor Leaf or Vine Whip. Golduck would be damaged by this, but he just keeps attacking, launching Water Pulses and Psychic attacks at Bellsprout with reckless abandon. Eventually, he manages to pin Bellsprout with Psychic, and start throwing him around the room. At first, Misty and the rest of the spectators think that this will spell the end for Bellsprout, and Bonnie’s chances of winning this match, but Max and Bonnie know better. After a few seconds of this, it comes to their attention that this is having almost no effect on Bellsprout whatsoever. Every time Bellsprout comes close to colliding with a wall or the ceiling, he uses Vine Whip to catch himself and prevent him from taking much damage.

Realising that this is pointless, Golduck lets him go and Misty begins thinking of another method to defeat him. Bonnie seizes the opportunity and has Bellsprout use the strongest Razor Leaf he can manage. Bellsprout summons a large quantity of leaves for a razor leaf attack, creating a massive leaf storm that completely surrounds Golduck, damaging him from all sides. Then, once those dissipated, Bellsprout launches two large Vine Whips right at Golduck, sticking him right in the chest and sending min flying backwards. Misty has just enough time to dodge her Pokémon before he hits the far wall, and falls unconscious.

“Golduck is unable to battle!” declared Tracey, barely able to believe what he’s just seen. “Making Challenger Bonnie the winner of this match!” Max hurdles the wall of the stands as Bonnie returns Bellsrpout to his ball, before hugging it with excitement. Max quickly reaches her, and the two embrace, ecstatic over their victory. Misty returns the unconscious Golduck, before smiling at them. “I should’ve known you two were an item,” she comments. Both of them blush furiously and spring apart, exclaiming, “We’re just friends!” as they do. Misty chuckles at this. “That’s what I said about me and Tracey for a while before we started going out,” she says, shifting through her pockets as she does. “But either way, I believe you’ve earned this.” Then, she holds out the Cascade badge.

Bonnie takes it excitedly and waves it in the air. The rest of her friends clap and cheer for her as she puts it in her case with her Boulder Badge. Max hugs her again, but not for as long, which she finds herself a bit disappointed with. But she doesn’t dare admit that, lest she receive more teasing. “Congratulations Bonnie,”says Tracey, walking over to them and putting an arm around Misty’s waist as he does. “So, I suppose it’s off to Vermillion with you next?” Bonnie nods excitedly. “You betcha!” she exclaimed. Then, without another word, she sprints out of the Gym, with Max running after her. The rest of them chuckle at the two’s obvious affecting for each other, before walking out of the gym themselves.

Chapter Text

After Bonnie's win, their group decides to spend the day just hanging around Cerulean City. Misty and Tracey join them on occasion, but Misty has had a backlog of challengers since she took 3 days off to keep an eye on Tracey's recovery. So, she spends most of the day going through different Gym Battles, with Tracey refereeing them. While they do that, Max, Bonnie, Goh, Chloe, and Forrest hang around, chatting about various things, while also discussing where they're going next. Max tries to ask them what they spoke about while he and Bonnie trained, but Goh and Chloe dodge the question every time, or else act like they didn't hear him. Eventually, Max gives up trying to ask. Eventually, after discussing their options and looking over the map, they decide to head to Vermillion next, so that Bonnie can challenge Lt. Surge. When Bonnie hears that he's a Lieutenant, she thinks that maybe she can ask him about her visions of war.

The next day, the three of them pack their bags quickly, eager to set off for their next adventure. Bonnie asks Goh and Chloe if they want to come too, but the two of them turn her offer down. "We have other things that we need to do," Goh tells her. "But I'd say we'll see each other again soon." Chloe nods in agreement. "But, we will travel with you, at least out of Cerulean," she promises. "Then, it'll be up to fate when we'll meet again." Max and Bonnie nod in agreement at this, and go back to their rooms to finish packing. Once the two of them, plus Forrest, have all of their stuff ready to go, they bid farewell to Misty and Tracey, before setting off. The two of them want to see them off at the entrance, but that won't be possible since Misty still has her last few trainers from her backlog to battle, and Tracey has to referee them.

The walk through Cerulean is a peaceful one at first. Goh and Chloe hold hands as they follow Max, Bonnie, and Forrest through the streets. As they go, Max finds himself glancing at Goh and Chloe holding hands, before down at his and Bonnie's hands, which are close together. He suddenly has the intrusive thought to grab her hand the same way that Goh and Chloe are holding each other's. At first, he tries to push it aside and focus on getting out of the City. But the more he tries, the more the thought of holding Bonnie's hand crawls back into his mind. Eventually, he decides to give into it. But, as he's reaching out to grasp her hand, something catches his eye that fills him with dread.

Looking up at the spot that caught his eye, he sees the unmistakeable sight of Sarah and Sam sitting at a café nearby. He freezes at this and throws his hand out, so instead of grasping her hand, it bumps into her chest. This still causes both of them to go a bit pink. In fact, Bonnie is about to give out to him for that, when he looks at her, then jerks his head in the direction of Sarah and Sam. She follows the motion and her eyes widen. "What's wrong?" Goh asks. "Why have you stopped?" "Team Terra," Max whispers. The other three look around and quickly spot the two. They all duck into a nearby alley to avoid being spotted. "What do we do?" Chloe asks. "If they find you, we're screwed!" "Actually, these guys already know they're here," says Forrest. "They haven't reported it yet because they want the glory of capturing them themselves."

Goh thinks about this, a look of relief crossing his face. "So in other words," he says, "it won't be too bad if you're spotted." Max, Bonnie, and Forrest nod. "However, I would still rather not be spotted," says Max. "We made an agreement with them, that after we helped each other escape one of their Admin's undetected, they agreed not to chase us until the next time they spot us in the wild." "So, if we get you out of here undetected," Chloe finishes, "you get more time without being followed by Team Terra." The trio nod. Goh does the same, then does some thinking. Finally, he looks at his girlfriend. "Come with me," he says. "You and I are going to cause a distraction." Chloe nods at this, then turns to the trio. "Well, it was nice to see you guys," she says to them. "Hopefully we'll see you soon!" The three of them nod. "Take care you guys," says Goh. "Try not to hang around too long. Let us cause enough of a scene before you start running." They nod again, before bidding farewell to the couple.

Once Goh and Chloe disappear into an alley, the three of them begin to slowly make their way towards the entrance. Sarah and Sam are still their, with their backs to them. But they have no idea how long it will take for them to randomly turn around and spot them. So, Goh and Chloe prevent that. As Max, Bonnie, and Forrest walk casually past their table, Goh steps forwards and 'accidentally' knocks into the table, spilling Sam's drink. "Oh my Arceus," he exclaims. "I am so sorry about that! I wasn't looking where I was going." Chloe giggles at that innocently. "You're so clumsy," she playfully scolds him, which causes him to blush. "It's quite alright," says Sarah. "This guy is quite clumsy himself." Sam pouts at her at this. Max is relieved, seeing that it seems like Goh and Chloe's distraction is working.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take long before it hits a snag. Looking at Sarah's face, Max suddenly realises that she's analysing the two of them, trying to place where she's seen them before. Thinking quickly, Max grabs his notebook and pencil. He quickly scribbles out, "THEY RECOGNISE YOU!" On the paper, before holding it up so Goh and Chloe can see it. Chloe does, and glances down at Sarah and Sam. Seeing the quizzical look on Sarah's face, Chloe acts fast. Before Goh even has time to react, she grabs his shirt, pulls him away from Sarah and Sam's table and kisses him deeply. This obviously makes the two of them feel awkward, so they look away bashfully. As they continue sneaking through the street towards the exit of the town, Max thinks he sees Sarah and Sam glance at each other with slightly flushed cheeks as Goh and Chloe kiss. "Holy crap, this might actually work!" he thinks to himself, as the exit is in sight.

However, there is one tiny flaw that he completely overlooked. Bonnie's love of romance. When Chloe starts kissing Goh, Bonnie watches them with her eyes sparkling with delight. Unfortunately, she doesn't stop walking and crashes into a sign. The problem is, she crashes so hard that it topples over, clattering to the ground. She, Max, and Forrest quickly right it, apologising to the owner of the shop that the sign stood outside of. Max turns around to see if Sarah and Sam are still looking away. Only for them to be staring right at him, eyes wide. Max chuckles at this, partly out of annoyance, and partly because the situation is so damn funny when you think about it, that he can't help but laugh at it. Not knowing what else to do, he raises his hand awkwardly and waves. "Uh, hi," he says awkwardly, before turning to Bonnie and Forrest. "Run!" he shouts. They run. Sarah and Sam continue to stare for a few seconds, utterly bewildered by their luck. Then they realise that their target is getting away, and quickly shoot up out of their seats, before chasing after them.

The three of them flee the city, entering the forest in front of it, with Sarah and Sam hot on their heels. Thankfully, since this reunion is so unexpected, they don't have any new tricks up their sleeves, and are instead just chasing them. Which is good news for Max, as he has a plan. He fiddles with his belt, before pulling out his newest catch. "Weedle!" he shouts, releasing the pokémon. "Wrap them up in String Shot!" Weedle sits on Max's shoulder and shoots out string from its mouth. It hits Sarah and Sam and wraps them up, making it almost impossible for them to move. Max grins at this, as Bonnie pats him on the back. "Good thinking!" she tells him happily. Max nods, then grins at the duo. "Well, see you next time," he taunts them, before the three of them head off again.

Sarah struggles against her bonds, but Sam fiddles with something in his hands. Then, he grins and chuckles. "If you think this will stop us," he mutters, "then you are sorely mistaken." Then, the blade of a knife appears out of the String Shot wrappings. He cuts himself free with the knife, then walks over to Sarah and cuts her bonds too. "Come on," he says, beginning to move towards the direction the trio went. "If we hurry, we can catch up to them!" He's about to resume running, when Sarah catches his hand in hers. This causes him to feel a little flustered for a second, before he shakes his head and looks at his partner. "Not like that!" he mentally shouts at himself. "That young couple did a number on my head! What is wrong with me!?" "Let's not follow them," she tells him. "I have a better idea, follow me!" then, she lets go of his hand and leads him another direction. He doesn't know this, but part of the reason she's so determined to rush ahead, is so that he can't see her own face colouring slightly.

After about 5 minutes, the 3 of them decide that they've run far enough, and they slow to a walk. "Well that was nice while it lasted," Max complains. "Now we have to go back to avoiding them again." "It's not so bad," Forrest says. "At least they're keeping your being here a secret." "True," Max replies. "But, how long before they do something really stupid, and bring attention to the fact that we're here by accident?" Forrest doesn't have a response to that. They keep walking for a bit, before Bonnie suddenly senses something. "Guys hold on," she says. "Something's not right." Before either of them can ask what she means, Max crashes into nothing at all. He falls on his ass and clutches his head, slightly dazed. He looks up at what he crashed into, and sees Forrest feeling the air around them. "We're boxed in by something," he says. "What?" Bonnie asks, feeling around them. "But there's nothing here." Max looks around, and touches the air in front of him. He touches something solid, but nothing is there. "Reflect," he realises.

At that moment, Sarah and Sam step out of some bushes. Max stares at them in amazement. "But, I trapped you!" he exclaims. Sam chuckles, before pulling a knife out of his belt. "It's amazing what you can do with such a small blade," he comments, waving it at Max before putting it back on his belt. "Now, what's it going to be?" Sarah asks. "Are you going to hand over your notebooks to us now, or will we have to just wait here until you do?" Max chuckles at this. "Well, jokes on you," he says. "We can wait here as long as we like!" "Uh, Max," says Bonnie, crossing one leg over the other. "I kind of have to pee." Max's face sours at this. "Well, that makes it a bit harder," he says. Sarah and Sam chuckle at this, with Sam patting his Mr. Mime's head. "We can let you out right now," he says. "If you just hand over your-"

But before he can finish that sentence, he suddenly staggers back, as his head jerks backwards. Sarah stares wildly, as she suddenly jerks to the side, falling to the ground. Sam manages to stay upright, and pulls the knife out again. "What was that!?" he exclaims. "I warn you, I'm armed!" At that moment, his hand freezes in place, before being twisted sideways and having the knife removed from his hand. Then his legs are swept out from under him, causing him to hit the ground. As the trio watch all of this, the barrier in front of them suddenly shatters. A figure briefly appears in front of them, wearing armour and a mask. Max quickly recognises her as Camo. "Go!" she tells them, turning back to face Team Terra. "I'll hold them off!" Then, she disappears. The 3 of them don't wait to be told twice. They immediately take off away from Sarah and Sam, as the two of them get repeatedly pummelled by an invisible force, before making a hasty retreat.

After that, the only time they stop running over the next 10 minutes is to allow Bonnie to pee in a bush, because she was really starting to slow down. After that, they keep running until they're sure they're in the clear. "Well," says Forrest. "That was interesting." Max and Bonnie don't say anything, as they're too busy trying to catch their breaths. "So, what now?" asks Bonnie, once she'd caught her breath. "Now, we head to Vermillion," says Max. "And we make sure to stay out of Team Terra's sight." The other 2 nod, and they start walking. However, it isn't very long before they spot something in the road. A crater. After staring at it for a few seconds, they quickly realise that this must be the spot that Tracey was knocked out. "That means we aren't far from where Mallow and Lana disappeared," Max realises.

"Then we have to go an look for them!" Bonnie exclaims. Both boys look at her like she's crazy. "Need a reminder that Team Terra were on our tails not 10 minutes ago!" Forrest points out. "They could catch up to us soon!" "But still," Bonnie persists, "I want to know what happened to our friends!" She turns to Max. "Don't you?" Max thinks about this, weighing the risks in his head. On one hand, he is curious, and they are his friends, as Bonnie said. But on the other, it runs the risk of Sarah and Sam catching up to them again. But then Bonnie looks at him with pleading eyes, and he knows what his answer will be. "We'll go and investigate," he says, much to Bonnie's joy. "But if we don't find anything conclusive, we keep going." Bonnie nods in agreement, then leads the way down the path, retracing the steps Tracey and Misty described to get back to where they camped out with the missing duo.

Chapter Text

From the crater that was left from the attack that knocked Tracey out, Max, Bonnie, and Forrest are able to follow the path that Misty described she ran down. Sure enough, as they travel through this cluster of trees, they find several signs that a fight had broken out around them. The damage looks a few days old, but it's still clear that something had happened here. "Team Terra were determined to capture them," Max comments. The other two nod. "I wonder what they wanted with them?" Bonnie asks, before realising something. "What if they managed to capture Mallow and Lana?!" In truth, Max had considered that possibility, but doesn't dare share it aloud. "I don't know," he says. "We'll just have to take a look around and see if we can find them." Bonnie and Forrest nod, and they continue on through the trees, following the path Misty and Tracey ran a few days earlier.

Eventually, they come across the old ruins that Misty described. Max had been expecting a bit more of a structure to the place, but there's barely anything here at all. He can tell that the place is in the shape of a big enough house, but the only walls present barely reach up past his waist. there's a shape of a doorframe, with two pillars of stone about as tall as he is, but no sign of a door, meaning it rotted away years ago. There are other stone walls on the inside of the perimeter, but it's impossible to tell what shape the inside used to be, or even what the place was used for. Completing these ruins is the stone floor at their feet, so covered in moss that it takes them a few seconds to even realise the floor is made of stone.

Without another word to each other, they split up and begin to search the ruins for any clues as to what happened to Mallow and Lana. There are some vague signs of a struggle at the centre of the ruins, but other than that, there’s nothing to show where they went. “What’s even the point of doing this?” Max asks after a few minutes. “I mean, chances are they fled the place, then ran off to the nearest town instead of Cerulean.” “If that was the case, they probably would’ve called Misty or Tracey to let them know of this,” Forrest points out. “But there’s been radio silence ever since the attack, which was like 5 or 6 days ago by now.” Max nods in understanding at this, and resumes searching.

"This structure is old," Bonnie comments. "Must be hundreds, maybe thousands of years old." Forrest shakes his head at this. "Hundreds maybe," he says. "Certainly not thousands. These walls would've completely come apart by then." "How do you know?" Bonnie asks. "Resident Rock Type Gym Leader," Forrest replies. "These rocks would not be still standing if this place was thousands of years old." Bonnie nods, then looks around for Max. She quickly spots him checking out one of the walls at the edge of the premises. As she walks up to him, she sees him gently brushing dirt off the wall, then blowing the rest away. Once all the dry dirt and leaves are out of the way, he stares in amazement at what he finds.

On the wall in front of him are a bunch of scratch marks, ones that make out pictures of pokémon, clearly locked in fierce battle. But the thing about these pokémon is that they're wearing some sort of armour on them. Then, there are some people in the mural, holding some sort of orbs in their hands. Max doesn't think they're pokéballs however, as this seems too early for even the apricorn balls that early trainers used. Frustratingly, it's clear that half of the picture is missing thanks to the wall collapsing. But even still, it doesn't take Max long to hazard a guess as to who these markings are about. "This place used to be owned by Aura Guardians," he realises. Both Bonnie and Forrest give him different expressions. Bonnie looks at him with amazement and excitement, while Forrest looks at him with immense scepticism.

"The Aura Guardians?" he asks, sounding like he's about to laugh. "Max they're a myth. They aren't real." "Yes they are!" he says quickly, before realising the implications of what he said, and quickly corrects himself. "Or at least, they were." Forrest looks at him with a raised eyebrow. While the two of them proceed to have an argument over whether or not the Aura Guardians were real, Bonnie begins analysing the markings herself. If Max is right, then this could be of some use to her. Maybe they might teach her a few things about Aura that Ash refuses to. She studies the picture as carefully as her ADHD will allow, hoping to find anything of note, but there's nothing of use to her. Eventually she leans in too close and begins to topple over. In order to prevent herself from breaking her nose on the wall, she throws her hand out to catch herself. The second her hand touches the top of the wall, everything goes dark.

Suddenly, she finds herself standing in the middle of a house. A fully constructed house. It's night-time outside, judging by the stars in the sky, and the fact that the room is illuminated by torches. Then she looks around and sees that she's not alone. In the centre of the room is a large wooden table with papers strewn across it. Sitting around the table are 10 men, hunched over in hushed conversation. They are all dressed in black, wearing clothes that look straight out of the middle ages. Bonnie doesn't dare say anything, lest they discover her here. But, they don't seem to notice. Suddenly, the guy at the head of the table stands up. "Right!" he says. "This is our one chance to protect our people! If the Elders won't do anything, we'll just have to do it ourselves!" A chorus of cheers echoes out at this. "We'll bring an end to this before it even starts!" he yells. More cheering. Then, he begins to chant something that sounds like a mantra, but before Bonnie can fully hear what it is, she feels her body shake. Her hands slips from the wall, and suddenly she's back in front of Max and Forrest, with Max holding onto her jacket, having just snapped her out of that.

Max and Forrest, for their part, were arguing over the validity of Aura Guardians, before they hear Bonnie gasp. They turn to look at her, and see her leaning rigidly on the wall, her eyes glowing bright blue. Forrest starts freaking out at the sight, while Max rushes forward and begins to shake her. When he does, her hand slips off the wall, and her eyes come back into focus, no longer glowing blue. "Are you alright?" he asks. "What did you see?" Bonnie quickly explains her vision to Max, while Forrest just looks on with amazement. "What. The Reverse World. Was that?" he asks. Max sighs. There's no way they can lie their way out of this. "That was Aura," he explains. "Bonnie is an Aura Guardian." Forrest's jaw drops to the floor. "See, I told you they were real."

The two of them quickly catch Forrest up on Aura, and how Ash and Bonnie have it. Once their finished explaining, Forrest sits in silence for a while, taking all of this in. "Does my older brother know this?" he asks, finally. Max chuckles at this. "He was one of the first people to find out," he replies. "Along with myself and my sister." Forrest nods again, and ponders all of this for a little more. Then, he suddenly brightens up. "I've just thought of a way to find out what happened to Mallow and Lana!" he exclaims. Both Max and Bonnie look at him excitedly. "How?" they ask at the same time. "Use whatever you did there to try and flash back to the moment they were here!" he explains. Bonnie's face sours at that. "That's not going to work," she replies. "I can't control my powers like that. I don't even know if they'll show me something like that." Forrest shrugs at this. "Can't hurt to try," he points out.

"I suppose that's true," Bonnie agrees. Then, she starts looking around. First, she goes up to the spot in the moss that's burnt from a recent attack that the group all dodged. She touches it, but nothing happens. So, she looks around again. She touches the stone pillar that used to be a doorframe. Nothing. She touches a corner of the house that's still intact. Nothing. She touches a part of the wall on the other side of the markings. Still nothing. Deciding to try one more time before giving up, she walks over to the wall on the opposite side of the ruins to the broken door frames, and touches it. This time, she manages to get something, as her eyes suddenly glow blue as she goes completely rigid.

In Bonnie's mind, she's transported back a few days ago, and watches as Mallow, Lana, Misty, and Tracey all separate. "Scatter!" Misty shouts. "We'll try to meet back up in Cerulean!" With that, they run. As they do, Lana vaults over the wall Bonnie is touching, using her hand for an extra boost. Then, the two girls take off into the woods surrounding the ruins. Suddenly, the vision ends, and Bonnie is back in the present. "They went down that way!" Bonnie says to the others, pointing in the direction she saw Mallow and Lana run. The two boys nod at this, and follow her into the trees. As they go, they notice obvious signs of a battle. Things like scorch marks, branches thrown about, and a few holes dotted around the place. Bonnie touches all of them, sometimes showing nothing, but occasionally they show her flashbacks, such as the two girls they're looking for darting through the trees, or Team Terra agents running after them.

Eventually, their trail completely stops. There are no more signs of attacks, and no matter where Bonnie touches, she doesn't get anymore visions. "Well that's just great," says Max bitterly. "So, it turns out that they managed to escape them after all, and just haven't been able to contact Misty or Tracey." "But after 5 or 6 days?" Bonnie asks. "I don't know. I still don't think we have the full story." Suddenly, Forrest calls out, "Shh!" They look at him. "What is1?" Bonnie begins, but Forrest shushes her again. Then, he steps closer to a pile of leaves on the ground. "I think I hear breathing coming from the pile," he tells them. "That's probably just a pokémon," Max argues. "Still, I want to make sure," Forrest insists. "Bonnie, check to see if you can get a vision from it."

Bonnie nods and approaches the pile. Sure enough, a vision starts. Mallow is desperately covering something up in the leaves, looking really panicked, with tears streaming down her face. "Stay there!" she pleads silently. "I'll come back for you!" Then, she takes off running. She doesn't get very far before she's shot in the back with one of Team Terra's taser guns. She collapses to the ground, clearly tased so hard it made her lose consciousness. Two agents pick her up, as the agent Misty described walks up to her. "Excellent," he says. "One down, 3 to go. Take her with us. The rest of you find the other one!" Then, they carry Mallow away, while the other agents pan out.

Bonnie snaps to the present to find her companions staring at her. "Mallow buried something, or someone, in here," she tells them. Forrest grins triumphantly at this, then begins to move the leaves. It doesn't take him long to uncover a mass of blue hair. Seeing this, both Max and Bonnie join in, desperately trying to uncover Lana. After less than a minute of digging through leaves, they finally uncover her. She's pale, and breathing deeply, like one would with a fever. Her hand is laying on her stomach, covering a green and red stain on her shirt. "Sorry about this," Max mutters to her unconscious body, before lifting the shirt up. All of them stare in horror at what they find. Lana's side is covered in dried blood, with moss on the spot where the blood was coming from. Clearly, Mallow had tried to stop the bleeding with moss, then covered Lana in leaves to keep her hidden until she wakes up.

Without a word, Bonnie removes the moss and presses her hand to Lana's side. Instantly, the wound closes, as a bullet falls out the other end. Once Bonnie heals that part too, Max takes out a blanket from his pack, and the three of them lay her down on it. With nothing else to do, they settle in for the night, and wait for Lana to wake back up, and tell them what happened.

Chapter Text

Lana doesn't wake up that night. She stays unconscious as Max, Bonnie, and Forrest tend to her, making sure she's still breathing. Thanks to Bonnie's Aura powers, her wound has been completely healed. She leaves some scarring, just so that Lana doesn't get suspicious about how her wound had disappeared completely. Unless of course, she had no idea about it beforehand, in which case it will be difficult to explain. But other than that, they keep a damp cloth on her head to help with her fever, since she contracted some form of illness after lying under a pile of leaves for a few days. Unfortunately, none of the trio can go and get her any medicine, since they have no idea where the nearest shop or Pokémon Centre is, and they don't have enough service in the dense cluster of trees to get directions to one.

While they wait for Lana to wake up, Max and Bonnie give Forrest an explanation of her Aura powers. They explain to him how Ash has them too, and showed her how to control them, as well as how to heal with them. This conversation seems to spark a memory for Forrest. "That explains so much," he mutters to himself. "What do you mean?" Max asks. "Last year, Team Terra came to attack Pewter Gym, so Brock and Ash teamed up to fight them off," Forrest explains. "I saw some flashes of blue throughout the fight, but I thought it was from Team Terra's weapons." He sits back at this. "So, that was Ash protecting our home." Forrest gets a distant look at this. "Miss home?" Bonnie asks. Forrest looks at her. "I don't know," he says. "On one hand, I've been enjoying this break from my responsibilities. But on the other hand, I do want to see my younger siblings again."

Both Max and Bonnie understand this. Both of them miss their older siblings, but can’t see them. Not until Brendan has reclaimed his title from Admin Bannai, and removed the bounty from Max’s head. The last either of them checked, Brendan has almost fully recovered, and was training vigorously in order to take back his title, and The Hoenn region, from Team Terra. They nod in understanding. They chat about other things for the next few hours, waiting for Lana to wake up. But she doesn’t, so they decide to go to sleep. Since Bonnie’s tent is the newest, they decide to leave Lana in there, and have Max and Bonnie share again, which makes them both blush madly. As they all get ready for bed, neither of them notice the way Forrest looks at them with a knowing glint in his eye.

Lana’s fever breaks in the morning, but she’s still out cold. So, they stick around for more time. Bonnie begins training for her next gym battle, which according to Forrest is an electric type gym. However, that’s all he can say about it. “I’m a Gym Leader,” he says. “I’m not allowed to divulge that information, as it would give you too much of an advantage.” Bonnie nods in understanding, but she’s disappointed that she can’t learn anything else. While she trains, Max updates his notes in his notebook, adding in any new Pokémon he can find, and updating previous entries as needed. While they do that, Forrest sets about making lunch for them, when he isn’t also training his new team for any new challengers for when he gets back to Pewter.

It’s the mid-afternoon by the time Lana awakens. The trio have just finished eating lunch when they hear her stir. Suddenly, she shoots up, gasping. “MALLOW!” She screams, before looking around. She quickly spots the three of them and looks at them with utter confusion. “Brock?” she asks. Forrest shakes his head. “I’m his little brother, Forrest,” he says. “Although I can see the confusion. You were knocked out for a few days now.” Lana looks at him with wild eyes, then shoots to her feet. She barely takes more than 3 steps before her legs begin to wobble.

Max and Bonnie rush over to her and quickly catch her before she falls. “Easy,” says Max, as he and Bonnie gently sit her back down. “Your body is still coming to its senses.” Lana tries to struggle against them, but stops when Forrest threatens to tie her up. This causes her to finally stop struggling. “What was the last thing you remember?” Bonnie asks. Lana stops and thinks about that. “We were sitting around in some old ruins with Misty and Tracey,” she begins. “When suddenly, we were attacked by Team Terra, and forced to separate…”

Lana took off running, following Mallow as closely as she could. The two of them heard shouting behind them, as the agents split into two groups, with half of them going after Misty and Tracey, and the other half going after them. Not wanting to find out what the organisation wanted with them, they took off. Lana hopped over the wall in order to be quicker, then she followed Mallow into the forest. As they ran, they heard the sounds of attacks being hurled at them.

As they ran, they released some of their pokémon, Tsareena and Primarina, in order to have them help fend off their attackers. But they weren't the only ones who thought of doing that. The agents of Team Terra, about 7 or 8 in all, threw out their own, which were mostly electric and Flying types. Tsareena and Primarina, with orders from Mallow and Lana, tried desperately to fight off their attackers, but the attacks from the enemy pokémon just kept coming. All the while, the two girls were getting more and more lost. "We just need to find somewhere with a lot of people," said Mallow. "If we can do that, Team Terra won't follow us! Not without getting arrested! Lana nodded, then followed her crush through the forest.

At that moment, there was a loud bang from in front of them, and she felt a horrible pain shoot up her side. At first she looked up, and saw that one of the agents had managed to sneak ahead of them, and was pointing a gun at them. Then she looked down at her side, and saw blood pouring from an open wound. She gasped, as she realised that she'd been shot. (Lana stops telling her story at this as she quickly lifts up her shirt to check for the bullet wound. Upon finding nothing more than a scar, Bonnie hastily says, "We found you with some scarring and moss covering the wound, but from the looks of it no bullet. Maybe the bullet passed straight through, and the moss Mallow applied to you must've had some unknown healing properties?" Lana looks at her with some suspicion, but carries on with her tale.)

Upon seeing this, Mallow started to panic, tears forming in her eyes. She had Tsareena use Vine Whip to knock the gun out of the agent's hands, then throw him backwards a few metres. Meanwhile, Mallow caught Lana as she began to stumble, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Lana couldn't help but cry out in pain. "I'm sorry," said Mallow worriedly. "This will hurt for a little bit, but just until we're out of the woods, ok?" Thinking quickly, she grabbed some nearby moss and handed it to Lana. "Press this against the wound!" she said desperately. "It should help stop the bleeding. We'll deal with it properly soon." By this time, Lana was in too much pain to speak. She just did as she was told. By now, the two girls had slowed down considerably, which meant their assailants were slowly gaining. "Leave... me!" Lana croaked out. "Run!... Save yourself!" "NO!" Mallow shouted. "I won't do that! We'll get out of this together! Just stay strong!"

By this time, Lana's vision had begun to swim. She was losing blood, and she could tell that Mallow could see that. So, Mallow scooped her up, and started carrying her bridal style. If Lana wasn't losing blood, and consciousness, she might've blushed. But she could barely focus on this, as she was far too busy fighting to stay conscious. But this was a battle she was losing, and Mallow could clearly tell. So, she grabbed Primerina's ball from Lana's belt and managed to return her. Then, she had Tsareena create a large wall of vine whips, blocking off Team Terra. That was the last thing Lana saw, before she finally fully lost consciousness.

After she finishes her story, she starts crying openly. "And now, I have no idea what happened to her," she finishes, her voice shaking. Max, Bonnie, and Forrest look at each other, then nod. "Actually," says Bonnie. "We might have an idea." Then, they explain to her Bonnie's vision, but changing how they figured this out to they found tracks of someone being dragged away that disappear after a few feet. In fact, as they're talking, Dedenne sneaks away and digs these very tracks, just so that Lana is convinced. "So, we can only assume that Mallow hid you in this pile to keep you safe, then ran off to distract them," Bonnie concludes. "But they caught her pretty quickly, and took her away." At this, Lana shoots to her feet and starts running in the direction of the tracks. But once again, she doesn't get very far, before her strength gives out, and she collapses to the ground.

Max and Bonnie pick her up and help her back to their camp, despite her protests. "We can't do anything now," says Max. "Not while you're still recovering." "I don't care!" Lana yells. "She saved my life! I have to help her!" "Not like this!" Bonnie argues. "Besides, we don't know where they took her! They could be anywhere! So, let's just calm down, and make a proper plan for how to rescue her!" "How can I possibly be calm!?" Lana bellows. "Those criminals have Mallow, and they're doing who knows what to her! I can't calm down until I know she's safe!" "Why are you so worked up over this?" Forrest asks, getting frustrated. "Why can't you just stay here and rest!?" "BECAUSE I LOVE HER DAMMIT!" Lana screams. At this point, tears are pouring down her face, and she finally stops resisting. "I've loved her since we were 10. And I can't bear the thought of some sort of harm befalling her. Especially because of me."

At this, Max lets her go, and hugs her. "I know how you feel," he says. "Just a couple of months ago, my sister went missing. She was raiding a Team Terra base, hoping to find out why they're after me, when she was captured. Up until she was found just last week, I kept blaming myself for it, cursing the fact that I was in hiding while she was risking her life for me. But running in recklessly won't be of any use to anyone. All it will do is get both of you in trouble. So, let's just calm down, and come up with a proper plan to save Mallow, ok?" Lana listens to him, taking a few shaky breaths. Then, she nods, and stops trying to run away. Max and Bonnie lead her back to where Forrest is, and notice that he's been staring at his phone for a while. "hey guys," he tells them. "I think I know where they took Mallow."

All of what Max told Lana seems to slip from her mind immediately at these words. "Where!?" she demands, rushing up to him, once again very unsteady on her feet. "Well, I was studying the route that the Team Terra agents could've taken on my map," he explains. "And I noticed that there's another old abandoned building not far from here. It's not nearly as old as the ruins we were just in, plus it's nearby to something that Ash was involved in, that you were tasked with being the backup for." The others begin to piece it together themselves. "So, that means there was some Team Terra activity nearby, and they needed somewhere to lay low afterwards," Max begins. "But since they also wanted to try to take 4 hostages," Bonnie adds, "it would have to be close." "So that means they're keeping Mallow in that building!" Lana finishes, jumping to her feet again.

But before she can run off, Forrest is one step ahead of her. "Will you just listen to us!?" he shouts. "We know why you're so determined to save her, but you're in no condition to do so! So, how about we make a plan, and go after them in the morning?" Once again, Lana clearly wants to argue, but knows there's no point. So, she just nods in agreement. Over the next few hours, the 4 of them look over pictures of the abandoned building. From what they can tell, it's pretty big, with multiple ways in. In order to get these pictures, Forrest had to leave them for almost an hour in order to get enough service on his phone to get these pictures. By the time they've got something of a plan, night has fallen.

So, they eat a quick meal courtesy of Forrest, then go to bed. Once again, Lana takes Bonnie's tent, while Max and Bonnie sleep in the same one. But, as is often the case, their plan quickly goes awry. But, they've never gone awry this fast. Max is woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of movement. Thinking Sarah and Sam have come by and are trying to sneak up on them and steal his notebook, he quickly grabs Weedle's ball, and slowly crawls to the mouth of his tent. He unzips it quickly and darts out, ready to battle. But there's no one there. Then, he notices what made the noise. Bonnie's tent door is open, and Lana is nowhere to be found.

Chapter Text

Lana feels sorry for the other 3, and promises to make it up to them when she returns. But right now, she can’t be worrying about how they might be feeling about her sneaking off. All she cares about right now, is getting Mallow back safely. So, she pushes the other 3 out of her mind, and carries on rushing through the foliage. She can’t be 100% sure if she’s going the right way, but she’s pretty sure she had the route memorised. Forrest had managed to take a screenshot of the route when he had service, and she spent the entire evening they were taking memorising it. Now, she can only hope it paid off.

She spends another unknown amount of time pushing her way through the foliage. She starts to worry that she might’ve gotten lost, and is about to start debating with herself as to whether she should turn around and try to find her way back to the others, stay where she is and wait until daylight, or give it one last push to see if she can find the building, when she spots light up ahead. With her fingers crossed that it’s what she’s looking for, she presses on. Sure enough, she finds the building that Forrest spotted on the map. And it looks anything but abandoned. There are clear signs of life going on inside of it. Lana smiles to herself, then mutters, “Hold on Mallow, I’m coming.” Then, she begins sneaking towards the building.

After Max has roused everyone from there sleep, he, Bonnie, and Forrest hastily throw everything back into their bags, then race after Lana. “What is she thinking!?” Forrest asks as they run. “She’ll only get herself hurt doing something like this!” “Love makes us do stupid things,” Bonnie points out. “She’s in love with Mallow, so she’s willing to put herself at risk to save her.” Max can’t help but laugh. “I think over half of our friends are a testament to that,” he jokes. Bonnie can’t help but laugh in agreement as they carry on through the forest.

Unlike Lana, who had to stumble along blindly until she came across the building, the trio are able to take a more direct route straight to it. But when they reach it, they don’t find Lana. However, they do find a rope attached to one of the upper windows, the lowest one that isn’t boarded up. Max grabs the rope and is about to start climbing, when Forrest stops him. “Wait,” he says. “Are we sure it’s a good idea for you two to be going into this base?” Max and Bonnie look at him. “You had no problem with it earlier, when we were planning this,” Max points out. “That’s different,” Forrest replies. “That was when we had a plan. Now that Lana has rushed in, that plan is basically null and void.”

“But we can’t leave Lana on her own in there!” Bonnie argues. “It would be wiser if all of us go!” “Not if it jeopardises everything that Ash, my brother, and so many others are fighting for!” Forrest argues back. "If you go in there, you could be seen! And if you're seen, they'll alert the rest of their organisation. And if they do that, we'll have the entirety of Team Terra descending on Kanto before you can say, 'well shit'!" Max wants to argue with this, but Forrest has a point. But Bonnie isn't done arguing just yet. "If we don't go in there, she'll be caught for sure!" she argues. "And then we'll have 2 friends in trouble instead of 1." Forrest is about to argue with this again, but they hear the sound of footsteps approaching. They start to panic. "Ok, go in," he tells them. "I'll cause a distraction!" "Are you sure?" Max asks. "No time for arguing. Go!"

With that, Forrest starts running towards the sound of the footsteps. While he does this, the other two quickly climb up the rope left by Lana in her mad dash into the building. Once they're inside, Bonnie quickly pulls the rope up after her. Then, she stuffs it in her bag. "You never know when we might need it again," she says. "Good idea," says Max. Then, they run down the hallway. Not very long into this run, they hear the sound of approaching footsteps and freeze. They quickly lie themselves flat against the wall and listen. The footsteps seem to be coming from around the corner, and are also moving cautiously. "I think they know we're here," Max mutters. Bonnie swears under her breath. Max holds his hand up, signaling for her to be quiet. Then, he counts down on his fingers from 3, then the two of them jump out, ready to fight whoever is coming.

The other person jumps out too, pointing one of Team Terra’s guns at them. But she isn’t a Team Terra agent. “Lana!?” Max exclaims quietly. She quickly recognises them and lowers the gun. “Thank Arceus it’s you guys,” she says. “I thought you were enemies.” Once the 3 of them calm down, Max feels himself getting angry again. “What were you thinking!?” he hisses. “Do you have any idea how much of a fright we got when we saw your tent empty!?” Lana goes a bit pink. “I’m sorry,” she says. “But what was I supposed to do! Mallow might be here, and if she is, she’s in danger! What would you do if Bonnie was the one in danger?” Max goes red at what she’s implying with this statement, but Bonnie seems to have missed it. “Well, he’d be doing what you’re doing of course!” she replies. “But that’s because we’re best friends.” “Y-Yeah,” says Max. “That’s right.”

With that sorted, they begin searching the building, hoping to find any information on Mallow’s location. They search the entire upper floors of the building, and when that turns up nothing, they move to the lower floors. “I swear when I got here there were a lot more Team Terra agents here,” Lana says. “Where did they all go?” “Forrest is keeping them busy,” Max replies. “He’s keeping them busy for us.” Lana grins at this. Still, despite the fact that there are so few Team Terra agents, that doesn’t stop them from running into two of them. Luckily for Max and Bonnie, they spot the Team Terra agents at the same time as they spot them. Before the agents can raise the alarm, Lana raises her stolen gun and shoots the two of them with the taser setting.

They agents hit the floor unconscious, which gives Max an idea. He removes their jumpers, which contains a hood, and uses the rope Bonnie took to tie them up. Then, he and Bonnie don the hoodies, and they set off through the building, no longer so concerned about being recognised. Lana doesn’t need one, since she has the gun, so now it just looks like she brought 2 random intruders with her. After a few minutes, Max gets the idea to take the gun from Lana and point it at her, making it look like he and Bonnie are bringing her to the holding cells. In order to properly sell the lie, whenever they’re asked for identification numbers, Max uses the same 2 numbers that he recalls being shouted at some point. C-03 and C-05.

But, their ruse doesn’t last forever. Right as they’re about to reach the holding cells in the basement, Bonnie thinks of something. “Wait, I don’t think all 3 of us should go down there,” she says. “Why not?” Max asks. “Because it might blow our cover if they see us with Lana when she breaks Mallow out,” Bonnie points out. “Plus, it would be easier for her to do so if there are less agents down there.” Max realises what she’s suggesting. “You want to cause a distraction of our own?” he asks. She nods her head. “That way it’s easier for Lana to save Mallow.” Max lets Lana go on a bit further, before whispering to Bonnie, “You also want to give Lana and Mallow to space to finally confess their feelings for each other?” he asks. Bonnie goes pink, but says nothing.

Finally, they arrive at the door down to the holding cells. There are two other hallways on either side of it. "ok, we'll leave you here," says Bonnie. "Go and get your girl." Lana blushes, but nods in thanks. But before they can separate, they hear a voice behind them. "Hey! What are you doing here!?" The 3 of them turn to find 2 Team Terra agents standing in front of them. They too have their hoods up, so Max can't see their faces. "Uh, we're bringing a new prisoner in," Max says quickly, deepening his voice so as not to be recognised. "We found her sneaking around outside." The two agents nod, then let them pass. But, just as they're about to send Lana down to the cells with the gun, one of them, a woman, says, "Wait, what are your identification numbers?" Max freezes again. "Sorry," says the agent, "but we've been ordered to check. There's an intruder in the building, and we need to make sure there aren't anymore."

"Oh, yes, of course," says Max, sighing with relief. "We're C-03 and C-05." Both of the agents look at him. "What?!" the second one exclaims, this a man with a higher voice. "Those are our numbers!" Max starts to panic here. "Ah," he says. "Well, that's interesting, because..." At this, he shoves the gun into Lana's hand, then pushes her into the room with the cells. "Run!" he yells to Bonnie. Then, the two of them take off down another hall. "Should we go after her?" the man asks. "Leave her," says the woman. "She's already in the holding cells, how the Reverse World is she getting out of there? Let's go after them. I have a pretty good idea who they are." Then, the two of them take off after Max and Bonnie.

From inside the holding cells, Lana hears this conversation. Once she's sure they're gone, she turns around and heads down the stairs, eventually coming into a room full of cells. Despite there being a bunch of them, only one of them is occupied. "Mallow!" Lana exclaims, running over to her. She looks dreadful. She looks over at her with heavy bags under her eyes, and a thousand yard stare. She tries to sit up, but wobbles and falls back down. "is that really you Lana?" she asks weakly. "I'm not going insane?" "No you're not!" Lana replies, tears welling in her eyes as she beholds her best friend and crush. "I'm really here! I've come to rescue." Mallow smiles at this and tries to stand up, but she topples to the ground at this. Lana panics at this and releases Primarina. She has her use Ice Beam to freeze the bars, then has her smash them to pieces.

She steps through the bars and manages to pick Mallow up. As she does, Mallow smiles at her weakly. "I'm so glad you're ok," she says. "When I saw you with that wound, I was so scared you were going to die." "Well I didn't," says Lana. "And I'm here now. You're going to be ok." Lana can tell that Mallow is fading in and out of consciousness as Lana carries her up out of the cells. Mallow keeps smiling at her as Lana carries her. "Wait," she says. Lana stops. Mallow suddenly kisses her on the lips. The whole world stands still at this. Suddenly, there's nothing else in it except for her and Mallow, and their lips locked together. But, before she can properly appreciate this, Mallow separates. "Sorry," she says. "But while my mind is still fucked up, there was no way I'm passing up on the opportunity to do that." Then, Mallow falls unconscious.

Lana feels herself crying at this, and is filled with determination to save her, if for no other reason than she can tell Mallow that she reciprocates her feelings. So, she carries Mallow on her back, and races through the halls of the base. She avoids Team Terra as much as possible, and almost makes it to the entrance to the base. But that is when her luck runs out. She's quickly spotted by a bunch of agents who are left guarding the entrance. They spot her and look amazed for a few seconds, which gives Lana enough time to turn and bolt down the hallway. The agents chase after her, and she sees bullets fly past her head. She has Primarina create walls of ice behind her in order to slow Team Terra down enough for her to make a getaway. Soon enough, she starts running out of places to run. That's when luck joins her side once again.

She spots a set of double doors and runs through it, finding a garage full of cars and motorbikes. Doing a quick scan of the room, she finds a bike with the keys still inside. Thinking quickly, she carries Mallow over to the bike, then sits her on it. Then, she grabs some rope from a nearby table and ties Mallow's hands up so that they wrap around her waist. Fighting down the blush creeping up her face as she does this, Lana sits down on the bike, and guns the engine. "I can do this," she says to herself. "It's just like riding a bike. But with an engine instead of pedals." She starts the engine and makes a quick spin around the room, almost knocking a few things over as she gets the hang of it. But, by the time Team Terra have made their way into the garage to catch them, Lana has already fled the scene on her new bike, with Mallow in tow.

Max and Bonnie fare a little better in their escape. Luckily, no one other than those 2 agents chase them through the base. Unluckily, the two of them end up getting hopelessly lost. They turn round corners and shoot up stairs, trying to stay ahead of the two agents. Unfortunately, this attracts a bit of unwanted attention, and some other agents start chasing them too. Soon enough, the pair end up on the roof of the building. "What are we going to do now?" Bonnie asks. "They're going to catch us!" Max looks around, and has one final idea pop into his mind. "Do you trust me?" he asks. Bonnie looks at him. "With every bone in my body," she replies. "Then hold on tight," says Max, before grabbing hold of her. Then, they run towards the edge of the building. As they do, Max releases Pidgeot and they jump onto her back, taking off into the night.

Back down below on the building, the rest of the Team Terra agents chasing them arrive on the roof just as the two escape. The woman who first noticed them takes out some binoculars and looks through them. As she does, Max looks back at the building, and the woman catches a glimpse of his face. She grins to herself, proud that she was right. "Did you see who they were?" asks another agent. "Can you see their faces?" "No, I didn't," says Sarah, putting her binoculars away. "They got away before I could get a good look." The agents all swear at this, and begin making their way back down. As they do, Sam approaches her. "That was Maple and Citron wasn't it?" he asks. "Yes it was," she replies. "They helped with that escape downstairs. Boy am I glad I thought ahead enough to plant that tracker on the green haired-girls clothes."

Max and Bonnie meet up with Lana back at their campsite. Lana hops off the bike and unties Mallow, then lays her down on the grass. "Is she ok?" Bonnie asks. "I don't know," Lana replies, properly freaking out now. "They did something to her, but I don't know what!?" "Let me have a look," Bonnie offers, kneeling down to examine Mallow. She doesn't seem to have many physical injuries. A few bruises here and there, but no major signs of beatings. She wants to take a look at her mentally, but can't do it without Lana catching on to her powers. She needs a distraction. Luckily, that comes in the form of the sound of another motorbike a few minutes later, as Forrest arrives. While Lana looks over in his direction, Bonnie uses her limited powers to check up on her. From what she can tell, Mallow had her mind probed for information, and quite roughly at that, which would explain her current condition.

Unfortunately, Bonnie doesn't have the ability to heal mental wounds, so she has to leave Mallow the way she is, and hope she recovers. She stands up and turns to look at Forrest, only to find him with a very distressed look on his face. "Are you alright?" Max asks. "What happened?" Forrest keeps glancing back the way he came, making sure he hasn't been followed. Once he's positive that it's safe, he turns back to his friends. "I just escaped an encounter with a Sub-Admin," he told them. "Long story short, I think my family might be in danger!"

Chapter Text

After Forrest left Max and Bonnie to climb up the side of the building, he ran towards the sound of voices. Before the people who the voices belonged to could say or do anything, he released his Onix. "Onix, charge at them!" he ordered. Onix roared and did as he was commanded. The approaching agents barely had time to register this command before Onix barrelled towards them. They managed to dive out of the way, which gave Forrest the chance to run past them. Onix slowed down enough for Forrest to catch up with him, which allowed him to leap onto his back. "I can see why Brock does this!" he exclaimed. He rode Onix around the base, eventually coming to a stop at the entrance. It was a big wooden door, with a bridge leading up to it. "I can't believe I'm about to do this," he said to himself. Then, he returned Onix to his ball, and charged up the bridge.

He wanted to ride Onix up the bridge to cause more chaos, but he figured that would be a bad idea, since Lana, Max, and Bonnie would need it to escape with Mallow. So instead, he entered the building on foot. But once he was inside, he released Rhyperior. Then, he had him start attacking any pokémon he saw while Forrest led the way through the base. Anytime agents got close to him, he started throwing punches. Thanks to the physical training he did alongside his pokémon, he was able to hold his own in a fight. He had no idea where he was going, he just kept running through the halls, hoping to keep away from the others in order to give them time to get Mallow and get out of there.

Eventually, his running led him to a courtyard around the back of the base. He was surrounded on all sides by Team Terra agents, all pointing guns at him. He had his Kabuto, Onix, and Rhyperior surround him, in order to make sure he wasn't shot. They all had gloating grins on their faces, and were clearly about to start firing. When suddenly, a voice from behind them calls, "Stop!" All of the agents stop advancing, though they don’t lower their weapons. At the place where Forrest came from, some of the agents step aside, and a young woman walks through them, an evil smirk on her face. She looks about the same age as Brock, with long blue hair in the shape of a cat. “Well, you certainly beat a striking resemblance to your brother,” she comments. “Your family has been genetically blessed I must say.”

Forrest rolled his eyes, as the woman stepped over to him. He noticed that she would make her hips sway with every step, and quickly realised what she was doing. “If you’re trying to entice me, it won’t work,” he told her. “I don’t swing that way I’m afraid.” The woman stopped walking towards him, her smile becoming strained, and her eye began to twitch. “Well, that would’ve been valuable information to know before we set this up,” she said, her voice shaking with suppressed anger. She glared at her subordinates, who cowered under it. “What do you want?” Forrest snapped. “If you’re just here to flirt, you can get lost, and I can get back to fighting!” The woman chuckled. “I’m afraid that won’t be an option,” she said. “We have need of you.”

At this, the agents that surrounded him began to move in. Forrest gave a confident smirk. “You need me do you?” he asked. “Well, I can’t think why, I’m not part of the war against you.” The woman smirked. “But your brother is,” she replied. Forrest froze at this, glaring at her. "What did you do to my brother!?" he demanded. The woman laughed. "Oh, me? Nothing," she replied. "Your brother is perfectly safe. At least, your older one is." Forrest felt his stomach drop out of his body at this. "What?" he asked. The woman chuckled at this. "When I said we needed you, I didn't just mean you specifically," she said. "We have need of all of your siblings, yourself included. Our admin has come up with a plan to start taking out Ketchum's allies, in order to scare off anyone else from joining. As soon as we've extracted the information we have from the girl, it's only a matter of time before that makes our job easier."

An agent spoke up at this. "Um, Sub-Admin O," he said. "Should we really be telling him this?" O glared at him. "What's he going to do?" she asked. "We have him surrounded. If he moves at all, he'll be shot. This is a no win situation!" Forrest chuckled at this. "What's so funny!" O demanded. "Just a little geology fact for you," said Forrest standing tall. "Stones shine under extreme pressure." Then he has Onix burrow under ground. The Team Terra agents open fire, but Rhyperior uses Rock Tomb, burying Forrest and his pokémon under the rocks. O laughed at this. "What a fool," she commented. "Crushing himself to death to get away from us. Still, it makes our job easier. Find his body!" One of the Team Terra agents had their pokémon blast the pile of rocks apart. Where they expected to see a body was instead a massive hole. Forrest had escaped. "After him!" O shrieked. The agents charged towards the hole. But, before they could enter it, a massive geyser of water shot out, blocking the way, and collapsing the tunnel. "Spread out!" O shouted. "Find him! And don't let our prisoner get away!"

Elsewhere in the facility, Forrest climbed out of the hole dug by Onix. He returned his pokémon, then slipped back into the base. He had no idea if the other 3 were done rescuing Mallow yet, but he decided to buy them a little more time, just in case they weren't. By this time, Max, Bonnie, and Lana had just split up. He charged through the hallways, engaging in fights whenever he found agents. Each time he attacked them, he tried to gain any information about what Team Terra had planned for his family. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to know anything, so he settled for knocking them out and continuing on through the base. Eventually, he finds a security room. He steps inside, engages with the agents inside it, knocking them all out. Then, he checks the camera. Sure enough, Mallow's cell is empty. "Well then," he said, "I think it's time I made my own escape."

Forrest began to retrace his steps through the base, this time taking more care in not being seen. Now that he was sure that the others had gotten Mallow out, he figured there wasn't much point in keeping all of the attention on himself. Now, it was time to get out of there. Of course, retracing his steps was easier said than done, since not only do a lot of the hallways look the same, but also he came into this part of the base from digging underground, meaning he had absolutely no idea how to get out of there. But, soon enough, getting out was becoming less of an issue. That was overshadowed by the need to avoid Team Terra. Now that they knew he was here, and more importantly that Mallow had been freed, they were in a mad dash to capture anyone who wasn't one of their own. Forrest dodged around agents, knocking a few out as he went. Soon enough, he ran down a hallway that looked like it led to the entrance. But as he ran down it, Sub-Admin O rounded the corner, accompanied by other agents.

Forrest skidded to a halt and began to run back, but other agents rounded that corner too, boxing him in. Forrest reached down to his belt, but O shot at him, barely missing his hand. "Grab a pokéball and you'll lose the use of your hand," she threatened. Forrest held his hands up in surrender, fingers curled slightly. O laughed as she looked at him. "You know, I did give you the option of coming willingly," she said, stepping forward slightly. Forrest scoffed. "That kind of thing would've worked on Brock," he said. "But not me." O raised an eyebrow. "Not even if I was a muscular man?" she asked. Forrest went a bit pink, but said nothing, which made O laugh. "I'll admit, you surprised me," she said. "You're certainly more foolish than I thought you would be, which makes you a tougher opponent, as you tend to be more unpredictable." Forrest bowed at that. "Guilty as charged," he replied. O rolled her eyes. "But, we have you cornered now, and not even you are foolish enough to try anything clever now."

"I don't know," said Forrest, uncurling his fingers. "I've often been called an idiot by my family." His fingers fully uncurled, revealing a shrunken pokéball between two of them. Before anyone could react, he released his Onix, who quickly wrapped himself around him as bullets started flying. "Use dig!" Forrest shouted, trying to be heard over the din. Onix roared and smashed a hole in the ground, which Forrest jumped through. He landed on his feet in a carpark, with a few cars and motorbikes dotted around the place. "Perfect," he said to himself. He returned Onix, then ran over to a table. He stole a set of keys for a motorbike, then hopped on the corresponding one. By the time the agents began to file down the hole after him, he'd already gunned the engine and took off into the night.

"And now I'm here," he rounds off. None of the others speak for a while. "That was pretty impressive," says Max. "But that one liner was pretty cheesy." Forrest scowls at him. "I thought it was pretty clever," he replies. "Since my surname is Stone." "What are you going to do now?" Bonnie asks. Forrest's face falls. "I don't know," he admits. "On one hand, this is finally my chance to go out on my own. To have my own adventure. But on the other, my family might be in trouble! I have no idea what to do!" He stands there for a while, clearly struggling not to have a mental breakdown. At last, Max breaks the silence again. "I think you should go and see if they're alright," he says. Forrest looks at him. "I don't want you to leave!" Max adds quickly. "But do you remember how worried I was about my sister before she was found? That could be you if you don't check on them."

Forrest thinks about this, and realises that he's right. "But at the same time, I don't want to stop journeying with you," he says. "How about you go back and check on them, and we'll head on to Vermillion," Bonnie offers. "If they're alright, and you want to continue with us, call us, and we'll wait for you there." Forrest looks uncertain. "But what will you do about Team Terra?" Forrest asks. "If they catch you, you'll need more than just the 2 of you to escape them." "We'll travel with them," Lana offers. "Once Mallow has recovered, we can go with them to Vermillion. We won't be able to travel much farther than that, because I'd say Ash will need us again, but we can go as far as there at least."

Forrest smiles at this. "Thanks," he says. Then he hops on the bike he took from Team Terra. Before he goes, he turns to Max. "Now Max, do not leave Vermillion City until I call you to let you know if I'm re-joining you or not!" "Why am I being singled out?" Max asks. Forrest and Bonnie both give him looks that read, "Are you seriously asking that?" He blushes and doesn't say anything more. "If I decide to stay at Pewter, you can go on ahead," Forrest continues. "Just, please stay away from anything that will draw attention to yourselves." Both of them nod, agreeing to do so. Forrest grins at them both, before starting the engine. "Hopefully I'll see you in Vermillion," he says. "But if I don't, it has been a pleasure to travel with you both." "The pleasure was ours," Max replies. Bonnie nods in agreement. Forrest smiles at them both, then drives the motorbike off into the night, leaving his travelling companions behind.

Chapter Text

The fight against Team Terra has been at a stalemate for the past few weeks. Since Ash's raid with Team Rocket, victories have been few and far between. Team Terra seem to anticipate almost all of their moves, and have countermeasures in place. On top of that, thanks to Camo's intel, their side have been able to counter a lot of Team Terra's plans as well. All in all, there hasn't been much progress. Something that raises Paul's suspicions in particular. He's starting to suspect that maybe there's more to this than just dumb luck on Team Terra's part. He begins to suspect that they may have a spy of their own amongst Ash's ranks. But, he doesn't share this information with Ash, or anyone else just yet. He doesn't want to alarm anyone, and potentially start turning people against each other. Arceus knows that will make this fight harder than it already is.

But, then Lana and Mallow disappear, before reappearing after being saved by Max, Bonnie, and Brock's younger brother. But, what alarms Paul the most is the description of events that Lana gives of what happened to her, and how well they coincide with what Misty and Tracey described. This only heightens his suspicions. So, with this story in mind, Paul gives Ash a call. "Hey Paul," says Ash. "What's up? You look troubled. Well, more troubled than you usually do anyway." Paul chooses to ignore Ash's jab. "I'm calling you in regards to a serious matter," he replies. Ash stops grinning at this. "Is it to do with what happened to Mallow and Lana?" he asks. Paul nods. "I'm sorry to say this," he says. "But I believe there may be a spy amongst our allies."

Ash doesn't say anything at first. Briefly, Paul worries that he's either going to laugh and call him paranoid, or get angry at him for suggesting such a thing. But Ash does neither. He sits there and ponders Paul's words. "I don't want to believe that you're right," he says. "But at the same time, I can kind of see where you're coming from." Paul can tell that it pains him to say that. "But, before I can act on something like that, I'm going to need proof." Paul looks at him with surprise. "I know it sounds naïve of me to say this," Ash continues. "But this could all just be a coincidence. I don't want to accuse any of my friends of something like this without evidence."

Paul nods in understanding, before thinking about what he should do next. "What if I went on a solo mission?" he asks. "If only you and I know about it, then there's no way that anyone else could no about it. So, if they seem like they're ready for me, then it's all just a coincidence." Ash thinks about this. "But if they don't know you're there," he finishes, "then there could be a spy in our midst." Paul nods, glad to see that Ash actually does understand him. "It's a good plan," he continues. "But I don't like the idea of you going alone." "If I don't, then how can we expect to figure out there's a spy?" Paul asks. "If you get someone to join me, what if you tell the spy, or the spy catches wind of this plan? Then we'll never be able to prove it."

Ash thinks about this too. Then, a grin forms on his face. "Actually," he says. "I think I know just the person for you to team up with." "Who?" Paul asks, not liking the way he said that. Ash chuckles to himself at this. "You'll just have to wait and see," he replies. "But trust me, you can definitely rely on them." Paul wants to keep pressing him until he tells him who he has in mind, but Ash quickly spouts some lame excuse and switches off the call. Frustrated by this, Paul puts his phone away. Then, he starts thinking up a plan on how to catch whether or not there is a spy at all. Soon enough, he comes up with the perfect plan, as well as a very risky backup.

He relays to Ash where he wants to meet with his companion for this task, to which Ash responds that she'll be there. When he finds out it's a she that he's meeting, he gets a bit nervous. Ash has a lot of girls as friends, and he trusts all of them with his life. Something that Team Terra can easily take advantage of. Not that he thinks any of Ash's core friends would betray him like that, but some of the other ones might be more lenient. All Paul can hope for is that it's not Dawn. Dawn will spend a good chunk of the mission asking him questions about his supposed crush on Miette, his travelling companion. She would definitely be the worst one to have to deal with. But then, he receives a text from Ash, letting him know that his partner has arrived. Looking around, he sees someone he knows very well indeed approaching, and realises that there can be someone worse than Dawn to have as a partner for this.

"Hey Paul!" Miette exclaims, waving to him. "So, looks like we're partnering up for this one!" Paul nods, finding himself unable to speak. "I am going to kill him for this," he thinks to himself. Miette sits down beside him, and turns her head away from him, looking around the street of Hearthome, where Paul asked to meet. Paul thinks it's because she's keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious, but in actual fact it's to hide the fact that she has a fierce blush on her face. It's just going to be her and Paul on a dangerous mission, so she's got major butterflies, and not from nerves. She's had a large crush on Paul as well from their first journey together through Kalos, but she's always been too nervous to share anything about it with him. But now she has something else to focus om, so she pushes her feelings out of her mind.

"So," says Paul, somewhat awkwardly, "I take it Ash filled you in on what my plan is?" Miette nods. "You want to find out if there's a spy in our midst," she replies. Paul nods. "That's the gist of it," he says, standing up. Miette does the same and she follows him as he leads her through the streets of Hearthome. "But I don't know exactly what it is we're going to do to figure that out," she adds. "That's because I haven't shared that bit of information with anyone yet," Paul replies. "I wanted to keep that to myself for as long as possible, just to be safe." As he says this, he leads her down the street towards a café. "Through a bit of digging, I managed to work out that this establishment is frequented by Team Terra agents, which leads me to believe there may be a base nearby."

"So we're going to listen in on conversations until we find them?" Miette asks. Paul nods. "If they seem like they're ready for us, it adds more credence to there being no spy, since no one else knows about this," Paul explains. "But, if they have no idea we're here, and we're able to get the drop on them, it adds more credence to my theory that there is, in fact, a spy." Miette looks at him quizzically at this. "What's wrong?" he asks. "Oh, nothing," she replies. "It's just that, that's not a normal plan that I've come to expect from you. You normally have much more detailed plans than that, so I was just wondering about that." Paul feels his face warm up a bit at this. "I can't believe you noticed that," he comments. "In truth, that one was a bit half-assed, since it was only plan A." "And what was plan B?" Paul sweat-drops at this. "Uh, getting myself caught," Paul replies.

Miette's jaw drops to the ground. "WHAT!?" she exclaims, before going slightly pink at the noise she made. "I'm obviously not going to do that now that you're here," he says. "We're going to focus on plan A," he says quickly. "I have no intention of being captured now." Miette grins at him, which makes his heart do somersaults. "What is wrong with me!?" he exclaims to himself. "We'll just listen in, find them, then follow them to their base if there is one. Once inside, we're going to find any information in regards to a spy." Miette nods. "That's a better plan than getting caught," she says. "Why were you planning that?"

"Because I know the kind of people that join these kinds of organisations," he says. "A lot of them tend to be egotists. People who feel superior to others, and like to show that off. I figured that all I had to do was push their buttons a little bit and they'll basically brag all of their plans to me. From there it would've been a matter of escaping." Miette looks at him with a mixture of shock and awe. "And how exactly were you planning on doing that?" she asks. Paul shrugs. "Battling my way out of it," he says. Miette laughs at this. Of course you thought of that," she says. Paul finds himself blushing again, and rubs the back of his head, which makes Miette laugh. "You do spend a lot of time around Ash," she laughs. "He does that too." Paul realises what he's doing, and lowers his hand.

They arrive at the café and choose the table at the centre of the establishment. From here it's easier to eavesdrop on conversations around them. Paul looks around to see if he can find anyone acting suspicious. Another way to tell if there's a spy is if there's a group of Team Terra here acting even more obvious in order to throw them off. The two of them order some generic drinks without paying too much attention. As they sit around and listen, they also chat with each other. For her part, Miette is having an internal panic. She keeps having to remind herself, "Paul is just a friend. This is NOT a date!" But seeing him sitting there across from her makes her mind wander down several roads, some of which she doesn't want to share out loud with anyone. SO, she shakes her head and looks away to clear her mind.

When she does, she spots a group of 4 sit down at a table next to them. She glances at them, and catches a few words. "Man, I thought we'd never be out of there," complains one of them. "I know right," says the other. "That base is fucking stifling." At the word base, Miette gets Paul's attention. Then, she jerks her head to the left. Paul looks at them, and strains his ears. "Will you speak quieter you fool!" snaps a third. "We don't want anyone overhearing." The second guy looks apologetic. Paul grins at Miette, then nods. He tries to listen in, but he can't hear it very well. So, he scootches his seat around to sit right next to her, which makes her go very red in the face. But Paul doesn't notice. He's too busy leaning in slightly to listen.

"When is the next operation going ahead?" one of them asks. "Hard to say," says another. "O wanted some info out of that green one, but she got away before they could properly gain the info." Paul leans closer. This has to be about what happened to Mao. "She needs that information to proceed, and, well, our friend hasn't been able to locate it," says a fourth guy. Paul is hoping that they mention who their friend is, and what the context is, but they all seem to understand that sentence, so none of them say anything about it. "But, the Boss wants that information. We can't go through with the plan without it," says the first guy. "So, all we can do is hope that we get lucky with our next catch." At this, Paul very nearly reveals himself on purpose just so he can be interrogated and learn what information they're looking for. But then he glances at Miette, and stops himself.

Paul and Miette continue to listen in on their conversation, but none of them reveal anything else of use. So, Paul decides to stop. But that's when he realises that he's been leaning so far out on his chair that it's balancing on its two hind legs. As he goes to stand back up, those legs give out from under him, and he crashes to the ground, causing many heads to turn to look at him. Including the 4 people he was eavesdropping on. Miette quickly helps him to his feet. "Sorry about him," she says quickly. "He's just recovered from a terrible accident, so his balance isn't the best." Paul nods at this, red in the face, before Miette quickly leads him away. But before they can get very far, one of the people they were eavesdropping on calls out, "Hey ponytail!" Paul stops and turns to him, glaring at the nickname. "You're Paul Shinji, right?"

Both Paul and Miette freeze. Before he can respond, another guy from the table smirks. "You know what, I think he is," he says, standing up. "You know, we were just hoping to have a word with you. You're close with Ash Ketchum, correct?" "Run!" Paul calls to Miette, before taking her hand and legging it down the road. The four Team Terra agents scramble to their feet and chase after the two of them. Luckily for them, Paul knows his way around Hearthome well. Unfortunately, so do the Team Terra agents it seems. They aren't able to predict where he's going, but they do seem to know a couple of shortcuts that he isn't aware of. Eventually, he decides it would be best to split up. "Just until we get out of the town," he tells Miette. "Or until other people realise what's going on!" Miette nods, then splits off from Paul.

Now with only himself to focus on, Paul properly starts trying to get away. He summons Electrivire to start zapping a few agents. As he runs, he grabs a crystal from his pocket and attaches it to his wrist. "Come on Alola, Don't fail me now!" he says to himself, before stopping and turning around. He sees the agents charging at him down the alleyway, with no way to avoid this. Perfect. He quickly taps the Z crystal, then makes the shape of a Z with his arms. "GIGAVOLT HAVOC!" he roars. Electrivire also roars and sends lightning shooting out at the agents. All 3 of them convulse as the lightning courses through them. Once the attack is finished, Paul returns Electrivire and starts running again. He barely has enough time to realise that there were only 3 of them there, which meant the 4th was missing, when he's struck by something across the head. He hits the ground hard and feels the world spinning, before fading to black.

Paul wakes up to find himself strapped to a metal bed. He looks around to find himself in some sort of cell. He checks his belt to find that his pokémon are gone. Typical. But maybe... He manages to slip his hand into his sleeve and feel around. He grins to himself. They haven't noticed it. He thinks about pulling it out, but then remembers his plan B. This is his chance to find out what it is that Team Terra wanted with Misty Hanada, Tracey Sketchit, Mallow Mao, and Lana Suiren. But then he thinks about Miette. She will have no idea where he is, and will probably be worried sick. He begins to debate with himself as to which should take precedence. But before he can make up his mind, Team Terra makes it up for him. A Sub-Admin with blonde hair that puffs out largely on both sides of her head steps into the room and grins. "You must be Paul Shinji," she comments. "And you must be O," Paul replies.

She laughs at this. "What gives you that idea?" she asks. "Your agents let that name slip, so I took a guess," Paul replies. "They aren't particularly quiet or secretive while on their lunchbreaks." A vein seems to form on the Sub-Admin's temple at this, which makes Paul grin slightly to himself. "And this must be the aforementioned egotist," he says to himself. "All I need to is apply a little pressure and she'll crack like an egg." "If you must know," says the Sub-Admin. "I am Sub-Admin A. The first Sub-Admin. And you, pretty boy, get the honour of telling me what I want to know." Paul makes a show of stifling his laughter, which causes A to get angry. "What's so funny?" she asks. "Sorry," says Paul, "but you just made a big show of yourself, and you're not even an admin?" There is definitely a throbbing vein in A's head at this, proving Paul's hunch that she's an egotist to be correct.

"It's only a matter of time before I become one," she snaps at him. "And I'll be one step closer to that when you tell me what I want to know!" Paul shrugs in the most annoying way he can. "Not like I can do much else," he replies. A seems to be satisfied by this. "So, we have some intel on your little group," she explains. "But it's... incomplete. We just need someone like you to fill in the blanks." Paul raises an eyebrow at this. "So, I take it that means you have a spy in our ranks then?" he asks casually. "I mean, we already knew that, so..." She stares at him with shock. "How did you figure it out!?" she demands. "Because your side weren't particularly cautious," he replies. "You acted immediately on every bit of information they gave, which gave me the clue that you had one. I only confirmed it just now when you told me."

A looks furious with herself. "But," Paul continues, "it seems like they aren't an effective spy if they don't know everything." "Which is why we need you!" A shouts, clearly growing frustrated. "We need to know the main location that Ash Ketchum stays in! Tell us now or this won't be painless!" "So, that's what you're after," Paul comments. "Sorry to say that that's not something I care to reveal." A glares at him, before turning around. While her back is to him, Paul makes another quick check down his sleeve. "Well then," says A. "I'll just have to force it out of you!" Then, she turns back around and shows him a large knife. Before Paul can say anything, she stabs it into his leg.

Paul resists the urge to scream, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of hearing it. Unsatisfied, she tries again in the same leg, causing tears of pain to well in his eyes. "Ok ok I'll talk!" he shouts. A smiles and removes the knife. "But first," he continues, panting from the pain, "I want to know why you want this information." A laughs at this. "As if I'd tell you that," she says, which makes Paul chuckle. "So, you don't know then," he comments. A sputters at that. "Of course I do!" she exclaims. "I am the head Sub-Admin of Team Terra! Of course I know!" "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much," Paul replies. "Sounds like you're just covering up the fact that you don't know." "It's so the Boss can know where Ash Ketchum is to bring a quick end to all the fighting!" A snaps, stabbing the knife into Paul's leg again.

When she removes the knife from Paul's leg, he starts chuckling again. "Why do you keep laughing!?" she shrieks. "It's simple," Paul replies. "I laid a trap, and you took every bit of bait I had. Now I know everything that I need to know. Although, if there's anything I'm missing, do feel free to share it." A glares at him so fiercely that if looks could kill, Paul would've probably died several times over. "Well, what good will that do you down here!?" she demands. "After I get what I want, I'll leave you in such a bad state that if you ever speak again it will be after relearning how!" Then, she raises the knife once more. But before she can lower it down on Paul's body again, an explosion is heard in the distance. Seizing the opportunity of A being briefly distracted, Paul releases the tiny spare pokéball he keeps up his sleeve.

Gliscor leaps out of the ball and throws A backwards, before turning around and cutting Paul free. Paul gives Gliscor a thankful nod, before returning him. Then, he starts running down the hall. Only to collapse to the ground as a terrible pain shoots up his leg. But he ignores it and staggers to his feet, limping down the hall. Along the way, he manages to locate his belt. He reattaches it, then turns to leave the room it was in, only to bump into someone. He hits the ground and lands awkwardly on his bad leg. He cries out in pain at this, readying himself to fight. But, he hears a much better sound than a Team Terra Grunt's voice. "Oh my Arceus! Paul are you ok!?" Paul looks up to find Miette's worried face looking down at him. She gets a look at his bad leg and gasps. "Who did that to you?" she asks. "A Sub-Admin," Paul replies, slowly getting to his feet. "Nothing to worry about. Come on, I have the information we need."

He goes to keep running, but his leg almost gives out on him again, and he grunts in pain. Miette catches him, and drapes one of his arms over her shoulder. "I'll carry you out," she tells him. "So just lean on me." Paul wants to protest, but Miette shoots him a warning look, so he lets her carry him out. As they run, with Miette's Slurpuff and Meowstic leading the way, Paul explains to her all that he learned. "Wow," Miette comments and she carries him out the door. "How did you manage to goad that much out of her." Paul looks a bit guilty at this. "Because I used to have an ego like that," he admits. "I simply said what I knew would piss me off back then." Miette rests her head on his shoulder. "Don't feel bad about that," she tells him. "You aren't like that anymore." Paul nods at this, feeling his heart flutter at this. "Holy Arceus I really do like her like that" he thinks to himself.

Miette manages to carry Paul all the way to the Pokémon Centre in Hearthome. The Nurse Joy is obviously horrified by the sight of Paul's leg, so he comes up with a quick excuse that he got it ravaged by a wild pokémon. The doctors quickly stitch up his leg, with some looking at him with suspicion when they notice how precise the wounds are. But, they don't question his story, and leave him alone once they're done. Miette arrives in his room not long after, handing him his phone. "This was turned into the police station," she explains. "I was able to identify that it was yours." Paul thanks her, then quickly searches up Ash's name. As he does, he briefly thinks about telling her how he feels, but decides against it. He calls Ash, who picks up pretty quickly. "Hey Paul," he says, a look of concern on his face. "Everything alright?" "I was right!" Paul tells him immediately. "Someone on our side is a spy, and handing information to Team Terra!"

Chapter Text

Forrest has never moved so fast in his entire life. He races through the forest and along the path, following the map on his phone as he tries to make it back to Pewter City as fast as possible. As he drives the motorbike he stole from Team Terra, he calls Brock to find out if he's still at the house. When Brock picks up, he barely has time to say, "Hey," before Forrest shouts, "Are you still at the Gym!?" Brock sounds very surprised by this question. "Uh, no, I left a few days ago," Brock replies. "Ash needed me and Olivia for something, so I left Yolanda in charge." Forrest swears loudly at this and drives faster. "Why?" Brock asks worriedly. "Forrest what's going on?" Forrest hastily explains what he was told by Team Terra, and that he's on his way back to Pewter now.

Brock sounds very worried at this. "WHAT!?" he exclaims. "I'm on my way back now! But it will take a while!" Forrest swears again and puts the bike at max speed. "I'm almost there, I'll deal with it, just please get here quickly!" Brock promises that he will, then ends the call. Unfortunately for Forrest, he isn't able to make it all the way in one go. He'd been driving practically nonstop since he left Max and Bonnie, stopping only for an hour or 2 to rest his eyes or eat something, and now Pewter is so close. But now, his eyes are beginning to droop. "No," he mutters to himself. "Stay awake! I have to stay awake!" But his body refuses to listen to him. He pushes past his tiredness and keeps going for as long as he can, but he finally gives in to his fatigue when he ends up microsleeping and almost crashes the bike into a tree. So, he reluctantly stops the bike, lays out his ground mat and closes his eyes, telling himself it'll just be for another hour.

He ends up sleeping for 10. He shoots awake upon realising this, and hastily throws everything back in his bag before hopping on the motorbike and carrying on, not even eating before he drives. As he goes, somehow even faster than before, he curses himself for sleeping so long. "If they've already been taken by the time I get there," he says to himself, "I'll never forgive myself!" He keeps driving, urging the bike to go faster. The wind ruffles his hair so much that he'll need eight different combs to fix it later, and stings his eyes to the point that they tear up so much it makes it hard to see. "Now I know why bikers wear goggles when they ride," he says, though he can barely hear his own voice over the sound of the wind.

Finally, he arrives at Pewter City, and only then does he slow down. As he drives through the town, a local runs up to him. "Oh, Forrest, thank Arceus you've come!" "What's wrong?" he asks hurriedly. "Your gym is under attack!" the local tells him. "Yolanda and Salvadore are holding them off, but they're struggling!" Without another word, Forrest starts up the motorbike and drives over to his home as fast as he can. Once he sees it, he feels his heart freeze over. It looks worse than it did after the last time Team Terra attacked this place. Then again, that one was for something Brock had, rather than to personally hurt his family.

Team Terra agents are swarming the place, sending out all sorts of water and grass type pokémon out to attack the place. Yolanda and Salvadore are standing at the entrance, with their partner pokémon, Ivysaur and Wartortle, fighting off the opposing forces, but it's clear they're getting overwhelmed. Rage bubbles through Forrest at this, and he revs the bike up. He rides up to several agents and uses the bike to knock them over. Then, he leaps off it and summons Rhyperior, having him throw the bike at several other agents, blowing it up and sending them flying in different directions. "Forrest!" Yolanda cheers as he steps over to her. "Hey little sis, little bro," he says. "Good job defending the Gym. Now, let me help!" Yolanda and Salvadore grin at him and nod, then they spur their pokémon on some more.

With Forrest aiding the two, the tide slowly begins to turn for the Stones. Soon enough, Team Terra has been routed. Forrest stands proudly at this in front of his home. "Now listen here!" he shouts. "This is the Pewter City Gym! And I am Forrest Stone, official Gym Leader of this Gym! If anyone dares try to harm it again, you will have me to answer to!" Rhyperior roars at this, causing the Team Terra agents to shake with fear. They look like they want to turn and run, but a voice calls out from behind them, stopping them from doing so. "Well, that was certainly quite the speech," says the voice. "So, if I want to complete this plan, I need to take you down first. That can be arranged."

The Agents go from scared to triumphant as they step to the side, revealing none other than Admin Angie, walking up to him. He notices the fact that she's wearing those gloves that Max had described to him on their journey, and has the gun that she shot the poachers with on her back. Instinctively, he stands in front of Yolanda and Salvadore protectively, which makes Angie laugh. "How cute," she says. "You think you alone can protect this place?" Then, she raises her fists, and they spark with electricity. "Let me show you just how wrong you are!" Then, she rushes towards him. Forrest raises his hands to protect himself... but the strike doesn't come. Instead, the sound of metal hitting metal can be heard, Forrest looks up, to find a Steelix standing between him and Angie.

"Who said he was alone?" calls a voice from Forrest's right. He looks over there and sees Brock standing there, giving Angie the biggest death glare that Forrest has ever seen. "BROCK!" Yolanda and Salvadore call. He smiles at them, then returns his attention to Angie, who Forrest can tell, even with the mask on, that she's flabbergasted. "How did you find out!?" she demands. Brock laughs. "It's all thanks to my little brother over there," he says, pointing to Forrest. "One of your Sub-Admins gloated, and he raced here to help, after calling me to let me know." Angie looks furious at this. "Damn it O," she says angrily. "But no matter. We'll still take you in." Then, she turns her attention to Brock, charging at him with her fists electrified. But before she can reach him, Forrest charges, knocking her over.

"Stay with the others!" Forrest calls to his two younger siblings. "Protect them in case Team Terra tries anything funny!" They nod, then disappear back inside. Angie manages to push Forrest off her, then knocks him away before getting up. Forrest gets to his feet and stands next to his older brother. "You should head in too," says Brock. "I can handle them." At this, Forrest pulls out his own Onix. "The only place I'm going," he replies, cracking his knuckles, "is to beat the crap out of these losers." Brock grins at this. "Couldn't have put it better myself," he replies. Then, both of them shout, "Onix/Steelix, Rock Tomb!"

The combined attack devastates Team Terra's pokémon, even though they have the type advantage. As Brock and Forrest watch with satisfaction, Team Terra are scrambling to recover from this devastating attack. They're so preoccupied that they miss Angie charging at them with her electric fists raised. At least, Forrest does. Suddenly, Brock calls his name and pushes him away and takes the attack himself. As Forrest watches, Brock is thrown backwards, bouncing on the ground a couple of times before landing on his back. Angie walks over to him, her fists sparking. "I really don't want to have to hurt such a pretty face," she tells him. "But if you don't tell me what I want to know, I will have to."

Brock stares at her. "So, all of this, was to get some information out of me?" Angie nods. "We need to know something," she says. "But it's not something you'd admit until we apply a bit of pressure." She finishes walking over to him. "Where is Ash Ketchum's main base of operations?" she asks him. "I know you know. And now you're going to tell me." "Over my dead body," Brock replies. Angie laughs at this. "What about theirs?" she asks. Then, she raises her right hand and snaps her fingers. Behind her, Team Terra raise their guns and point them at the Pewter Gym. They also get what pokémon they have remaining to do the same. "Those two younger siblings of yours are quite feisty," says Angie. "But, will they be able to protect the rest of your family from harm?" She raises her hand again. "So, are you going to tell me?" Brock looks at her, then grins. "No," he says. "In fact, I'm not even going to tell you to look out behind you."

Before Angie can do so, Forrest sneaks up behind her and brings a rock down on her head. Angie crumples to the ground, her mask sparking as the rock makes contact. Forrest helps Brock to his feet. "Thanks," he says. "Don't mention it," Forrest replies. Then, the two of them return their attention to Team Terra, who are looking at them with shock. The two bothers smirk at them, then bring their Onix and Steelix forward, with Forrest holding up the same rock he used to smash Angie's mask. All the agents look at each other, collectively decide this is above their pay grade, return their pokémon, and leg it.

Angie gets to her feet at this, and Forrest is able to see the eyes of Aldith through the hole made from hitting the ground hard. Her gloves spark on her hands, but not the same spark as before. This time, it seems to be due to a technical malfunction that causes the spark. "Well, it looks like I damaged more than just the mask," Forrest comments. Aldith glares at him, then looks around and sees that her forces have retreated. Seeing the two rock types looming over her, Aldith decides that this might be the best call. "You haven't seen the last of Team Terra," she tells them. "We will be back! We will face each other again." "I look forward to it," Forrest replies. Aldith gives him one more angry glare, then storms off.

"Forrest that was amazing!" cries Yolanda, and she and Salvadore lead the rest of their siblings out to greet the two eldest. Forrest wants to deny that it wasn't just him, but Brock rubs the top of his head affectionately. "Good job bud," he says. "You were awesome." Forrest grins at this. "Thanks guys," he says. "But you guys helped too." The family begins to head back inside, where Brock offers to make everyone a big celebratory feast, which Forrest offers to help with. "Will you be going back after this Brock?" asks Cindy. Brock nods sadly. "I'm afraid so," he says. "I have to make sure that doesn't happen again." "What about you Forrest?" asks Billy. Forrest thinks about it. On one hand, it was fun travelling with Max and Bonnie, and nice to take a break from older brother duties. But on the other hand, today proved to him that his family needs him. With these options weighed, he makes up his mind.

"I'm staying here," he says. They all look at him with surprise. "But, I thought you wanted a break?" Tilly asks. "I did," Forrest replies. "And I got it. So, now it's time for me to return to my duties and defend this gym." His younger siblings all crowd around him and give him tight hugs, while Brock looks on with pride. "Are you sure?" Brock asks. "Because I can call mum and dad and tell them what happened. After hearing Team Terra attacked the place again, surely they'll come home and defend it while you travel?" Forrest laughs at this. Please," he says, somewhat bitterly, "if they didn't come home after the 1st time the place was attacked, what makes you think they'll come home this time?" Brock also laughs. "Yeah, good point," he agrees. Then, he goes back to making food. Forrest breaks himself out of his siblings' hugs, and goes to help his brother. He had fun traveling some of Kanto with Max and Bonnie, but after what happened, he's certain now that his place is here, in Pewter, with his family.

Chapter Text

It takes Mallow a full week to fully recover from her ordeal in the Team Terra base. During that time, Lana fussed over her incessantly, to the point that even Mallow, once she woke back up, started to get a bit annoyed by it. She woke back up roughly 2 days after they rescued her, to find herself lying with her head on Lana's lap. She looked up to find Lana rummaging around a tent. "Not that I'm complaining," she said, "but why is my head on your lap?" Lana jumped slightly in fright, then looked over to Mallow. Upon seeing her awake, Lana practically screams and hugs her tightly. She almost goes in to kiss her, but remembers that Mallow was delirious when she did that to her, so instead, she just hugs her. When Mallow gets close to Lana's face, she instinctively kisses her cheek without thinking.

Both girls go red in the face, and Mallow jumps away, wincing from how sore her body is. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I have no idea why I did that!" "It's alright Mallow," Lana replies. "I didn't mind it. You already did that to me." Mallow looks at her with surprise at first. Then, her brain brings up the memory of her doing just that in the Team Terra base, and she goes bright red. But Lana walks up to her, and takes her hands. Mallow goes even redder at this, but then Lana kisses her back, on the lips this time. Both of them feel immense joy at this, and wish for this moment to never end. But of course, it has to, thanks to Max Maple. He suddenly bursts into their tent, with a stick in his hand. "What's going on!" he exclaims. "Who screamed?" Then, he sees that Mallow and Lana have just parted lips, and his own face goes pink. "I am so sorry about that," he says, backing away. "I'll just leave you to it." Then, he leaves, muttering, "Bonnie is going to kill me," to himself.

After that, it takes another few days for Mallow to fully recover from what happened to her. During this time, Max and Bonnie ask her what Team Terra wanted from her. "Information," she replies. "They wanted to know where Ash's main base of operations is." Both Max and Bonnie look at each other with confusion. "They didn't want to know where we are?" Max asks. Mallow doesn't reply for a few seconds. "Well, they did," she says. "But after they found out I didn't know, they started probing me for where Ash spent most of this conflict." "Wait, what do you mean by probed?" Lana asks. Mallow doesn't look at her as she says the next part. "They had a Drowzee enter my mind a few times to try and force the information out of me," she replies. All 3 of them stare at her with shock. Lana immediately starts checking on her to see if she's ok, despite her protests of, "I'm fine! I'm fine!"

Max and Bonnie try to find a way out of this situation, which thankfully comes in the form of a phone call from Forrest. The two of them excuse themselves and walk away from the new couple to speak with their friend. "Hey Forrest," says Max as soon as they answer. "Is your family ok?" "They're perfectly fine," he replies. "I managed to make it back in time to save them from any damage. Plus, my older brother showed up to help." Both Max and Bonnie smile at this, relieved to know they're all ok. "So, are you coming back?" Bonnie asks. Forrest's face falls slightly. "About that," he says. Max can tell what he's going to say before the sentence even leaves Forrest's mouth. "You're staying in Pewter, aren't you?" he asks. Forrest chuckles slightly. "Can't get anything past you, can I?" he replies. "Yes, I'm staying in Pewter. It was a lot of fun travelling with you. But, doing so has made me realise, my place is with my family."

Both Max and Bonnie smile at this. "Well, if that's what you want, then we're happy for you," says Max. "But remember that you can always re-join us whenever you like!" Bonnie adds. Forrest smiles at this himself. "I'll bear that in mind," he says to them. "But for now, you guys are free to leave Vermillion without me." Max laughs a bit. "Lucky us," he jokes, "because we're not even there yet." Seeing the look of confusion on Forrest's face, the two of them explain to him what's been happening over the past few days. Forrest looks grim when he learns that Mallow had been probed by a Drowzee. They keep talking for a bit longer, until there comes a crashing sound from behind Forrest. Forrest turns to look and see what happened, then swears. "Sorry guys, I gotta take care of that," he tells them. "I'll see you around though." max and Bonnie smile at him. "Of course," says Max. "And remember, there's always room in our group for one more!" Forrest grins at this and thanks them, before ending the call.

Soon enough, Lana deems Mallow fit enough to travel again, and explains to her how they'll be travelling with Max and Bonnie for a bit, just as far as Vermillion. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," Lana tells her. "I'm ok with travelling with them by myself." Mallow scoffs at that and takes Lana's hand. "Now, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I let mine go on something so dangerous alone?" she says. Lana goes bright red at this. "G-Girlfriend!?" she exclaims. Mallow giggles. "Of course," she says. "That's what we are. Aren't we?" Lana smiles at this. "Yes," she agrees. "I'd like that." Max smiles at the two of them, glad to see that they've finally worked it out. Then he looks at Bonnie and sees, quite expectantly, that she has hearts in her eyes, and her face practically sparkles. Which makes his heart beat so much he briefly worries that he might have a heart attack. "Not now emotions!" he says to himself.

With this sorted, the 4 of them pack up and then make their way back up to the path. Unfortunately, this takes them longer than it took Max, Bonnie, and Forrest to get down to where they were camping, since they can't remember the route they took the first time, and the spots Bonnie used for visions seem to have faded. So, they're left to stumble practically blindly through the forest for a while. It doesn't help that Mallow is still a little unsteady on her feet, so she keeps tripping on different tree roots. But at last, they find the old ruin that the new couple, along with Misty and Tracey, were first attacked. From there, it's an easy walk back to the path. "Finally, civilisation!" Mallow shouts, which makes the other 3 laugh. Max pulls out his phone, pleased to see that the map is working again. "This is why you bring paper maps," he mutters to himself, before quickly locating the route they need to take. Then, he leads the way to Vermillion.

But of course, it doesn't take very long for trouble to come their way, as trouble is so wanton to do. About a day after they left the clearing, the group is continuing on this route to Vermillion. Bonnie is going through her team, thinking about which pokémon would be best to use against Lt. Surge, Mallow and Lana are walking hand in hand, silently discussing all the things they can do together as a couple when they get to Vermillion. Meanwhile Max is busy speaking into his audio logs about all the pokémon he sees. He's walking further back from the group in order to make sure he doesn't pick up any background noise from his friends.

As he stares around him, he suddenly notices the air seems to shift in certain places. At first he thinks it's some sort of trick of the light. But then he remembers an old ally who can do just such a thing as make the air seem like it's shifting. Not to mention, she was here previously. "Camo!" he calls out. "I know you're here!" The air shifts completely, and the figure of Camo appears in front of him. The rest of his group turns around to see what he's talking about. Mallow and Lana jump out of their skin at this as pokéballs fly into their hands. Meanwhile, Bonnie's face brightens upon seeing her. "Hey Camo," she says. "What are you doing here?" "To warn you to turn back," she replies. "There's a small patrol of Team Terra's goons up ahead. If they see you, it will blow your cover."

All 4 of them freeze. "What are they here for?" Lana asks, glancing at Mallow as she does. "Not for her," Camo tells them. "As far as I'm aware, they're just on patrol. Though I wouldn't take any chances." After hearing that, Max is all for getting the Reverse World out of there and finding another way to Vermillion, but Bonnie shoots that down pretty quick. "But this is the only way to Vermillion from here!" she argues. "We have to go this way!" "Not if you want all of Ketchum and the rest of your friends' hard work to be for nothing!" Camo argues. "trust me, if you go this way, you will be in grave danger!" "Not if we have you to help us," Mallow points out.

Both Camo and Lana stare at her. "What do you mean by that?" Lana asks. "Well, she can go invisible, right?" Mallow points out. "So, we can sneak around this patrol, and if it looks like we're about to get caught, she can cause a diversion. That way, we can sneak off without being seen." "Are you sure you're up for this?" Lana asks. "I mean, you're still a little unsteady on your feet. What if you fall over and they see you?" "That's what she's for," Mallow points out, before turning to Camo. "Camo, was it?" "That is what you may call me," she replies. "And yes, I could prevent them from seeing you, but you will need to be very quick, quiet, and careful in order for this to work. Can you do that?" The four of them nod. "Then I will help you," says Camo. "But, If you are spotted, it will not be my fault. Are we in agreement on that?" More nods. "Then let's try."

As they get closer to this patrol, Camo turns invisible and sneaks away from them. Before she leaves, she says, "I'll stay close. Just try to make as little noise as possible, ok?" They nod, so as not to make anymore sound than was necessary. Once they're sure that Camo is gone, they continue walking towards Vermillion. Sure enough, not far down the road, they hear the sounds of gruff voices. They stop and listen. "I don't get why we're here," complains a grunt. "We're looking for the invisible woman that keeps sabotaging us," says another. "That's why. So, quit complaining." "I don't see why we need to hunt someone who can turn invisible," complains the first guy. "That just seems counterintuitive."

"So, they're after Camo?" Bonnie whispers. "Well, that doesn't surprise me," says Lana. "Camo has been feeding us a lot of information on Team Terra's plans, so no wonder they want to track her down." "They'll also be tracking us down if we aren't quiet!" Max hisses. "So, let's stay quiet please." Both of them shoot apologetic looks, then they begin sneaking. Max wanted to use his Pidgeot to fly over them all, but Camo pointed out that that would attract some attention. So, they're stuck crouch walking along the outskirts of the path, like they were in a stupid stealth section of a videogame. Max always hated those sections, and now he's living one. "So, this is what my life has become," he mutters to himself.

As they step closer to the patrol, they can hear more of their conversation. "But what's the point of searching for someone we can't see!" another grunt complains. "Besides, she mightn't even be here in the first place! What makes you so sure that she is!?" The other person groans at this. "I'm not! Alright?!" she complains. "But this menace was seen along this path last week by C-03 and C-05, and the nearby base was attacked not long after! So, until we receive information that she's somewhere else, we've been ordered to comb this place, so we're combing it! And I don't want to hear anymore complaints!" This causes the rest of the group to fall silence. Something that is very unfortunate for the 4 currently hiding.

As the group and patrol become parallel to each other, the 4 hidden are too scared to even breathe due to how quiet it's become. They stay stock still behind the bushes, silently waiting for the patrol to go past. It's a miracle they haven't been found yet. After what feels like 5 eternities, the patrol finally walks past, and Max and the others breathe sighs of relief. Then, they resume their sneaking. But then, Mallow loses her footing again. Before Lana can catch her, she hits the ground, and lets out an involuntary grunt. The patrol stops moving. "Did you hear that?" one of them asks. "I did," says another. "Someone else is here." Then, to the group's horror, they start retracing their steps, and going back towards them. They can't move, can barely breathe out of fear of being caught. Max is leaning back so far that he falls silently on to his back. The others do the same, and begin to backwards army crawl away from the bushes, hoping against hope that they won't be seen.

Thankfully, salvation comes in the form of Camo. Right as one of the grunts is about to separate the bushes and find them, her head is knocked backwards, and she topples over. One of the other grunts barely has time to say, "What the-!" before his head jerks sideways, and he hits the dirt. "She's here!" shouts another. "Open fire!" The sound of gunfire echoes through the trees as Team Terra starts firing blindly in all directions, hoping to land a hit on her. But considering the fact that they're all dropping like flies, they clearly aren't doing a very good job. Seizing the opportunity, the group makes a break for it. They scuttle along the forest, trying desperately to get away from the patrol before they're spotted. They almost reach a point where they can get back on the path and run, when Max hears another grunt of pain.

Turning around, he sees that Camo has been hit by a lucky shot. She's lying on the ground, clearly visible, with the Team Terra grunts that she hadn't taken out, which is about a quarter of them, looming over her, grinning and chuckling. "And now, to finally deal with this pain in the neck!" says one of them, before stepping over to her and pointing his gun at her. Seeing this, Max quickly releases Weedle and quietly orders him to use String Shot to wrench the gun out of the agent's hand. Weedle scampers over to a tree, then shoots a String Shot right at the gun, right as he's about to pull the trigger. The gun flies out of his hand, spins around, then smacks him across the face. "We have more company!" shouts a grunt. "Spread out, don't let them esca-!" But he's interrupted there by Camo getting to her feet and sucker punching him in the face. The grunts point their guns at her, but she disappears once again.

Seizing the opportunity of their renewed distraction, Max quickly recalls his Weedle, only to find that he isn't a Weedle anymore. He has since evolved into a Kakuna. Max grins at the Kakuna, then returns him to his pokéball and catches up with the others. Once they can no longer hear the fighting, Bonnie tells him off for his recklessness. "You could've been seen!" she exclaims. "I swear, for someone so smart, you really can be a moron!" "I'm sorry!" Max replies earnestly. "But I couldn't let Camo be shot!" "There were better ways of saving her though," says Lana. "Ones that didn't involve backing up." Lana is cuddling Mallow as she says this, reassuring her that that wasn't her fault.

"But, I do appreciate you coming to my rescue," says a voice behind them. They turn to see Camo shimmer into existence. "For as stupid as that plan was, it did save my life, so thanks." "Don't mention it," Max replies. "After all, you saved our lives back there as well." Camo chuckles and rubs his hair. "Don't mention it," she replies. "Although, in future, if I suggest finding a different path, may I suggest you heed my advice?" "Oh, we will," Max replies, glaring at Bonnie at this, who blushes. "Well then, I'll be off," says Camo, turning away from them. "I hope we see each other again, under less stressful circumstances." The 4 of them nod in agreement, then watch as Camo disappears. They stare at this spot for a few seconds, before turning and carrying on. As they walk, they're blissfully unaware of the two figures from the patrol who hadn't been knocked out. These two grin, seizing the opportunity to finally make names for themselves in Team Terra's ranks.

Chapter Text

They're being followed. Max doesn't need the Jade Orb or Bonnie's Aura abilities to be able to tell that. He can just feel the eyes of someone, or maybe multiple people, as he and the others walk through the woods on their way to Vermillion. And, looking at his companions, he can tell that he's not the only one who feels it. Lana's head keeps darting about, looking out for anyone suspicious. Mallow keeps looking behind her nervously, afraid that she'll be captured and put through that experience again. As for Bonnie, she keeps stopping ever few minutes to look around. Mallow and Lana think she's just looking around at the pokémon, but Max knows better. Sometimes, as she looks around, Max can see her using her Aura to find out where the person following them is.

After a while, Lana finally speaks up. "So, is anyone actually following us, or am I going crazy?" she asks. The other 3 shrug. "No idea," Bonnie replies. "Then why not use your power to find them?" Mallow asks. "What was it called again?" "Oh yeah!" Lana exclaims. "You mean Aura!" Both Max and Bonnie stare at them for a few seconds, before remembering that snowy hill in Kalos. "Oh my Arceus I actually forgot you knew about it!" Bonnie exclaims. "No, I haven't found anyone yet." Max looks at her quizzically. "Then how the Reverse World do we all feel like we're being followed?" Max asks. Bonnie shrugs. "I don't know," she says. "My power isn't warning me of any danger, nor do I see red Aura, so I can't explain it!" The other 3 sigh, accepting that that makes sense.

But soon enough, Bonnie's Aura does start to warn that something is coming. She looks around one more time, and finally spots their stalkers. "There are two people following us in the trees to our left," she tells them. "Both of them have red Aura around them." Seeing the looks of confusion on the girls' faces, she clarifies what the difference between red and Blue Aura is. She almost also mentions Green Aura to them, but stops herself, feeling her face heat up at the very thought of it. "So, we just need to keep an eye on our left hand side, and they can't surprise us," Lana summarises. "That's correct," Bonnie agrees. Mallow, Lana, and Max nod in understanding, and they continue walking, making sure to keep looking at their left hand side, so as not to be surprised by their stalkers. Max and Bonnie know exactly who they are, so they know that as long as Bonnie keeps them in her sight, they won't be able to try anything.

At least, that's what they think. Soon enough however, they discover just how incorrect they are. As they walk down the path, they're so focused on their left, that they fail to pay full attention to what's in front of them. Suddenly, Max's foot doesn't find purchase on the ground. Too late, he realises that he's just fallen for the oldest trick in the book, before quite literally falling, into a pit. Bonnie sees him tumble and grabs onto his bag to catch him, but all that does is cause her to fall in too. Mallow and Lana both try to help, but they have just enough time to realise how stupid of a decision that was, before they're pulled in too. As Max tumbles down into the hole, something inside his bag knocks into his back. Something metallic. At first, he can't think of what it might be. And suddenly, he remembers an encounter with Team Terra back in Hoenn, and something he took from them afterwards.

But before he can take it out of the bag to use it, two people appear in front of them, standing up at the top of the hole. "Well, I must say I never thought that would work," says Sarah triumphantly. "But then again, they fell for it before." "I knew it would work all along," Sam replies. "And now, we once again have you in our clutches!" Max and Bonnie look at them with extreme annoyance, while Mallow and Lana just look confused. "Who are these guys?" asks Mallow. "And should we be concerned that they know you're here?" "Not at all," Max replies. "They're just a pair of Team Rocket knockoffs, whop haven't shared that we're here yet so they can get the glory of catching us." Mallow and Lana laugh. "So, I take it they're completely incompetent?" Mallow asks. "Not really," Bonnie replies. "Just easy to outsmart."

"Uh, we're right here!" they both shout. "And this time, you won't be getting away!" They both look so pleased with themselves, that Max almost feels bad for the stunt he's about to pull. Almost. "You know what," he says, "fine, you caught us." Bonnie looks at Max thoroughly confused. "What do you mean?" she asks. Then she sees him taking off his bag and going to open it. She goes to protest, but then she makes eye contact with him, and he winks. Seeing that he has a plan, she stops. "Alright you two, you win," he says. "I'll hand them over." Everyone except Bonnie looks shocked by this. But Sarah and Sam's shock quickly changes to glee. "At last!" Sam exclaims. "We win!" "Sub-Admin jobs, here we come!" Max opens the bag and whispers, "Grab onto me," to the other 4. They hold on, as he pulls something out and shouts, "Here they come!"

Sarah and Sam hold out there arms to receive the notebooks, only to instead see a grappling hook in his hand. They barely have time to dodge out of the way before the line flies over their heads and wraps around a tree, pulling the 4 of them free from the hole. Bonnie makes sure that Max still has his bag before they fly out, otherwise this would've been for nothing. They land neatly on the ground, then Max returns the grappling hook to his bag, and they make a run for it. "Where did you get the grappling hook?" Bonnie asks. "Stole it from them all the way back in Hoenn," Max replies. "I completely forgot I had it until right now!" "The amount of times we could've made use of that," Bonnie gripes. Max nods in agreement, and not for the first time does he curse his poor memory. "less talking more running!" Lana shouts. "Those idiots are coming!"

Max looks around and sees that she's right. The two of them are fast approaching them, running full sprint towards them. The 4 of them try to pick up speed, but fail to do so when Mallow loses her footing again. "Oh come on!" she complains. "I thought I was done with this!" But then, Lana scoops her up bridal style and carries on running. "Actually, I don't think I'm quite done with this just yet," she says, making Lana blush. But even with Lana carrying Mallow, coupled with Max and Bonnie being shorter than all of them, and it doesn't take long for Sarah and Sam to catch up. Max rummages through his pokéballs, and is about to send out his Pidgeot to help them get away, when suddenly an explosion occurs between them and Team Terra.

Sarah and Sam are thrown backwards by the blast, and everyone turns around to see what caused it. Standing there, in between the two parties, is a Clefairy. At first, all of them are completely confused. But then, Max recognises it as the Clefairy that led them to those poachers back when Forrest first started travelling with them. It had been following them ever since they left the Moon Stone behind. Sarah and Sam slowly get to their feet, to see the Clefairy staring daggers at them. "Well, it looks like you've improved your team since we last battled," says Sam. "But it won't save you from our wrath!" Then, they send out their own teams. But, those pokémon barely have time to come out, before Max says, "Clefairy, Metronome!" Clefairy uses Metronome again, and luckily it was Explosion. Their pokémon are sent flying back into them, who are in turn sent flying off.

They all watch them go with satisfaction. "It's like we never stopped travelling with Ash," Mallow comments. Lana laughs at this, before going to put Mallow down. But, Mallow doesn't want to be put down. "Can I stay up here a bit longer," she asks, giving her girlfriend the baby-doll-eyes. Lana sighs, and giggles. "Alright," she says. "But I'm putting you down the second I get tired." Mallow agrees to this, before nuzzling up to Lana, and making her go pink. Meanwhile, Max and Bonnie have gathered round the Clefairy that followed them. "I wonder what it wants?" Bonnie questions. "Since it came all the way here from Mt. Moon." Max thinks about this, then has an idea. He pulls out an empty pokéball and holds it out to Clefairy. "You want to join us, don't you?" he asks. Clefairy nods eagerly, then baps the ball on the button with it's head. It gets sucked in, and clicks green. Max smiles at this. "Welcome to the team Clefairy," he says. Now, with his 4th pokémon, the 4 of them continue on their way.

Chapter Text

After a few days of travelling, the group ends up stopping off at a nearby town that's apparently protected by a bunch of Squirtle, something that Bonnie found incredibly cute. They spend the night there, and check over a bunch of maps of Kanto in order to choose the best route to travel by. "Well, I think after what we went through last week, it might be wise to avoid the main path," Lana suggests. The other 3 nod in agreement. They have a look through the map again, when Max spots something. "Why not that way?" he suggests. They all look at it. "It is out of the way," Bonnie agrees. "And there seems to be an abandoned lighthouse on the road," Mallow observes. "Perfect place to hide if a Team Terra patrol comes by." "And there'll be a bunch of water and Flying Type pokémon there!" Max adds.

The others look at him, causing him to blush. "Ok, so I had an ulterior motive," he adds, making the others laugh. "So, we're in agreement then?" Lana asks. "We'll head up in the direction of the lighthouse, then make our way to Vermillion from there?" The other 3 nod. With that settled, they roll their map back up. Then, their group separates for the night, with Mallow and Lana going on a date together, since they haven't really had the chance to do that yet, while Bonnie drags Max across town to look for the Squirtle Squad. Eventually, they all reunite in the Pokémon Centre and head to sleep, glad to know they have a proper plan in mind.

Ash is worried. He'd heard from Lana about the near miss with Max and Bonnie and the Team Terra patrol. Since then, he's been keeping a close eye on the Kanto region, just in case anything comes up with Team Terra. As he studies these routes and charts that Team Terra could go on, he has Lana and Mallow keep him in touch with where they're going as well, just to make doubly sure there won't be another incident like that. As he looks over these, as well as keeping an eye on the news, to see how his side of the conflict is doing. Being the leader of this is a major headache. But, he can't wallow in his annoyance for too long, because his phone begins to ring. Picking it up, he sees that it's Lana. "Hey Lana," he says as he answers. "You updating me?" "Yep," Lana replies. "But unfortunately it has to be a quick one, my phone is about to go dead."

"Well, that's not good," says Ash. "Are you sure that you're the only one who can contact me?" "Well, Mallow's phone was taken from her during her kidnapping, and I was too busy escaping with her to recover it," Lana replies. "And I'm pretty sure that if Max were to find out you've been keeping tabs on him through us, he's slip away in an heartbeat." Ash sighs, knowing she's right. "That boy does not like to be kept an eye on," he mutters to himself. "Well in fairness," Lana says, "one of the last times someone kept their eyes on him, he was essentially imprisoned in Larousse for a few weeks." Ash sighs. "That's true," he says. "Now, tell me where you're heading."

"We're going to an old lighthouse, Lana replies. "It's off the main path, and allows us to reach Vermillion without being seen by Team Terra's goons." Ash smiles at this. "That's a good call," he says. "Hey, when you get there, say hi to Bill for me?" Lana is clearly confused, and starts asking who Bill is, but gets cut off by the call ending before Ash can reply. "Well shit," he mutters. "Guess her phone died." He leaves his own on the desk and resumes looking over maps. "Shouldn't you take a break from that?" Pikachu asks. Ash shakes his head. "I can't," he says. "Not after that near miss. I need to make sure something like that doesn't happen again." Pikachu sighs and nuzzles up to Ash's cheek. "Just don't overwork yourself," he says. Ash chuckles. "You sound like Serena," he says. "Well, she does have a point," Pikachu replies. "You've been straining yourself a lot recently. I think you should take it easy for a bit."

Before Ash can reply, his phone rings again. Hoping that it's Lana, and she's managed to find a way to recharge her phone, or contact him another way. It isn't. When he picks the phone up, he sees that it's actually Camo calling. "What have you got for me?" he asks. "Another shipment of weapons being smuggled into Kanto," she replies. "Although they're using a different dropping point than I initially thought." "Where are they dropping them off?" Ash asks. "The old lighthouse near Vermillion," Camo replies. Ash's heart freezes at this. "They've taken the lighthouse over, and are using it as a means to ship their weapons in." "H-How?" Ash asks, his voice shaking slightly. "I believe they intend to use it as a beacon," Camo replies. "Flash the light, then point it to the cove where their agents will be their to pick them up."

Ash is panicking at this point. "Thanks for the info Camo," he says. "I'll get someone on it to stop them." Then, he ends the call. "What are you going to do?" Pikachu asks. "I know he just finished recovering from his previous excursion," Ash replies. "But I think I need to send Paul in again." Pikachu nods, leaving the decision up to him. Ash sighs, then calls Paul. "This had better be important," says Paul, the second he picks up. "My leg still hasn't fully healed from the stabbing I got last time." "That was your idea," Ash points out, before getting down to business. "And I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't of the utmost importance." Paul sighs. "Go on" he says. "What do you need from me this time?"

Ash proceeds to explain the situation, and how Lana's phone is dead, so he has no means of contacting her about it. When he's finished, Paul doesn't say anything for a bit. "I can see what you mean by this being serious," he says. "But can't you ask someone else? Why does it have to be me?" "Because you're one of the only people who knows there's a spy," Ash replies. "I haven't explained the situation to anyone else yet, and I need to be careful who I tell. But, if I share this information around to get help, and the spy overhears, then all they need to do is share it, and we lose. Max's location is revealed, and Team Terra swarms the place." Paul makes a noise of understanding. "Alright, fine," he says. "I'll head down and give Mallow and Lana a hand. And I'll bring Miette with me, she's the only other person who knows about the spy." Ash thanks him, then the two end the call. Ash sits back in his chair and rubs his face with his hands. Then, he looks at his phone again. "Actually," he says to Pikachu, "I think I will call Serena."

After leaving the town the next day, Lana briefly leaves them to make a phone call, but tells them to go on ahead and she'll catch up. They do so, and sure enough, she's caught up with them not long after they leave. When she does reunite with them, and immediately resume holding Mallow's hand, the group notices that she seems a bit annoyed. "My phone's battery died," she complains. "I can't believe I forgot to charge it last night!" Mallow giggles at this. "It's alright," she says. "Maybe you can charge it at the lighthouse?" Lana laughs at this. "Even if there's enough power at that place to charge my phone, I'm not staying in an abandoned lighthouse any longer than I have to," she says. Mallow laughs. "I know," she says. "I was only joking." Lana giggles at this, then lays her head on Mallow's shoulder as they walk.

They spend a good chunk of the day walking over to the lighthouse. Max is looking forward to seeing it. From the way it looks on the map, the place looks abandoned. He can't wait to see what kind of ghost types might haunt the place, as well as other types of pokémon that might be there. It is getting close to early evening by the time they arrive at it. Max is about to rush ahead to get a good look at it, when Bonnie stops him. "What's wrong?" he asks her. "Something doesn't feel right," she replies. "The Aura of the place, it feels hostile." "Well, if the place really is abandoned, then it's most likely haunted," Mallow points out. Lana does not like the sound of this. But Bonnie shakes her head. "This isn't pokémon Aura," she says. "This is human. There are a lot of people in this building, and none of them friendly."

The group slips into the bushes near them, and Bonnie switches to her Aura Vision so that she can get a better idea of what's going on in the lighthouse. When she lays eyes on it, they widen. "The whole building is full of red," she says. "There are so many enemies in there, it's not even funny." She switches it off and looks at her friends, making sure not to look at Max with her Aura on. "So, what are we going to do?" Mallow asks. They all think about it, before Lana suggests, "I think it might be best if we went back and go another way," says Lana. "That way we can avoid them entirely." Max isn't too happy with this decision, but he recognises that this is the best call. So, he agrees with it. But, just as they're about to start retracing their steps, Bonnie calls for them to get down. As they hide in the bushes again, a small gathering of Team Terra grunts walk past. "Keep an eye out," says on of them. "No one must come through here!"

"Well shit," whispers Lana when they're past. "There goes that plan." "Now what?" asks Mallow. Max looks back towards the lighthouse. "Bonnie, are there any grunts standing outside the lighthouse itself?" Bonnie looks away from Max quickly, then switches her Aura Vision back on. "There are a few," she replies. "I'd say 4 or 5 at most." Max swears at this, then thanks her. "Why did you ask?" Mallow asks as Bonnie switches her Aura Vision back off. "I was hoping to sneak past the lighthouse, but that won't be possible now," he says. "It seems like the only option we have is if we have a distraction." Luckily for them, they get exactly that right there.

Suddenly, a big explosion goes off not far from the lighthouse. There's a mad dash as some of the agents of Team Terra agents run to investigate what it was. As they run, the four of them make a mad dash across the road, trying to get away from the lighthouse. Unfortunately for them, they're quickly spotted. "Who's there!" shouts a Team Terra grunt. But before they can come up with a convincing lie, the grunt and his companion suddenly drop to the ground unconscious. They stare at the person who knocked them out, and their eyes widen as they realise it's Paul and Miette standing there. Both of whom look surprised to see them. "Please tell me, for the love of Arceus, that you aren't here to put a stop to this operation," Paul says the second he sees them. Max and Bonnie throw their hands up defensively. "We didn't even know that Team Terra were here!" says Max. "We were trying to avoid them!" Bonnie nods in agreement.

Paul seems satisfied with that answer. "Sorry, about him," says Miette. "He just wanted to make sure you two weren't doing anything stupid." "What's going on here?" asks Lana. "Why is Team Terra in this lighthouse?" "They're bringing in a large shipment of weapons to Kanto," Paul explains. "This lighthouse allows them to illuminate the beach where they're dropping them off, and notify nearby agents that the shipment has arrived. If we retake the lighthouse, they lose that entirely." Max likes the sound of this plan, and wants to help, but Mallow shuts him down. "Well, you're clearly going to need more than you two to take this on," she says. "But Max and Bonnie, you can't join in on this. If you do, it could jeopardise everything we've been working on." Max wants to argue, but Bonnie interrupts him. "I agree," she says. "But you two should help them. Max and I will hide."

Paul thinks about this, before grinning. "I think that's a good idea," he says, before looking at Max in particular. "Now, you two are to get away from this lighthouse as fast as you can," he says. "Wait for us at the bottom of the hill closer to Vermillion. Do not come back here to help no matter what happens, understood?!" Both of them nod, though Max is clearly not happy about this. "Sorry you two," says Miette. "I know you want to help us, but it's not safe for you to do so. Not when you guys being seen would threaten our entire war effort." "It's ok," says Max. "We understand." Then, he takes Bonnie's hand, going pink as he does. "Come on," he says to her. "Let's get out of here." Bonnie nods and follows him into the bushes, where the two proceed to sneak away from the lighthouse. Once they're gone, Paul, Miette, Mallow, and Lana turn their attention to the lighthouse. "Come on," says Paul. "Let's go dim the lights on this scheme."

Chapter Text

Max and Bonnie creep through the bushes, heading away from the lighthouse as quickly and quietly as possible. "I hate not being able to help," Bonnie mumbles as they do. "Same here," Max agrees. "But we are helping overall by staying hidden." Bonnie nods at this, and continues to follow him. Every so often, they keep glancing back at the lighthouse, wondering if they can see what's happening there, but they can't make anything out through the trees. So, they decide to try and wait at the bottom of the road, where they can still see it. They creep through the trees, edging closer to the pathway in order to get a better view of any fighting that may occur. This ends up being a mistake.

They reach the path, and stop dead. Standing there, guarding the route up to the lighthouse are three Team Terra agents. Both Max and Bonnie freeze at this. They begin to creep back away from the road, without making a sound. Unfortunately, the universe has other plans. SNAP! Bonnie freezes as she stands on a stick, breaking it. Both of them freeze, praying that the grunts didn't hear that. Unfortunately, they do. "What the Reverse World was that!?" asks one of them. The one nearest to them pulls out a gun, and begins to walk over to them. They begin to sneak away, but the grunts are faster. Meaning that it's only a matter of time before they're caught, and it's all over.

Paul's original plan for this mission was to sneak in there and slowly and quietly take out the guards. Now that Max and Bonnie are trying to get away from the scene, they will need a distraction. So, Paul throws that plan out of the window, and goes with plan B instead. Torterra barrels through the door at blinding speed, throwing several grunts backwards. Before they can get back on their feet, several vines emerge from his back, as well as from Tsareena's abilities, and begin to throw them around the entrance room of the lighthouse, until they're all knocked out. "There will be more coming," says Paul. "We need to get a move on!" "Wait!" says Lana. "According to Ash, someone named Bill owns this place. We need to save him!" Paul doesn't look sure. "But if we take too long doing that, Team Terra will get their weapons into this region," he argues.

"So we'll split up then," Mallow suggests. "You and Miette retake the lighthouse and stop the shipment, while Lana and I look for Bill." Paul thinks about this, before nodding in agreement. "That works just fine," he says, before leading the way up the stairs. "Just remember to make as much noise as possible." Both of them salute him, then start looking around for anyone still conscious after that attack, while Paul and Miette start running up the stairs. Lana and Mallow scavenge the ground floor of the lighthouse, checking all of the agents there to find one that's still awake. At last, they find one that's barely conscious. Without missing a beat, Mallow uses Tsareena to tie him up and dangle him from the ceiling.

"I'm only going to ask this once," she says threateningly. "Where is the owner of the lighthouse?" as she asks this, she picks up a sharp stone and holds it up against the vine. The grunt panics and quickly says, "In the basement! In the basement." Mallow thanks him, then releases him gently, before knocking him out with the rock. She stood back up and looked at Lana, who's staring at her with a starstruck look on her face. Mallow laughs at this, then takes Lana's hand. "Come on," she tells her. "Let's get going." Lana just nods, finding herself too gay to speak.

Paul and Miette fight their way up the tower, taking on a lot of Team Terra's goons as they run up it. They're careful not to let them fall down the stairs, since they don't want any blood on their hands, but Team Terra aren't making it easy. By the time they reach the top of the stairs to seize control of the lighthouse from Team Terra, a big muscular man gets in the way, blocking the stairs and nearly throwing Paul down them, but Miette manages to catch him in time. The big man laughs at this. "You won't be getting past me!" he taunts. "I'm to big to be toppled by puny runts like you!" Paul grunts with annoyance at this, then looks around. He spots a crossbeam on the roof of the lighthouse, and gets a very stupid idea. Without stopping to tell Miette what he's planning, He pulls out one of his pokéballs, then makes a move against the big guy.

The grunt throws his arm out before Paul can react, and knocks him against the railings. Then, with a kick, the grunt knocks him over them. Miette screams as Paul topples down the lighthouse. But barely a few seconds later, vines shoot up and attach themselves to the crossbeam above the grunt's head. "Hey big guy!" Paul shouts. "Catch!" Then, Torterra rockets up to him, with Paul on his back. Before the grunt can react, Torterra slams into him full force, sending him flying out of the window. The two of them race up in time to see him hit the water. "He'll be fine," Paul decides, not bothering to check. Suddenly, he feels a punch on his arm. "Ow, what was that for?!" he asks, turning to Miette and seeing her tearing up. "Don't scare me like that!" she shouts at him. "I thought you were going to die!" Paul goes pink at this. "Sorry," he says. "I didn't have time to tell you what I was planning."

"Well, let's come up with a code then," Miette suggests. "For when you're going to do something stupid." Paul wants to agree to this, but then he spots a bunch of ships approaching the coast. "We'll do that later, I promise" he tells her. "But we've got to stop those ships from docking." Miette turns and sees what he's talking about. "Oh crap," she says. "Yes, let's get on that." The two of them begin to look around the room, and only then do they notice the other Team Terra agents standing there, ready for a fight. Paul sighs. "Hey fellas," he says, cracking his knuckles. "Last chance to not do anything stupid." They all charged at him. "Very bad choice," he says, before he and Miette make short work of them all.

Once they're all down, they return their attention to the incoming boats. "What are we going to do about them?" Paul wonders. Miette takes a look around, and quickly spots the light itself, which is currently pointing towards a beach. "I think I have an idea," she says. Then, she climbs over to the light. "Help me with this," she tells Paul. "If we point this at the boats, we can blind them, and maybe cause them to crash into each other!" Paul grins at her. "You are a genius," he tell her. Then, he walks over, and the two of them begin to pull as hard as the can. The light comes loose, and they're able to manoeuvre it around completely. The two of them push it around, and point it down at the boats below. They expect this to disorientate the agents on the boats, and for chaos to slowly build. But instead, in barely 2 minutes, all Reverse World breaks loose.

Max and Bonnie continue to crawl through the trees and bushes, as the 3 agents continue to hunt them. A few times, noises from far off cause the 3 of them to shoot blindly, making Max and Bonnie even more terrified to make any noise. But despite their best efforts, the agents are slowly gaining on them. Soon enough, they're practically on top of them. All that keeps them from being caught is some bushes, in a situation that's eerily similar to the week before. One of the agents hovers above Max's head, his gun very close to the bushes he's hiding under. But, just as he's about to brush them aside, his radio on his belt goes off. "There's a situation," says a voice through it. "Get back here, now!" the grunt picks the radio up and speaks into it. "Can it wait?" he asks. "We've got something out here. "No," the voice replies. "We're losing control of the lighthouse, and need reinforcements. Get back here now!" Then, the radio goes silent.

The agent sighs, then turns to the others. "It was probably just a pokémon anyway," he says to them. "Let's get back." They nod, then retreat from the forest. Max and Bonnie breathe heavy sighs of relief, then slowly sneak out of the trees. They make their way down to the foot of the hill, and proceed to wait there for the others. "So, what do you think they're doing?" Bonnie asks. "Something drastic no doubt," Max replies. At that moment, they hear a loud BOOM!!! as a shockwave flies through them. "Yep," Max says, staring as fire starts erupting in the distance. "Definitely something drastic!"

Mallow and Lana make their way down into the basement, fighting through a few Team Terra grunts as they do. "So, this is what it was like saving me?" Mallow asks as they do. "More or less," Lana replies, having recovered from seeing Mallow get the information out of that agent. They force their way through the underground, eventually coming to a bunch of crates with several agents standing around. Where they stand, Mallow and Lana can hear muffled cries coming from them. "Bill is definitely there," says Mallow. "But the question is, how do we get him out of there?" Lana looks around the room, then grins. "Follow me," she says. "I have an idea." Then, she makes her way through the basement quietly, with Mallow following behind her.

Scattered throughout the basement are a bunch of wooden crates, some of which are stacked on top of each other. One such stacking is right next to some of the agents. Lana sneaks over to it, then, with Mallow's help, pushes the stack over. As expected, it lands on some of the agents, crushing them. After checking to confirm they're still alive, the two of them reveal themselves and fight the agents. Thanks to having the element of surprise, the agents don't have time to pull out their guns, and as a result, are quickly dealt with. Once they are, Lana turns around and releases Bill. "Thank you," he says. "This place is crawling with Team Terra, so we need to be careful!"

Mallow helps him to his feet. "Not to worry," she says. "We have friends who are taking care of that." Bill nods at this, then follows the two girls up the stairs. As they reach the toom, they hear a loud BOOM!!! and feel the building shake. "What's going on out there?" Bill asks. Mallow looks out of the window to see the light of the lighthouse shining down on the ships. She describes this scene to Bill, who starts panicking immediately. "Oh, that's not good," he says. "Not good at all!" "What? Why?" Lana asks. "There's a creature there that will destroy the cliffside if we're not careful," Bill replies. "We need to stop them from shining that light on the water before-!" At that moment, one of the ships is launched out of the water, as a large shape emerges from the fog with a great roar.

Paul and Miette can only stare in shock and horror as what can only be described as a Dynamax Dragonite comes bursting out of the water, right under where all the ships are. One ship is thrown onto the land near the lighthouse, and is smashed to rubble. The rest of the ships open fire on this giant, but due to the light from the lighthouse, they can barely see it. This monster stomps through the water, smashing the ships to pieces and roaring with anger. Paul and Miette watch with a horrified fascination as this creature rips Team Terra's boats to pieces. They're eventually brought out of their trance when a man runs up the stairs, accompanied by Mallow and Lana. "Shut off the light!" the man shouts. "Shut off the light, or you'll destroy us all!" Mallow and Lana help him as he messes with the controls, turning the light off.

"Who the Reverse World is that?!" Paul asks. "That is Bill," Lana explains. "Apparently by shining the massive light into the water, you've woken up a giant Dragonite, who is now very cranky. Also, it has bad memories with rockets, so this isn't going to end well for Team Terra." Paul stares back down at the wreckage as the beast continues to stomp on the ships like they're made of sand. "Well, I didn't know what to expect from that plan," he says. "But it most certainly wasn't that." The 5 of them continue to watch as the last of the ships are destroyed by the Giant Dragonite. Then, the Dragonite lets out a mighty roar, and disappears into the fog. They all watch on for a while, then make their way cautiously down the stairs.

When Max and Bonnie hear the sounds of destruction, they race up the hill to see what's happening, no longer caring about being caught. When they get there, they find a crushed ship on the cliff side. Curious, they approach it, and see the rest of the damage in the water below. "What the Reverse World happened here?" Max asks. "Some sort of monster attacked," says Miette, as she and the other 3 emerge from the lighthouse, accompanied by a man neither Max nor Bonnie recognise. The 5 of them fill them in on what happened, and Bill introduces himself to them. Then, he steps into his lighthouse. "I must call the police about this," he says. "If we're lucky, the agents down below won't know about what happened, and we can take them by surprise with the police." Then, he heads inside. While he does that, the others decide it would probably be wise to leave. Bonnie asks if Paul and Miette would like to come with them for a bit, but both of them turn them down. "We have other places to be," says Miette. The others understand, and bid them farewell. They wait until Bill returns from calling the police to bid farewell to him too. He does the same, but not before thanking them for saving him. They accept his thanks, then set back off down the road, not wanting to sleep anywhere near what just happened.

Chapter Text

After a few more days of walking, Vermillion is finally in sight. Well, not 'in sight' per say, but they're getting close to it according to Max's map. They just can't see it yet. But, today is the day that they finally arrive in the city. Bonnie is very excited to finally challenge the Vermillion City Gym, and finally get her 3rd Gym Badge for Kanto. But, she has another reason for wanting to get to Vermillion as soon as possible. She needs to speak with Lt. Surge about the visions of war she's been having, obviously without mentioning the visions. But she has a plan for that. She's going to ask him while referring to the mural she found in the old abandoned building.

She's so preoccupied with her thoughts that she fails to notice the trap in front of her. Max does however, and is able to pull her out of the way of it. "Not falling for that a second time," he says as he does. From the bushes, a very annoyed looking Sarah and Sam emerge. "I told you that wouldn't work twice," complains Sarah. "But did you listen to me, noooooooooo. It's like I was talking to a brick wall!" "Alright I get it!" Sam snaps back. "let's just focus on getting those notebooks shall we?" "That is the best idea you've had all day," Sarah replies, then they turn to look at Max and his friends, only to see that the 4 of them have taken the opportunity of them arguing to make a run for it towards Vermillion. "Hey get back here!" Sarah shouts as she and Sam give chase.

Max, Bonnie, Mallow, and Lana leg it towards the city as it finally comes into view. The 3 girls put on a burst of speed as they finally see Vermillion. Max tries to do the same, but ends up tripping on some stones. He doesn't fall over, but he does slow down, which gives Sarah and Sam the chance to catch to gain on him. He puts on a burst of speed, managing to do so without nearly falling over, but Sarah and Sam have managed to almost catch up with him. The girls manage to make it to Vermillion, and turn around to watch as Max desperately tries to stay ahead of Team Terra. "Max hurry!" Bonnie yells. "What do you think I'm doing!?" Max yells back. By this time, he's almost to Vermillion, but Team Terra have successfully gained on him. Sarah reaches her hand out to grab his bag, but before she can touch it, someone from the town yells, "Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

A powerful Thunderbolt attack shoots straight for the duo, causing them to convulse, before sending them flying away. Max watches them go, then laughs to himself. "Well, that's certainly a familiar sight," he says to himself, before turning around to join his friends. When he reaches them, he sees that they're standing there, staring at the person in front of them. A big, muscular man who looks to be in his early 30s stands there, with a Raichu standing next to him. He grins at the 4 of them, before his eyes land on Max. "So, you must be the Max Maple I've heard so much about," he says. "I'm Lt. Surge, Gym Leader of Vermillion. Come, follow me. We'll get into the City so you aren't spotted by anymore of those goons." Then, he starts walking into the city. The 4 of them look at each other, shrug, then follow after him.

"Uh, how do you know my name?" Max asks as they walk. Surge laughs at this. "Well, for starters, there were several broadcasts about you on the news a few months ago after Brendan got beaten up," he says. "Plus, Forrest called ahead and said you would be coming, and that you might need some help warding off 2 idiots." "Well, thanks for that," says Lana. "Those guys are particularly persistent." Surge laughs. "I can tell," he says. "Team Terra have kept well enough away from most of the cities so far in Kanto. Those two were the first that have come close enough for me to have to actually send away." His face quickly morphs into one of anger. "Those idiots have been bad for this city recently, so I've been dying to do some damage to them."

Mallow looks at him quizzically. "But I thought you just said they don't come near the cities?" she asks. Surge chuckles. "Correct," he says. "But that doesn't mean they don't affect us. One of the biggest sources of income for Vermillion is the cruise ship, the St. Anne II. But, Team Terra have essentially taken control of the waters of Kanto, so until we seize them back, the St. Anne II is essentially grounded. We use it more as a passenger ship at this point, but even then, have the time the damn boat is crawling with Team Terra's goons." "So in other words," says Max to Bonnie, recognising the look on her face, "going on that ship would practically guarantee that we get detected by Team Terra." Bonnie rolls her eyes at him. "I know that," she says. "But he can tell she's a little bit disappointed.

After some more walking, they arrive at the Gym. To Bonnie's disappointment, the place looks closed. "Wait, is it closed?" she asks. Surge nods. "Unfortunately, I'm unable to take and challengers today," he tells her. "I've had to close the Gym over the last week to focus on my growing problem with the St. Anne II." "Anything we can do to help?" Lana asks. Surge waves her of. "Don't worry about it," he says. "I can handle it. Besides, as Max said, if you're seen by anyone, it'll ruin everything we've been fighting for so far." He grins at them all. "Don't worry, you're looking at a former army Lieutenant. Small time criminals like these two-bit thugs won't be enough to take me down!" With that, he heads inside the Gym.

Mallow and Lana decide to head to the Pokémon Centre to book rooms for them while they're here. Max goes to follow them, but notices that Bonnie isn't coming. She's staring at Surge's retreating back with a weird look on her face. At first he's really confused. Then, he remembers the mural on the wall of the ruins that they discovered. "You want to ask him about that vision, don't you?" he asks. Bonnie jumps at the sound of his voice. She turns to him and nods. But really, there's another reason why she wants to ask. She needs to make sure that the war she saw in her nightmares didn't happen. Because if those visions of the past didn't happen, then that means the visions from the future mightn't come to pass. That image of her best friend jumping off a cliff is still burned into her mind, and she wants nothing more than for it to be confirmed that it's not going to happen.

She and Max run up to Surge right as he's about to step inside the building. "Wait!" Bonnie calls. "We wanted to ask you something!" Surge stops and looks at them. "What is it?" he replies. "You know a lot about war right?" Max asks, pulling his phone out. Surge grins at him. "My dear young friend, not only do I know a lot about it, I know the events of every war that has ever occurred in this world," he replies. "Why? What do you wish to know?" Max pulls up a picture of the mural in the abandoned house that he took after Bonnie's vision. "The picture is missing parts since it was drawn on a collapsed wall," he explains. "But we were hoping you might be able to tell what this is depicting?"

Surge takes the phone from Max's hand and gets a closer look at the mural. As he does, his face only grows more and more confused. "I have no idea," he says finally, handing the phone back. "It's clearly depicting some sort of war from ages past, maybe before the days of early pokéballs, as suggested by the strange armour being worn by the pokémon. But, some of the fighters on this side of the mural are holding what appear to be pokéballs. But by this time, they hadn't been invented yet." he asks for the phone back, then ponders the mural some more. "I think there are 3 possibilities for this," he says finally. "1. The mural was made long after the battle in question, and as a result, some of the details got muddled. 2. There is a lot of context missing from this mural due to the collapsed wall. Maybe there was a lot more to it that has been lost."

"And 3?" Bonnie asks, after Surge doesn't say anything. "Well, 3 is that whatever this is depicting has been lost to history, either because where the events were written down were lost to time, or it was actively erased." Both Max and Bonnie look surprised at that. "Why would that happen?" Max asks. Surge thinks about how to explain this to two 12 year olds. "Well, I'd say that the attackers probably wiped the defenders off the map," Surge replies cautiously. "And then went through a lot of effort to remove they defenders from history, in order to make sure that the attackers don't seem like the bad guys. If that's the case, all reports back home of what was going on over there were probably full of dehumanising language and making it seem like this was for the best for all parties involved."

Max and Bonnie look at each other, wondering how any group of people could do something so evil to another. "Thanks Lt. Surge," says Bonnie. "That's all we wanted to know." Surge smiles at them. "Anytime kid," he says, going back into his Gym. "I'll see you at our battle." Bonnie nods and gives the thumbs up. Then, she and Max make their way to the Pokémon Centre that Mallow and Lana went into. As they do, Bonnie thinks about what Surge had told them. So, there is a chance those visions of the past she had were true. She looks over at Max, to see him looking around at all the electric type pokémon around them. If those were true, then does that mean she'll soon lose her best friend for good?

Chapter Text

The rest of the day is relatively uneventful. Mallow and Lana stay in the Pokémon Centre for pretty much the rest of the day, except to go and get food together. Max and Bonnie meanwhile train up Dedenne for the upcoming battle. Max tries to convince Bonnie bring Donphan into this fight, since she will be able to destroy all of Surge's pokémon with extreme ease, especially since Surge only uses Raichu according to Ash. But Bonnie refuses, stating once again that she wants to beat the gyms using only pokémon she caught in Kanto, with the exception of Dedenne, Delphox, and Talonflame. Max still thinks this doesn't make sense, since 3 of the pokémon she brought are from Kalos, but he doesn't argue with her. Instead, he helps her come up with a plan for the battle.

Once they're confident this one will work, they stop training and head off to find something to eat. They end up joining Mallow and Lana in a seaside restaurant. "Sorry for intruding like this," says Max. "But we had nothing else." "It's fine don't worry about it," says Mallow. Then, she chuckles. "If anything, this is even better. We're doing a double date!" Both Max and Bonnie go bright red at this. "We're not dating!" they both exclaim. Lana laughs at this. "Don't mind her," she says. "She's only teasing." But then, she leans in a bit and says, "You two can take all the time you need to figure this out. After all, it took Mallow and me 6 years to figure it out for ourselves." Both Max and Bonnie go redder at that, while Mallow laughs harder. Then, they enter the restaurant, and Mallow manages to control herself.

The next morning, Bonnie is up bright and early to do some last minute training. While she does, she thinks on all that Lt. Surge shared with her, and how they incorporate into her visions. She wishes that she could have at least one more. That way, she'll be able to truly tell whether or not they're real. She hopes they aren't, not only because it would mean that her visions of the future are more likely to occur, but also because what she saw was so horrible. There's no way people could be that evil, could they? Her dark train of thought is interrupted just then by the sound of footsteps. She turns around and sees Max walking up to her, looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?" he asks. Bonnie nods quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she says. "Why?"

Max shakes his head with a slight chuckle at this. "Because we've been traveling together for over 2 years now," he tells her. "And in all that time, the only time you've ever woken up early is when something is on your mind. So, what's on your mind?" Bonnie almost can't help but laugh as a little bit of pink colours her cheeks. "Wow, he really does know me," she thinks to herself. Outwardly, she sighs, then tells him about her worries with her visions, still neglecting to mention the vision she had of the future where he jumps off a cliff. But, she does tell him about her worries that what she saw of the past is true. Max listens to her worries, then sits in silence for a while, thinking on them.

Eventually, he speaks. "I don't think you should worry about all of that," he says. "Even if it did happen, it's in the past. What's important is that you remember them, so that their history isn't completely wiped. If what Lt. Surge says is true, of course. But, whatever you saw, that's in the past. Or the future, who's to say. Let's just focus on the present for now, shall we?" Bonnie nods at this, then hugs him. "Yeah," she says. "Let's do that." The two of them secretly smile at the close proximity they have to each other, before letting go. "Now, let's get a little more sleep before your battle, huh?" Max asks. Bonnie nods, feeling fatigue wash over her at this. So, she follows Max back to their room for more sleep.

Soon enough, all 4 of them are awake, with breakfast eaten. Bonnie makes sure that Dedenne is ready for the battle, then leads the way out of the Centre. The 4 of them head to Surge's gym right as he opens it. "Ah, right on time," says Surge as they approach. "I was just about to open the Gym. You ready to face me?" Bonnie nods with determination. "Oh I was born ready," she replies. Surge grins at this. "Excellent," he says. "But be warned, it's been a while since I've lost a battle. I've sent many a pokémon to the emergency room of Vermillion's Pokémon Centre. So, still think you can take me on?" Bonnie gives him another determined nod. "Of course I do," she says, causing Surge's grin to widen. "Good to hear," he says, before turning away and leading the way into the Gym. "Let's get to it then!" he says, as the other 4 follow him inside.

The 5 of them walk into the main arena, where Max, Mallow, and Lana proceed to stand to the side of it, while Surge and Bonnie stand on the pitch itself. The referee quickly goes through the rules that Bonnie has come to memorise, only this time, it's a 1-on-1 as opposed to a 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 as usual. Once both Surge and Bonnie has verbally accepted these rules, the ref shouts, "Then battle begin!" and waves the flags. Immediately, Lt. Surge sends out his Raichu, while Bonnie responds with Dedenne. Surge can't help but chuckle at the sight of the small rodent. "I admire the confidence," he says. "But it's going to take a lot more than a little runt like that to defeat my Raichu." He pats his Raichu's head as he says this. "This little guy can pack 10,000 volts in his body." Then, he points at Dedenne. "Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

Raichu charges up the attack, then fires the full blast at Dedenne. It's so bright that it causes everyone to have to shield their eyes. When the dust clears, the ref has already raised the flag to declare Surge the winner. But then, the dust fully clears, and they all see Dedenne standing there, barely any damage done to him. Surge's confident grin is replaced by one of shock. Bonnie crosses her arms and stands confidently, with her left hip jutting out to the side. "Not only is my Dedenne also an electric type," she tells Surge, "but I've also had him for 6 years. That attack may have worked on a runt, but this guy is no runt. Dedenne Quick Attack and Play Rough!"

Dedenne lets out a mighty cry and rushes at Raichu, too fast for him to react. Dedenne strikes Raichu in the chest, then before Raichu has time to react, Dedenne uses Play Rough, doing a lot more damage to him. As Raichu stumbles back from the attack, Dedenne rushes in with Volt Tackle, followed by using another Quick Attack. He tries to use Play Rough, but Raichu is able to collect himself, then knock Dedenne away with his tail. Dedenne bounces a few times before landing on his feet, cheeks sparking. Raichu's do the same. Then, both Bonnie and Surge give their orders at the same time. “Raichu/Dedenne!” they shout. “Use Wild Charge/Volt Tackle!”

Both Pokémon charge at each other, their bodies filling with electricity as they run. The attacks collide in an electrical explosion that sends sparks flying everywhere. From the sidelines, Max can feel his hair stand on end as the energy from these attacks floods the room. When the dust clears, both Pokémon are still standing, but it’s clear they’re growing tired. The two of them leap back to their trainers, panting slightly from the battle, though it’s clear that Raichu is worse off. Surge’s grin is back, although this time it’s clear that he’s doing this because he’s having fun. “Well, it’s been a while since someone has got me on the ropes like this,” he said, fishing through his pockets as he speaks. “So, I hope you don’t mind if I up the stakes a bit.”

It is only then that Bonnie notices the wristband on his wrist. At first, Bonnie thinks she’s about to see a mega Raichu, but then Surge pulls out a weird looking crystal, one that definitely isn’t a Mega Stone. “It’s not often I get the chance to do this,” he says as he attaches the crystal to the wristband. “But I visited Alola about a month before all of this chaos started, and managed to procure myself one of these. And now, I get to use it. So, get ready!” Then, he begins to do a strange pose. One that Mallow and Lana know all too well. “He’s got a Z-Move!” Lana shouts. “Bonnie, try to avoid this one! It’ll be really rough if you don’t!” But before Bonnie can yet at Dedenne to do so, Surge finishes the pose and shouts, “Gigavolt Havoc!”

Power seems to flow from Surge and into Raichu as he holds the pose. Then, electricity seems to emanate from him as he suddenly burst forward, crashing into Dedenne with enough electrical power to fuel the entire building. Bonnie looks away from the scene, not wanting to see Dedenne get hit by this attack. When it ends, she turns back around, expecting to see Dedenne unconscious, but to her surprise, he's still standing. But barely. But still, there is a chance here. "Alright Dedenne, we can still win this!" she shouts, raising her own wrist. "You have us on the ropes, but we're not out yet! Dedenne, time to mega evolve!" Then, she taps her Key stone, and Dedenne mega evolves for the first time in Kanto.

With his new form, he stares Raichu down, ready to get one last attack in. "Alright Dedenne, Quick Attack!" Bonnie yells. Dedenne runs in, determined to win this fight. Surge tries to order Raichu to catch Dedenne with his tail, but Dedenne is much too quick. Raichu swings his tail out, but Dedenne is suddenly behind him, ramming his electrical ball into Raichu's back. Raichu is prepared for another Play Rough, but it doesn't come. Instead, another Volt Tackle slams into him, sending him flying. Then, he's hit with Play Rough seemingly out of nowhere. "Quick Attack!" Bonnie calls. "Use it repeatedly!" Dedenne starts bouncing off the walls, moving so fast they can barely see him as he slams into Raichu over and over again, wearing him down. Raichu tries one last desperate Thundershock, which hits Dedenne. But, Dedenne gets one last Quick Attack, knocking Raichu out before the attack can do the same to him.

Everyone stares in shocked silence at what they just witnessed. Then, the ref raises his flag, and declares, "Raichu is unable to battle, making Challenger Bonnie Citron the winner of this match!" Max, Mallow, and Lana go crazy as Surge returns Raichu to his ball. "Thanks bud," he says. "That was a great battle. Maybe our best yet." Then, he walks over to Bonnie, who's in the middle of being hugged by Max, who would spin her around if he was strong enough. "Well, I daresay a congratulations is in order," says Surge. "It's certainly been a while since I've been defeated, especially once I added the Z-Move to my repertoire. So, I believe both you and your Dedenne have earned this." Then, he holds out the Thunder Badge. Bonnie takes it graciously, then attaches it to her bag with all the other ones. Then, she and her friends exit the gym to go and celebrate her latest win.

Chapter Text

After the 4 of them leave the Gym, Mallow pretty much immediately jumps on the 2 with questions. "That was incredible!" she exclaims. "How did you figure out that would work!?" Max grins at this. "Ash and Brock told me all about their journey through Kanto," he explains. "One of the things he mentioned was how one of the only Gyms he beat with a battle rather than receiving a badge out of pity or for doing something good was this one. He explained to me that Surge focused on the strength of his Raichu, rather than speed. So, Ash beat him by teaching Pikachu Quick Attack. So, I figured we may as well use Bonnie's fastest pokémon, Dedenne. It helps that he has resistance to electricity, as well as non electrical attacks. As for some of the moves Bonnie pulled off, like all the stuff Dedenne did while Mega evolved, that was all her."

Mallow and Lana look at the 2 of them, very impressed with their teamwork. "Well, I must say, you 2 are an incredible team," says Lana. "So, how about we celebrate this victory?" Both Max and Bonnie look at each other quizzically. Then, they look at Mallow and Lana. "Why?" Bonnie asks. "We've never really celebrated my wins before." "Unless you count those times our families insisted upon it," Max points out. Mallow and Lana shrug. "We just thought it would be fun, that's all," says Lana. "Especially given how cool the match looked." Max and Bonnie look at each other again. They shrug, then agree to go with them. Pleased to hear this, Lana leads them to a restaurant that she spotted the day before.

The place is pricey, but Lana insists that she can afford it. "My treat, go on!" Choosing not to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth, they take their picks. As expected, the food is amazing. "This might rival your cooking Mallow," Lana exclaims. "What was that?" Mallow asks, giving her girlfriend the stink-eye. "Uh, nothing, nothing at all!" says Lana quickly. "I love your food." Mallow grins at her again. "That's what I thought," she replies, before kissing her on the cheek. Max privately agrees with Lana, though he doesn't admit it out loud. And, looking over at Bonnie, it's clear that she's come to the same conclusion about that as he has. So, they both stay silent and enjoy their food.

But, as their lunch progresses, Max starts growing a bit suspicious of the two girls sitting in front of him and Bonnie. So, when they're finished eating, he starts asking questions. "Ok, so what was the real reason for this lunch?" he asks. Mallow and Lana look at each other, then back at the two of them. "What do you mean by that?" asks Lana. "Well, it's just odd that you'd offer to celebrate with us when we didn't do that after Elio's win in Kalos 2 years ago," he says. "Plus, why would you spend this much money on us if it was for simply Bonnie beating her 3rd Gym in Kanto? You have something to say to us, and you want to soften the blow of what it is, don't you?" Both Mallow and Lana stare at him. "You really are scarily smart," says Mallow. Lana nods in agreement. "I'm glad you're on our side of this," she adds.

"So, what do you want to tell us?" asks Bonnie. Mallow and Lana look at each other again, having a silent conversation with their eyes. They're about to explain what it is they need to tell them, but Max beats them to the punch once more. "You're leaving us, aren't you?" he asks. Mallow sighs. "How did you figure that out?" she asks. "Your guilty looks," he replies. "It was simple." "Again, very happy you're on our side," Lana says. "Yes, we need to leave. Now that Mallow has recovered, we're needed elsewhere." Mallow nods. "We truly wish we could stay longer," she says. "But Ash's battle requires as many people as it can get." "So then let us help with it!" Max exclaims suddenly. "You are helping," says Mallow. "By staying out of Team Terra's sight, you're helping." Max sighs, figuring she'd say that. But still, he doesn't argue.

"Don't worry," says Lana, "we aren't leaving until tomorrow. So we have plenty of time to still hang out together." Bonnie nods at this. "Yeah, that sounds fun!" she agrees. Max sighs again and nods. "Yeah," he says. "Let's do that." After paying, they spend the rest of the day hanging out around Vermillion City. At one point, they go and admire the St. Anne II. Bonnie gets starry-eyed seeing a ship this big. "I really want to ride on it," she says wistfully. "Maybe we will when this is all over," says Max. Bonnie nods at this, going a bit red at the implications. Mallow and Lana smirk at each other, picking up on what Max just said. "Did you just ask Bonnie on a date?" Mallow asks. "Or have my ears temporarily stopped working?" Max also goes pink upon realising what he just said. "I meant maybe we'll get a chance to ride it when this is over!" he exclaims. I didn't mean anything else about it!" Mallow and Lana snigger at this, but don't say anything else about it.

Eventually, the next morning arrives, and Mallow and Lana have to part ways with Max and Bonnie. Because of this, the two of them feel that it's time that they move on too. Max pulls out his map to see if he can work out a route that can get them to the next city that Bonnie needs to get to for her next gym challenge in Celadon. After scouring it for a few minutes, he locates a route that might work. "It's not an official path," he tells Bonnie. "It's pretty much entirely through forested area, with no path to speak of. I will be genuinely amazed if anyone finds us here." Bonnie nods, but looks disappointed that they can't ride the big boat.

Once they have that sorted that out, they all head back to their rooms to pack their things. Then, they meet each other again outside of the Pokémon Centre. "Will it be ok for us to travel alone?" Bonnie asks. "What with Team Terra hunting us." "I think you'll be fine," says Lana. "Besides, it's only those 2 morons after you, and you'll be hiding in the forest for the whole time. I bet you won't be found." Max nods in agreement at this. "Well, it was fun travelling with you," he tells them. "We'll see you around, yeah?" "You bet!" says Mallow. "Until then!" Bonnie gives the two of them quick hugs, then she and Max head off for the route he spotted, while Mallow and Lana go another way. As they head towards the forest, Bonnie says to Max, "I wonder if Hilbert and Hilda will re-join us at any point." Max shrugs at this. "Maybe they will," he says. "But if they do, we probably won't be seeing them, or any people at all, until we reach Celadon." Bonnie nods at this, then they walk out of the city.

Hilbert sneezes as he walks through the halls of the prison. he rubs his nose, careful not to knock his headphones off his head. He's gotten so use to patrolling these halls that he's started listening to music as he does. If for no other reason other than to drown out the constant shouting and taunts from the prisoners. If anyone needs him, they can just tap him on the shoulder. Hilda has had to start doing that a lot lately due to how bored he's become of this job. He longs for this to end so that he can go back out into the world and get in on the action once more. Or hang out with Max and Bonnie again. "As soon as Hilda is better, we can get back out there," he mutters to himself. Speaking of Hilda, she's started going on patrols with him less and less, claiming she needs some air, or else they were rostered at different times.

He's brought out of his thoughts by something being thrown at him. He pauses his music and takes his headphones, glaring at the person who threw a stone at him. Colress grins at him from behind the bars of his cell. "What do you want?" Hilbert snaps at him. Colress shrugs. "I just want to check up on my favourite guard in this place." Hilbert scoffs at this. "Piss off," he says, before putting his headphones back on his head. "Oh, I wasn't talking about you," says Colress. "I was talking about your sister." Hilbert stops moving at this, and removes his headphones again. "What the Reverse World are you talking about?" he asks. Colress chuckles. "I've noticed she seems more out of it lately," he replies. "Plus, you two haven't been patrolling the place as much together as you used to. Why, it's almost as if you've been avoiding each other." Hilbert glares at Colress, which makes him grin. "Or maybe," he observes, "she's been avoiding you."

"You don't know what you're talking about," says Hilbert. "My sister and I are just fine. Not that it's any of your business." Colress shrugs and sits back in his cell. "I just thought you ought to know that she's seemed more down and out lately," he says as he lies across the bed. "But it seems that you haven't even noticed that something was wrong with her? Well, that's interesting." Hilbert glares at him some more. "You haven't a clue what you're talking about," he repeats, walking off. "If something was bothering Hilda, she'd tell me." "Oh I'm sure she would," Colress replies, before chuckling. Hilbert rolls his eyes, before refitting his headphones on his head. He resumes the song he was listening to, and carries on his rounds.

But as he does, he starts thinking about Hilda. It's true that the two of them haven't been at each other's side as much as normal. But he figures that this is just part of her getting over her relapse. Which, if he's lucky, should be soon. Sure, this one is taking a bit longer than normal, but maybe it was just a particularly bad relapse. As he wanders, he notices that he's started subconsciously looking for his sister. She told him right as they were about to enter the Team Terra section of the prison that she needs some air, so he left her to it, and completed those rounds on his own. Now, he finds himself wondering where she could've gone.

Eventually, he finds her standing on one of the balconies on the upper floors, typically used for snipers and big guns during mass breakouts or raids. Not that there have ever been any in this place before, but that's what they were designed for. Whoever built the place must've really loved medieval warfare. Or else this place was built during medieval times. Hilbert was never sure. He walks up to her and stands beside her, making sure not to startle her. She looks over to him and smiles, before facing away again. "Are you alright?" he asks. She shrugs. "Getting there," she admits. "Won't be long now before I'm right as rain again. The therapist has helped."

Hilbert smiles at this and stretches out. "Ah, that's good," he says happily. "That means it won't be long until we can get back out there then." Hilda chuckles. "You really hate it in her huh?" she comments. "It's not that I hate it," Hilbert replies. "It's just that I prefer being out there fighting bad guys and doing cool things than in here guarding them. Plus, I just found out from someone on Ash's side that he's looking into finding out where Team Terra are launching their boats of weapons! Of course I want in on that!" "We spent 2 months guarding 2 kids," she argues. "How is this different?" "Well we actually fought Team Terra on those days," he points out. "Plus, we could be outside more. I'm getting claustrophobic in these walls." He expects her to laugh again, but she doesn't. She continues to look out over the grounds of the prison. "You know, you don't have to stay here," she says.

Hilbert stares at her with amazement. "What do you mean?" he asks. "Well, you obviously don't like it here," she says. "But, I do. It's much more peaceful here. Less likely to have to use my... You know." Hilbert nods. "But, if you want to go back out there, you can," she continues. "Don't remain here, where you aren't happy, just for my sake." Hilbert thinks about this, before grinning at her. "I'll tell you what," he says. "I'll stay here until you've fully recovered from your relapse. When that happens, if you still want to stay here, I'll call to transfer out without you, how's that?" Hilda looks like she's thinking about it, before she nods. "Yeah, I think that sounds fair."

Hilbert smiles at her, before patting her on the shoulder. "Awesome," he says. "I've finished the Team Terra wing by the way, so let's get back to the regular criminals, ok?" Hilda nods, then gets up. "By the way, what else are Ash and the others up to?" Hilbert thinks about this. "I think they're trying to locate Team Terra's main base," he says. "And they're definitely planning a couple more raids on other smaller bases." "How do you know that?" she asks him. "I have a contact," he replies. "Gotta stay in the know for when I get back out there. You coming?" "Go on ahead," she tells him. "I'll join you in a second." Hilbert nods, then walks into the building. As Hilda watches him do this, the smile on her face drops, replaced by one of extreme guilt. "Oh Hilbert," she says to herself. "I'm so sorry." Then, she sends the message she was secretly typing as he spoke, and followed him out, putting a mask of happiness back on her face.

Chapter Text

Ash is frustrated. The past few raids he's ordered have failed. Team Terra had been ready for them every time, without fail. With this evidence, Ash has contacted all of his friends, the ones who were there in his announcement video, and he and Paul told them all about the fact that there is a spy amongst them. "Now, we're 100% confident it's none of you," he says. "Which is why this information can't leave this room. Any further plans we have must be told only to those you need to bring with you. If we can keep these plans to as few people, it might stop our plans from being leaked. And the plans that are leaked, we'll should be able to trace them and find out who it is."

The others feel uncomfortable about this. "Someone betrayed us?" asks Dawn. "Why would someone do that?" Ash shrugs. "I don't know," he says. "I'm still holding onto hope that this is all a big misunderstanding. But after Team Terra was prepared for so many of our operations, I can no longer ignore the possibility that one of their agents has infiltrated our group." Everyone looks at each other at this, as if trying to sus out if they're the spy. "We have already confirmed that it's no one here," says Paul. "Team Terra still have no idea where Max and Bonnie are. Plus, they've been trying to locate Ash's main base for a few weeks now. If it was one of us, we could straight up tell them where both are."

Everyone in the group nods at this, realising that they're right. "So, we just have to carry on like normal and hope the spy slips up?" May asks. "I know it's a terrible plan," says Ash. "But it's literally all we can do right now, until they reveal themselves to us, by accident or otherwise." "I hate this plan," says Cilan. "I'm not a fan of it myself," says Paul. "But it's literally all we can do, ok?" They all nod. With that all clear, Ash dismisses them. They all head back to doing what they were doing before Ash called them here. While they do that, Ash continues to search through the different ports all across the world. He's been trying to find the main port from which Team Terra has been shipping their weapons from. He hasn't told anyone on his team about this yet, in order to make sure that the spy doesn't find out that he's looking for them.

About 2 days after he called this meeting, Ash finally finds what he's been looking for. A small drone he'd been flying around the Galar region has picked up something interesting along the route between Circhester and Spikemuth. "Alright you sons of bitches," he mutters to himself. "What have you been hiding from me?" He flies the drone closer to the ice, and lo and behold, there is a base in the cave. Ash smirks to himself as he gives it a once over with the drone. At first he thinks this'll be a small enough base, one he can take on by himself. It's not. Not in the slightest. The base is huge, full of ships, all loaded with cargo. By the looks of it, they were going to be sent out any day now. "I am going to need help with this," he mutters to himself. He considers calling Serena, but doesn't want her to get hurt on this job. So instead, he decides to call an old friend.

"What is it Monarch?" Marnie asks when Ash calls her. "I need your help," he says. She sounds amused by this. "Do you now?" she asks. "That's interesting. What is it you need?" Ash quickly explains to her the situation. When he's finished, she sounds less enthusiastic about it. "I see," she comments. "So, those bastards think they can ship their weapons past me and get away with it do they?" "So does that mean you'll help me?" Ash asks. "Unfortunately, I cannot," she replies. "I'm too busy trying to prevent those idiots from getting into my town. Why not call Serena about this?" Ash shakes his head, though Marnie can't see that. "I don't want her getting hurt because of me," he says. "It almost happened once before, I can't let it happen again."

"But you're alright with me getting hurt are you?" Marnie asks. "How touching." As suddenly realises how that sounds and quickly apologises. Marnie starts laughing at this. "Don't worry," she tells him. "I'm just joshing ya. Look, I'd love ta help, but I'm swamped thanks to these ninnies." Ash sighs. "It's alright Marnie," he says. "Thanks anyway." He goes to hang up, but before he does, Marnie stops him. "I may not be able to help ya," she tells him. "But I know someone who can." Relief floods through Ash at this. "Thank you," he says. "Who is it?"

"A friend of mine," Marnie replies, and Ash notices that her voice seems to change a bit, becoming kind of wistful. "Her name is Gloria. I think you met her before. She was the one who faced you in the Masters Eight 2 years ago." Ash's memory flashes back to her, and it clicks into place. "Ah yes, I do recall her," he replies. "I also recall you speaking quite fondly of her." "Yes, well, she is a very good trainer," Marnie replies quickly. "But she is also a very good friend of mine. And if she comes back to me with so much as a scratch on her, I will sick Team Yell on you!" Ash chuckles at this, but doesn't think he wants to experience that. "Ok, I'll keep her safe," he tells her, before realising something. "Wait, does this mean she's your girlfriend!?"

Marnie starts blubbering immediately. "What? No! Absolutely not! No way! Not at all I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about no!" she replies, saying all of this very quickly, and making Ash laugh. "Hey, don't you start on this!" Marnie warns him. "I get enough of that from my brother as is. He's extremely insistent that we get together, even though we're just friends." Ash highly doubts that, but decides not to push it. He remembers how much Pikachu used to tease him about his obvious infatuation with Serena while they were training together on Mt. Silver. So, he moves on from that, and once again promises that Gloria won't get hurt. Then, he ends the call and prepares to head out to where he found the base.

He stands in Circhester, waiting to meet with Gloria. As he stands there, he tries to remember what Gloria looked like. Unfortunately, he's faced a lot of people over the years he's been Monarch, so he can't quite remember what she looks like. But then, she appears before him, and his memory clicks. She's a bit short, with short brown hair tucked into a grey beanie, wearing a tank top, shorts and thigh high boots. "Oh my Arceus," Ash thinks to himself. "She is exactly Marnie's type!" He nods to her as she walks up to him. "Never thought I'd be talking to you outside of the Masters Eight," she commented in a thick south Galarian accent, before holding out her hand. "Gloria Yuuki, future champion of Galar." Ash chuckles at this. "Well, that's pretty cocky I must say," he comments. "Because I'm pretty sure I beat you last time we faced, and I don't think you made it to the Masters Eight last time."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Gloria replies. "You're the Monarch of The World Coronation Series, Leon is still the Champion of Galar. Well, not for much longer." Ash nods, understanding what she means. "And I suppose you're also dating Marnie then?" he asks. Gloria goes bright red at this. "I-It's not like that," she tells him. "Marnie and I are just friends, that's all." Ash holds up his hands in surrender, then moves on with the subject. "I assume that Marnie told you about what we're doing here?" he asks. Gloria nods. "Sneaking into a Team Terra base and blowing it sky high," she replies. "And if I let myself get hurt in anyway she'll keep me locked in Spikemuth and send Team Yell after you." Ash nods. "And you're positive that you and Marnie are just friends?" Ash asks. Gloria punches him, but doesn't reply.

The two of them quickly make their way to the spot where Ash's drone found the base earlier that day. Gloria takes her Rotom Bike while Ash flies overhead on Glalie in order to stay as inconspicuous as possible. They arrive at the spot, where Gloria quickly puts away her bike, while Ash returns his Glalie. Then, they begin to make their way into the cave in the side of the icy cliff. They quickly figure out that the only way inside it is through the water. "I'm not swimming in that," Gloria comments. "That's good," says Ash, "because neither am I." Gloria brings her Rotom Bike back out, and the two of them hop on it, before riding inside the cave.

"So, do you have any experience with dealing with these kinds of people?" Ash asks as Gloria peddles them in. "What, is this a job interview?" Gloria asks, which makes Ash laugh. "No, no," he says. "I just want to make sure I'm not bringing along a novice into somewhere very dangerous." Gloria waves him off. "Oh don't worry, I'm no novice," she tells him. "I can fight pretty well." "Well, I'll be the judge of that," Ash replies. The 2 of them sit in silence for a few minutes, before Gloria asks, "So, just how big is this base anyway?" At this moment, they arrive in the main chamber, and her mouth falls open. The place is massive, full of ships loaded with cargo, just like Ash saw in his camera. There are a bunch of walkways going over the ships, with a few cranes attached to the sides (if you've ever played the first LEGO Indiana Jones game, think the first room of the final level of Raiders, but with a lot more ships, and metal walkways overhead.)

"That big," Ash replies. "I see why you needed help," Gloria replies. "This place is huge." "But not for long," he says as Gloria peddles the bike over to one of the areas that they can hide. "Because we're about to blow this place up." Gloria nods, then she and Ash hop off the bike, and she returns it to her pocket. Then, they take cover behind some debris. "We need to get up to those cranes," says Ash. "If we can blow the things that keep them standing, they can fall onto the boats and wreck them." Gloria nods, then looks around. "And if we take out those support beams up there," she adds, pointing up to them, "then we can level the place, and prevent them from rebuilding it." Ash pats her on the shoulder at this. "I can see why Marnie fancies you,\" he says, before returning his attention to the layout, leaving Gloria red in the face.

The two of them decide it would be best to split up for this. Ash will go and take out the cranes, while Gloria goes for the support beams. Before they head off though, the two of them sneak over to the base's weapons vault, and swipe every last explosive in the room. Then, they nod to each other. "Meet back where we were just hiding," Ash tells her. Gloria nods, and the two separate. Ash quietly makes his way through the base, sneaking over to the ladder that leads to the first crane. After making sure that no one can see him, he begins to climb the ladder. What he keeps his eyes on the ground to make sure no one sees him. Thankfully, no one looks up at him, much to his relief. But, his focus is so much on the bottom, that he doesn't notice the people up at the top until his head bumps into something metallic.

He looks up to see 3 agents grinning at him, all 3 pointing guns at his head. "Hello there Monarch," says the one who's gun Ash just bashed his head off. "We've been waiting for you." Ash stares at them in shock. "How did you know I'd be here?" he asks, hoping that they don't know about Gloria. The grunt chuckles. "Oh, we knew you'd come eventually," he says. "We just didn't know the day that it would occur." Ash is relieved by this. He'd made it clear to most of his forces that he'd be attempting to put a stop to the launching of the boats ever since the events at the lighthouse in Kanto. So, the spy knew about that, but didn't know that he'd be coming today, or that he brought anyone with him. Ash grins, thankful that this confirms that it's none of his close friends. "Now, you're coming with us," says the second grunt, reaching out to him.

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere with you," says Ash, before he sends out a powerful blast of Aura, knocking the 3 of them off the walkways and into the water below. He pulls himself up onto the walkways, and runs across it to one of the cranes. He knocks some agents out, then reaches the crane. He connects the bomb to the detonator he stole, before attaching the bomb to the base of the crane and priming it. After making sure that no one saw him do this, he sneaks away from the scene, and starts making his way to the second crane. "I hope Gloria doesn't get found," he mutters as he creeps along. "Otherwise Marnie is going to kill me."

Gloria, with help from her Gourgeist, manages to make it to the top of the rafter and up to the support beams. She had Corviknight follow beside her and keep her from falling as she balances across them. She kneels down at one of the corners and plants the first bomb, before priming it. Then, she holds onto Corviknight as he leads her over to the next area that she needs to plant a bomb. As she sneaks across the platform, she spots Ash sneaking around the cranes, planting his own bombs on each of them. When he does, she notices him making sure that they blow up in such a way that the cranes themselves will fall onto the ships as opposed to just exploding. So, she makes sure to do the same with her bombs.

Soon enough, both of them are finished priming their explosives. With that done, they begin to sneak back towards the spot where they were first hiding. Ash manages to reach the ladder he used to get up to the walkways without being detected. He's about to climb back down it, when he feels a gun on the back of his head. "Step away from the ladder," he's told. Ash stops what he's doing and holds his hands up. "Hello," he says. "So, you caught me." The grunts chuckle. "Of course we did," says another. "You aren't exactly subtle." "But the question is," asks the first. "What were you doing up here?" Ash quickly glances up at where Gloria is, to find that she's away from any spot where she planted her explosives, and she has Corviknight with her. "Nothing," he says, slipping his hand into his pocket. "Only this." Then, he pulls out the detonator and presses the button.

The base of the cranes explode, causing them to crash down onto the ships below, exactly as Ash had hoped. But, what he hadn't counted on is the fact that the cranes bring the walkways down with them due to their large size. And he's still on them. Acting quickly, he grabs a grunt and throws him at the other one, then quickly slides down the ladder as fast as he can. As he does so, everyone else is looking up at the explosions. "Look up there!" someone shouts. "There's someone else here!" Seeing this, the other grunts start shooting at Gloria. Corviknight swoops in and blocks the bullets with his steel body. But, doing so causes Gloria to lose her balance, and she topples from the beams.

Corviknight swoops down and picks her up, dropping her off next to Ash, perfectly unscathed. She thanks him and returns him to his ball. "We need to get out of here," she tells him. "Come on, I'll get my bike!" Ash nods and they run for the water. As they reach it, Gloria pulls out her bike and the detonator she primed. She's about to make the bike bigger so they can escape, when her hand is struck by a bullet. As she cries out in pain, she drops the bike into the water and it promptly sinks. "Well shit," says Ash. "Now what?" Gloria looks at her bloody hand, then down at the detonator. She looks back up at the support beans, then presses the button.

They immediately explode, sending a shower of debris down on anyone. Ash wants to shout at her for doing something so stupid, but decides that there's no point. So instead, he begins rifling through his pokéballs to find a water type that they can ride on. He just about realises that he doesn't have one, when he hears the sound of a jet ski coming down the waterway. He looks up, ready to throw an Aura Sphere at whoever this is, when he sees Serena riding in. "Get on!" she shouts. "Both of you." Without hesitation, they climb on behind her. Then, Serena guns the engine and they take off down the tunnel. They just about make it out in time to watch the tunnel collapse behind them. "Well, that was awesome!" Gloria exclaims, before Ash starts bandaging her hand.

"Thanks for the rescue babe," says Ash as he does so. "How did you know we were here?" Marnie called me to tell me what you were planning," she tells him. "As for how I found you, I went to your house in time to see you sneak in here on your drone." Ash silently curses himself for not bringing the drone back. "So, who's this?" she asks him, indicating to Gloria. "This is Gloria," Ash replies. "Marnie's girlfriend." "I'm not her girlfriend!" Gloria protests. "Marnie requested I bring her along instead of her," Ash continues, ignoring Gloria's protests. "She was pretty swamped with Team Terra recently." "But, why didn't you ask me?" Serena asks him.

Ash hesitates, wondering how to respond. Eventually, he decides on the truth. "It's because I was afraid," he admits. "The last time you and I fought these guys together, you almost died. And I accidentally killed someone trying to save you. I was scared of going through something like that again." Serena stops the jet ski and turns around to hug her boyfriend. "Oh, you're still not over that are you?" Serena asks. Ash shakes his head. "Well don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Serena tells him. "So, let's just head back to your place and report that the boats won't be leaving for Kanto anytime soon." Ash nods, then Serena starts up the jet ski. "But first, can you drop me off at Spikemuth?" Gloria asks. "I need to get this treated." She holds up her bloody hand. Ash sighs. "Marnie is going to kill me," he says.

But, little do they know, Serena wasn't the only one who watched this on a camera. The Boss of Team Terra sits on a seat in his main base, mask sitting by his side. He watches the series of events on a big screen, scratching his chin in thought. When they finish, he presses a call button on his chair. A few minutes later, Admin Momiji shows up, mask off her head. "You wanted to see me?" she asks. The Boss turns around in his seat. "Have we made any significant progress into finding Ketchum's main base of operations?" he asks. Mable shakes her head. "Negative," she replies. "We're no closer than we were before." The Boss nods, then turns back to look at the screen. "I want you to cancel all further investigations into this matter," he tells her.

Mable stares in surprise at this. "But why?" she asks him. The Boss sighs as he picks up his mask. "Because with his latest stunt, Ketchum has made this personal," he replies. "How long until the next Masters 8?" Mable scrolls through her phone for a few seconds. "Uh, a week, leader," she replies. The Boss nods, before putting his mask on his head. "I will wait until then," he says, his mask distorting his voice to the point that it's unrecognisable. "Ketchum wants a fight? Then I'll bring him one." As he says this, he fits his gloves on. Then, he causes them to spark. "I will triumph in this conflict. And I will make sure the whole world sees me do so!"

Chapter Text

Over the next week, nothing much happens to Max and Bonnie. After leaving Mallow and Lana, who they believe were heading to Galar, the two of them left Vermillion through the forest next to it, aiming to take the very long way to Celadon, despite how much easier it would be to take the St. Anne II. "I've always wondered why it's called the St. Anne II?" Bonnie wonders. "Apparently the original sank 6 years ago," Max replies. "I asked." Bonnie chuckles at this. "What are the chances that Ash was on that ship," she jokes. "And was part of the reason it sank." Max laughs as well. "Knowing him and how his journey went, I'd say pretty high," Max replies. Both of them laugh some more, before continuing through the forest.

They try to keep the water in their sight as they walk through the trees, but there are moments where they have to leave it for a bit because the trees become too thick, or there is a nest of pokémon that Max advises is not a good idea to disturb, so they have to go around it. Thankfully, during all of this, Sarah and Sam don't bother them. Either because they're waiting for the right moment to strike, or they can't find them. The two of them are hoping it's the latter. While they spend a lot of time walking, they also spend a lot of time training. Specifically, Bonnie trains her fire type pokémon up by using Max's Kakuna, and his ability to harden. He makes an excellent punching bag, and a perfect wat to test Talonflame and Delphox's abilities.

A week after they left Vermillion, they come to a stop in the early evening. This is because Bonnie complains about feeling tired. "I don't know why," she says. "But I've just been hit with a strong tiredness." Max accepts this, and the two stop to set up camp. Max throws together a quick dinner for them both. Bonnie wolfs it down quickly, struggling to keep her eyes open as she does. As soon as she's finished with her food, she decides it would be best to go to sleep now, despite how early in the evening it is. Max bids her goodnight. "I'm gonna stay up a bit later," he tells her. "I want to document some of Kanto's night-time pokémon in this area." Bonnie nods in understanding, before crawling into her tent. She barely closed the flap before collapsing onto the ground mat and falling straight asleep.

Bonnie wakes up not in her tent. At first, she's really confused as to what's happening. Then, she realises that she's having another vision. "No, not now," she mutters. "Please not now!" But as the vision becomes clearer, she finds herself standing at the edge of a cliff. "Where am I?" she asks. "What are you showing me this time?" She looks around, hoping not to see more destruction and pain. Instead, she sees a group of people standing along the cliffside. They're dressed in really old fashioned clothes, older than the ones worn in the previous 2 visions. They look like a nomadic tribe, with a bunch of Ponyta and Rapidash carrying big bags, while the people carry smaller bags.

Bonnie runs up to them, hoping to learn who they are, and what they have to do with the previous 2 visions she had. She reaches them, and expects to see them staring at the destruction that she saw in her two previous visions. But they aren't. They're standing around a bunch of dead bodies, and some ropes lying on the ground. They're all looking up at the sky, so Bonnie does the same. And that's when she sees them. The Legendary pokémon, Lugia. It soars onto the air, darting around as if they were just freed. Which, looking down at the rope and the bodies, they probably were. Lugia stops flying about, and hovers over the nomadic tribe. They close their eyes, and the nomads all get shocked looks on their faces.

It takes Bonnie a few seconds to realise that Lugia is talking to them telepathically. But Bonnie can't hear a word they're saying. After a few seconds, Lugia opens their eyes again and spreads their wings. A blue glow emanates from the Legendary, covering the nomads. When the glow dissipates, the nomads look around at each other for a few seconds. Then, their leader opens his hand. To everyone's shock, a blue sphere appears in his hands. As Bonnie watches, the others start doing the same. With a start, she realises that these must be the first Aura Guardians, and how they got their powers. As Bonnie watches this, she sees another blue glow from beside her. She turns around and sees a figure standing there, in similar clothes to the others. The figure looks at her, then speaks. "To... know... the... Power." Then, like the other two, they make a grabbing gesture at her, and the vision changes.

Now, she's standing up in a mountain, clearly the peak of one. Looking around, she sees the clear remnants of a battle around her. Then, her eyes fall on herself. In this vision, she looks 3 years older, and thoroughly beaten down. In front of her future self, some sort of flying vehicle by the sounds of it takes off, leaving Future Bonnie kneeling on the ground, in floods of tears. Bonnie walks carefully towards her future self, hoping to find out what happened to her. When suddenly, blue flecks appear on her skin. Before Bonnie has time to jump back, she watches as her future self gets covered in Aura, and her eyes go red.

As much as Max loves Bonnie, he would be lying if he said that he doesn't also like these moments of quiet to himself. Here, it's just him and his notebook. He's left his pokéballs in his tent, to avoid distractions, or making any noise that might scare away any nocturnal pokémon in the area. He keeps his Rotom phone floating beside him, with the torch switched on so that he can see what he's writing. Truly, it's moments like these that make adventuring worth it, even if he has to be chased all across the world by maniacs. Of course, he would never want to go adventuring without Bonnie, but he still enjoys these moments of pure silence, except for the sounds of wild pokémon around him.

This silence is interrupted by the sound of a tent flap being zipped open. Max looks over at Bonnie's tent to see her stepping outside, still in her clothes. "I thought you'd gone to bed?" Max asks. "Couldn't sleep? Have a nightmare?" Bonnie doesn't answer him. She just stands there, swaying slightly. Then, without a word to Max, she starts walking further into the woods. "Uh, Bonnie?" Max asks, putting his notebook away and standing up. "Where are you going?" Again, Bonnie doesn't answer. She just continues walking further into the forest. Max watches her go, then picks up his bag with his notebooks and follows her into the woods.

"Bonnie, where are you going?" Max asks as he runs to catch up to her. "Wait up!" He catches up to her and stands in front of her. To his surprise, he sees that her eyes are closed, and she seems to be snoring. With a start, he realises that she's sleepwalking. In all the years they've travelled together, he has never seen her sleepwalk before. "Bonnie?" he says cautiously. "What is going on?" Bonnie ignores him and carries on walking, pretty mush pushing him aside. Max catches up to her again, then opens one of her eyes. He jumps back in fright, seeing that her eyes are glowing blue. When he jumps back, Bonnie's eye closes again, and she carries on walking.

By now, there are other sounds around them, which no longer bring Max comfort. He reaches down to his belt to grab a pokéball. But to his horror, he realises that he left his pokémon in his tent. Silently cursing himself for being so stupid, he grabs a stick from the ground as a means of defending himself and Bonnie from any danger. "Bonnie!" Max calls, longer this time. "Please snap out of this!" She continues to sleepwalk. "Bonnie, wake up!" Max calls again. "I don't like this!" When she continues to sleepwalk, Max gets an idea. "Sorry about this," he says, before sticking the stick between her feet. Just as he hoped, she crashes to the ground, shakes her head, and opens her eyes. they continue to glow blue for a few seconds, before returning to normal.

"Max?" she asks, getting to her feet. "Where are we?" "I don't know," Max replies. "But I think we're lost." "What!?" Bonnie exclaims. "Why did you bring us out here if you didn't know the way back!?" "I didn't bring us out here!" Max responds. "You brought me out here!" Bonnie stares at him in shock. "What do you mean?" she asks. "You were sleepwalking," Max replies. Bonnie stares at him in utter bewilderment. "Sleepwalking?" she asks. "But I've never done that before." "Yeah, no shit," Max replies, looking around, trying to find the way they came. "Your eyes were glowing blue when I opened them. Were you having another vision?"

Bonnie suddenly remembers her dream, and nods her head. "I was," she replies, before explaining to him what happened. When she finishes, Max stops looking around for their campsite. "Well, that's different from the other times," he says. "Are those even connected." Bonnie thinks about this. "I think so," she says. "I believe, that last vision was about how the Aura Guardians first got their powers." Max begins to piece together what she's saying. "Wait, so if that's the case," he says. "Does that mean that those mass killings you saw were also the Aura Guardians?" Bonnie nods. "I think I was shown the moment The Aura Guardians went almost extinct."

"That is correct," says a voice behind her. Bonnie wheels around in fright. "Who said that?" she asks. "Who said what?" Max asks. "I wasn't listening." "Relax Bonnie Citron," says the voice, causing Max to freeze. "Your friend cannot hear us, for he is not an Aura Guardian. But we are here, you are not crazy." "Uh, no, I can hear you," Max replies. There's silence for a few seconds, before the voice says, "… What?" "Yeah, I can hear you," Max repeats. "That should not be possible," says the voice. "Only Aura Guardians can see or hear us in this form. This is most mysterious." Suddenly, a glow appears in the distance. "Come to us," the voice continues. "We have much to discuss."

Bonnie starts to follow the voice, but Max grabs her arm. "Wait," he says. "What if it's a trap?" Bonnie rolls her eyes. "Please, I don't think Team Terra are smart enough to conjure up something like this," she points out. "Who said anything about Team Terra?" Max replies. "But just think about this for a minute, a disembodied voice that only you are supposed to be able to hear? Don't you think that's a little too clichéd?" Bonnie figures he's right, but her curiosity gets the better of her. "Look, I've been seeing blue ghosts since we got to Kanto," she points out. "And I've been having weird visions of the past. This could be my chance to find out what they all mean!" Max thinks about it, then sighs. "Fine," he says. "Let's follow the disembodied voice and weird blue glow. Nothing can go wrong there." Bonnie rolls her eyes again and smacks him, then leads the way towards the glow, and, hopefully, towards some answers.

Chapter Text

As Max and Bonnie walk through the woods after the voice, Bonnie notices for the first time that Max is carrying a stick. "Why do you have a stick?" she asks. "Because you sleepwalked away from the campsite, and I was worried so I followed you," Max reminds her. "I left my pokéballs in my tent, so this was the only way I could defend the both of us if trouble arose." Bonnie accepts that answer, and they continue on their way. As they do, they hear rustling behind them. They both wheel around quickly, Max raising his stick and Bonnie raising a pokéball, only to find Dedenne running up to them. "Oh my Arceus, I'm so sorry Dedenne!" Bonnie exclaims, picking him up and placing him on her shoulder. Dedenne nuzzles her at this, giving her a small zap.

Max leads the way towards the voices, while Bonnie explains to Dedenne why neither of them were at the campsite. He seems a little disappointed by this news, and it doesn't take Bonnie long to realise what Dedenne was hoping had happened. Before she can quietly protest that she and Max are just friends, she crashes into him, almost toppling Dedenne off her shoulder. "I think I found where the voice wants us to go," he tells her. She looks over his shoulder, and sees a medium-sized cave, roughly large enough for a fully grown man to enter. "Are you sure we can trust this?" Max asks, feeling very doubtful. In response, Bonnie releasees Delphox and tells her to make her flame glow brighter.

"We have to," she says. "This could be our chance to learn about my visions." Max snickers at this. "And you're also hoping that they'll teach you how to properly use your Aura, aren't you?" he asks. Bonnie goes a bit pink and doesn't look at him. "Let's just get going, shall we?" she says, before heading inside, accompanied by Delphox. Max follows after, but not before pulling out a spare t-shirt from his bag. He cuts a sleeve off, since he doesn't wear it anymore, and douses it in the cooking oil they use. Then, he walks over to Delphox and hovers the stick over her flame. Sure enough, it catches fire. He grins as he holds up his makeshift torch, then follows the others inside.

"Why did you do that?" Bonnie asks. "Delphox can light the way up just fine." "Well yes, but I'd like my own light source thank you very much," he replies. "Then why not use your phone's torch?" Bonnie asks. "Because I want to save it's battery," he replies. "I need it to last as long as it can." He keeps walking for a few seconds, before admitting, "That, and I have always wanted to do this." Bonnie laughs at this. "Oh my Arceus, you are such a nerd," she tells him. "Guilty as charged," he replies, bowing slightly, and making Bonnie laugh some more. After another minute or two of walking, they finally reach the end of the tunnel. It opens out, and the two of them are left gobsmacked.

The tunnel opens into what looks like a chapel from an ancient building. It's massive, easily as big as the pitch of Wyndon Stadium. Foliage grows out of the ground, and the walls are covered in moss. What must have been pews for worshippers have almost completely rotted away, leaving small markings, as well as scraps of wood where they used to be. Up at the back of the room, sitting on a dais, is a large plinth, about as big as a car, where a ruined statue stands. They figure it's supposed to represent a Legendary pokémon of some sort, but the statue is too badly destroyed for them to make out what it is. To there right is a collapsed doorway, which no doubt leads to more ruins. "This has to be the greatest archaeological find of the century!" Max exclaims, pulling out his notebook. "I've got to take notes!"

With that, he steps into the room. Instantly, several oil torches that line the wall suddenly ignite, brightening the room. All around them, blue, translucent figures appear out of nowhere, about 5 in total, startling the pair. "Ok, I won't take notes!" max exclaims, putting his notebook away. "That is not why we appeared before you," says the first one, a male figure. "We have been waiting here a long time for an Aura Guardian to discover us. And now, at last, you have done so." "Who are you?" Bonnie asks. "We were once the ones known as The Aura Guardians," says the second figure, female this time. "Once, there were many of us. Now, only few remain."

Suddenly, all eyes fall on Max. "But, while we are aware of what you are, Bonnie Citron, it is a miracle that your companion can see us," says the third figure, also female. She floats over to Max and stretches out her hand. "What is your ancestry, I wonder." Her hand glows as blue light envelops Max. For a second, both he and Bonnie panic as they worry that something bad is going to happen to him. But as they watch, his arms begin to glow. Suddenly, strange markings cover them, ones that Max has seen before. But not on his own arms. They Aura Guardians watch in shock as these markings appear. The woman stops what she's doing, and they vanish in an instant.

Max looks around at the ghosts with worry, afraid that he's just offended them. But, they all seem to be smiling. "So, those two managed to make a life for themselves after all," says the fourth ghost, male. "That is good to see." "Can someone please explain what's going on!?" Bonnie suddenly shouts. "Why did you call us here? And what were those marks on Max's arms?" The ghosts all turn to look at her. "We have summoned you here to show you our past," says the last ghost, female again. "You must understand the full history of the Aura Guardians, if you are to stop what is coming." "What's coming?" both of them ask. "The group you call Team Terra's plans will come to fruition," says the first ghost.

Before Max or Bonnie can ask what those plans are, the ghosts turn, and begin to float towards the dais. "As for those markings," says the second ghost. "They are a sign that he is descended from The People of the Water. Another ancient tribe that was wiped out alongside us. They lived below the waves of Hoenn, and worshipped Manaphy, while we worshipped Lugia. They're gifts were in technological advances. Ours, were in our powers." "But, the People of the Water were still connected to us," explains the third. "So, as a result, you can see us."

By this time, they 7 of them have reach the dais. The ghosts all gather around the plinth, leaving a gap for Max and Bonnie to stand in. The two of them look at each other, shrug, then step forward as well. The ghosts all place their hands on the plinth, so Max and Bonnie do the same. Then, the ghosts begin to chant the same 3 sentences. "To know the past. To know the path. To know the power!" They repeat these sentences over and over again, and as they do, Max notices that the statue seems to start rebuilding itself. Once it's finished, a mighty statue of Lugia appears before them. It's about as tall as the tunnel was, and blows Max and Bonnie away. Then, it lets out a loud roar, and suddenly, all the two of them can see is white.

They look around, and see that they're still standing with the Aura Guardians. But everything else is gone. The chapel, the statue, all of it. "What's going on?" Max asks. "We are transporting you to our past," says one of the Aura Guardians, and Max and Bonnie notice that her voice is no longer echoing. "This is the only way for you to learn about everything you need to know about your powers." "But what does that 'To know the past' stuff mean?" Bonnie asks. "I kept hearing it in my visions." "That is our people's crest," explains another guardian. "It describes our people's constant seeking of knowledge, and our goals. To know all their is to know about our past, our powers, and our future."

At this, the whiteness dissipates, and they find themselves floating above a field in Kanto, hundreds of years in the past. Max gazes in awe at all of the different pokémon that can be seen here, some of which are extinct in the present day. He wants to take his notebook out and start writing about all of them, but before he can, Bonnie taps him on the shoulder. He turns around to look at her, and sees that she's pointing off in one direction. Looking over there, he sees a group of people walking through this field. They look nomadic, with a bunch of Ponyta and Rapidash carrying large bags, while the humans carry smaller ones. Bonnie gasps at this. "This was my latest vision," she tells Max.

As they all watch, this group of nomads continues to walk across the fields, although these are untamed. Suddenly, a roar of anger and pain echoes across the plain. The nomads stop walking and look around, wondering where it came from. It calls out again, and they start running towards the sound, trying to figure out what it is. Max, Bonnie, and the ghosts float after them, though they don't physically move their bodies. It's like they're watching a movie, and the camera is following the important characters. They rise over the hill to see the nomads standing there, staring in horror at the sight before them.

Some hunters have managed to capture Lugia. As everyone watches, these hunters cover Lugia in think ropes, which seem to be made of some sort of material that burns the Legendary. "They made it out of parts of Ho-Oh's feathers," explains one of the Guardians. "At least, according to the stories of our ancestors." As they watch, the nomads stare angrily at these hunters. Without a word, the nomads' leader pulls a sword out from his belt. Seeing him do this causes the rest of them to do the same. Then, they all charge at the hunters. Taken completely by surprise, the most of the hunters don't even have time to pull their own weapons out before they're brutally cut down. Some at the back do have enough time, and put up something of a fight. But, they're no match for the wrath of the nomads.

In no time at all, every hunter lies dead at their feet. Some of the nomads then use their swords to free Lugia from their bindings, before applying medicinal herbs to their wings. Lugia rises above them, bowing in gratitude. Then, just like in Bonnie's vision, Lugia closes their eyes, and the nomads become surprised. But this time, Max and Bonnie can hear what they're saying. "I thank you all from the bottom of my heart," says the Legendary. "To demonstrate my gratitude, I shall bestow upon you all a special power, that shall allow you to protect your knowledge, and that which you care about." Then, they open their eyes and spread their wings, transferring the power of Aura into the nomads.

"Open your hand," Lugia instructs. "Feel the energy flow through." The nomadic leader does so, and everyone watches as he summons an Aura sphere. As everyone stares in shock, Lugia has one last thing to say. "Use this power wisely, for it is partial power of a Legendary. I have granted it, but if it is abused, I can take it away. Let that be remembered." Then, Lugia flies off, as the newly formed Aura Guardians bow to them respectfully. Once Lugia has flown away, the image of the vision disappeared. "This was how we were first granted our powers," explains one of the ghosts. "From there, we began to settle, staying in one place, rather than continuing to be nomadic."

Suddenly, they find themselves hovering over that same field again. But now, instead of showing a single memory, the ghosts present the two of them with a timelapse. As they watch, small houses are constructed on that field that Lugia was saved. These houses get bigger and bigger, as a sprawling city is made. A castle is constructed at the back of the city, with a chapel right in the city's heart. After some time, walls begin to pop up around the city, turning it into a massive fortified citadel. The walls are moved around a few times to make room for more buildings, as well as farmland. But soon enough, the timelapse stops, and Max and Bonnie are left staring at the biggest city either of them has ever seen.

The memory then causes them to fly through the city, as the Guardians give them a demonstration of life at the time. They watch as Aura Guardians use their powers for things like construction, using tiny spheres to weld metal together, farming, using Aura Barriers to carry water over their crops and give them the right amount they need, to even playing, like three kids playing a game of catch with their spheres. "Welcome, Bonnie Citron and Max Maple, to the golden age of the Aura Guardians," says a ghost. "It's beautiful," says Max. "I want to learn how to do all of this," Bonnie says. The ghosts chuckle. "Unfortunately, you need a teacher for that," says a ghost. "And we didn't put enough of our power into the chapel for us to be able to do that." Bonnie looks disappointed by this.

The memory brings them into the castle, where the leader lives. They're expecting it to be filled with extravagancies, the likes of which they've never seen. Instead, it's mostly filled with books and scrolls of paper. As they watch, people with the same markings that appeared on Max's hands are talking with an old man in fine robes. The People of the Water hand over a piece of technology, and in return, the old man presents them with a scroll. The three of them bow to each other, before the People of the Water leave. "This was a time of great conflict across the world," one of the ghosts explains. "But for us, we were perfectly safe. We stayed neutral in all conflicts, only providing aid to those who needed it, such as food and healing."

At this, their faces darken. "This drew the ire of many rulers," explains another. "Talk began to spread that we were too powerful, and if we so desired, we could seize control of the world. This turned into rumours that we were planning to do so, which caused the normal folk to fear us, and the People of the Water, and their technological advances." The image changes at this, as a courtroom comes into view, with a round table. At this round table sits 7 rulers, 5 kings and 2 queens. "These rumours eventually led to a council to be called by the great regions of the world at the time," says a different ghost. "The regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, and Paldea all gathered together here for one important discussion." At this, all 5 guardians speak together. "Whether our kind should be allowed to live as we were, or be destroyed."

Chapter Text

Max and Bonnie watch as 7 rulers, 5 kings and 2 queens, gather around a circular table in discussion. The rulers of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, Galar, and Paldea (I forgot Galar in the previous chapter, it was supposed to be there too) have all gathered for an important discussion. Whether or not the Aura Guardians and People of the Water should be left alone, or eliminated. Max and Bonnie expect to start hearing the terrible conversation, but the image of this cuts away before it starts. "It is too soon to show you those events just yet," says one of the ghosts. "First, we must show you how we reacted to this news." Then, she and the others move the vision back to the Aura Guardians' Citadel.

An important looking man rides through the streets on a Rapidash as fast as he can, flanked by personal guards. He's dressed differently to how the others are, and it doesn't take Max or Bonnie long to realise that this man was wearing the same attire as the People of the Water. Aura Guardians all stand aside and allow this figure to pass, some even bow respectfully. Eventually, he reaches the doors of the big castle, which open to let him and his guard through. The man hops off his horse, and runs inside, to find the leader of the Aura Guardians standing there, a look of curiosity on his face. "Adrian, what is the matter?" asks the leader of the Aura Guardians. The regal figure, Adrian, looks at the Aura Guardian leader with a terrified expression. "Solomon, I have the gravest of news," he replies.

Solomon looks at his guards. "Leave us," he tells them. "Let us speak alone." The guards bow and vacate the room. Adrian's guards look to their leader. "The same with you," he tells them. They too bow and depart. Solomon guides Adrian through the castle, where the two proceed to talk. "What is this news?" Solomon asks. "Some of my merchants overheard a dreadful conversation," Adrian explains. Then, he holds up his bracelet, which contains glowing turquoise crystals. He presses one of them, and they float away from his arm, and in front of Solomon. Watery images appear of two people conversing. "So, they're holding the conference in a few days?" asks one of them. The other nods. "Some folks believe those 2 tribes have been around for too long," the other explains. "Who knows what kind of destruction they'd bring if they were to continue to progress. So, the monarchs of the world are gathering together to discuss their fate."

The image vanishes as the crystals return to Adrian's wrist. Neither man speaks for a bit. "So, they're meeting to discuss whether or not we should be killed?" Solomon asks finally. Adrian nods. That seems to be the gist of it," Adrian agrees. Solomon gets lost in thought at this. "What are you going to do?" Adrian asks him. "I will have to discuss this with my people," Solomon replies. "We will come to a decision together." Adrian nods. "I will discuss this with my own," he agrees. "But whatever that council decides, I trust that your people will have our backs should the need arise?" Solomon nods. "Only if you can do the same for us," he says. Adrian agrees to this, and the two men shake hands.

The scene changes here, and suddenly Max and Bonnie find themselves in the chapel they were standing in before these memories started. Judging by the tense silence and horrified expressions on the faces of the congregation, it is clear that Solomon has just delivered this terrible news. He allows his people to let it all sink in, before asking, "Does anyone have any ideas about what we should do?" No one speaks for a bit, everyone is too shocked by what they've learned to say anything. But then, a young man holds up his hand. When Solomon gestures for him to speak, he stands up. He's a young man, with long dark hair that falls past his ears, lightly tanned skin, and piercing green eyes. He's a tall man, muscular, and emanates charisma and anger.

"is it not obvious what we must do?" he asks the congregation. "If they're meeting to discuss our fate, then I say we show up at that meeting, and show off our strength. Show them that we cannot be messed with!" A few people in the room seem to be nodding in agreement. But most people are clearly horrified by the idea. Solomon holds up his hand. "I'm sorry Kade," he says. "But I cannot condone a suggestion like that." The young man, Kade, looks affronted by this, but he sits back down while this meeting continues. Other ideas are passed around, but they get steadily more muffled as the scene changes once again.

Solomon walks out of the chapel and down the streets of the citadel towards the castle. As he does, Kade runs up to him. "Uncle, wait!" he calls. Solomon stops and turns to see his nephew running up to him. "Why did you shoot my idea down?" Kade asks. Solomon sighs and puts a hand on Kade's shoulder. "My dear boy," he says. "Violence is not the answer." "Violence is the only language these people speak!" Kade snaps. "Whenever they have disagreements, they go to war over them! How can we trust brutes like that to make good or fair decisions!" "And what are you proposing we do?" Solomon asks him. "Attack the summit," Kade replies. "Give them a demonstration of our power. Show them how powerful we are, and they'll leave us be!"

Solomon doesn't even give this a second thought. "No," he says. "That is most unwise." Kade looks furious. "You didn't even consider it!" he shouts. "If we show them our power, they'll be bound to stay away." "Or you'll give them the justification they need to destroy us once and for all!" Solomon snaps back. Kade's eyes widen upon hearing his uncle raise his voice at him. Solomon sighs and begins walking away. "Do not dare approach this summit," he tells his nephew. "The Kantonian Queen is our ally. She will be enough to convince them to leave us be. This discussion is finished." Then, he walks away. As he does, he stops by a statue of a tall man in a wide brimmed hat, accompanied by a Lucario. "Oh Aaron," he mutters sadly. "What would you have done?" He sighs, then walks away, back into the castle.

Kade looks furiously at his uncle. "What does he know?" he mutters to himself. It is only then that he notices another figure standing nearby. "Ethel," says Kade. "You startled me." The young woman, about Kade's age, steps out from the doorway of the chapel. She reaches up to Kade's chin, and has an athletic build, though isn't as muscular as Kade is. She has long hair, almost white, with icy blue eyes and pale skin. She's dressed mostly in black, though she has a few armoured pieces on. "What are you going to do?" she asks him. "Will you listen to your uncle?" Kade looks at the doorway to the castle, where Solomon just walked through. "Tell all those who agree with me to meet me tonight," he says to Ethel. "We will meet in the safehouse near Cerulean Village. I will discuss things further there." Ethel nods, then disappears.

The image changes again. As it does, Max and Bonnie are staring in shock at the spot where Kade was just standing. "Who was that?" Max asks. "That, was Kade," says one of the ghosts. "He was one of our strongest warriors. A rising star in our defence. He gained a bit of an ego from it, believing that might makes right, but he had our people's safety in mind whenever he did anything." "As for Ethel," says another ghost. "She was his friend, and a fellow soldier. The two often joined forces on tasks. Her skills were more focused on stealthy takedowns and espionage rather than physical fighting." By this time, the images reappear, and Max and Bonnie focus on what is in front of them.

Now, they're in a medium sized building, with one big room in it. In the room is a large table, in with a group of people sitting around it. Bonnie's eyes widen at this. "This is what I saw when I touched that mural!" she exclaims. At this, Kade begins speaking. "Thank you all for coming," he says. "As I'm sure you're aware, the council will be meeting tomorrow night to discuss our fate. If they have their way, they'll be marching down on us, ready to massacre us all. So, I say we crash this summit, and make sure they leave us alone. Who's with me?!" There's a chorus of cheers from around the table. Kade grins at this, then points at the map that lies on the table. "This is where it is being held," he continues. "So, if we break through this roof, we can put a stop to their discussions, and demonstrate that we're not to be messed with!" More cheers follow this.

Kade stands up, speaking louder. Right!" he shouts. "This is our one chance to protect our people! If the Elders won't do anything, we'll just have to do it ourselves!" A third round of cheers echoes the table. "We'll bring an end to this before it even starts!" Kade yells. "To know the past!" he chants. "To know the past!" the others repeat. "To know the path!" "To know the path!" "To know the power!" "To know the power!" They continue to repeat this chant triumphantly as this scene fades away too. "So, that's what you saw that day?" Max asks. Bonnie nods. "About half of it," she replies. "I didn't see anything before Kade standing up." Max nods, then returns his attention to the visions, which have shifted again.

They are now back in the courtroom, with the big round table, where the 7 great rulers sit. But now, the two kids can hear what they're saying. They're in the middle of a tense argument, with the two loudest voices being the woman who sits under the emblem of Kanto, and the man who sits under the emblem for Unova. Both of them are in particularly heated debate over the Aura Guardians and the People of the Water. Though the conversation is hard to make out, both due to the fact that the sound is slightly muffled and all of the other shouting, it's clear to see that the Kantonian Queen is standing up for the Aura Guardians, while the Unovan king is arguing for their destruction. "Unfortunately, we cannot show you what they were arguing about," says one of the ghosts. "No Aura Guardian was present during this spat. All we can show is what happened next."

The image floats upwards, and travels through the roof, suddenly, Max realises that they're in the Cameran Palace. Specifically, on the roof of one of its highest towers. And standing on the roof is a group of about 11. Kade and Ethel stand there, along with the other men seen in the previous vision. Kade glares down at the discussion happening below them. "They wish to talk about Aura Guardians," he says with distain. "Let's give them something to talk about." Then, he raises his hand. He looks around at his comrades, them makes a fist with his raised hand. Immediately, they all fill their hands with Aura Spheres, combining them together to make them into one big one. Then, they slam it into the window they're standing on, smashing it to pieces, along with most of the wall.

As everyone in the room screams with fright, The Aura Guardians descend inside. Immediately weapons are drawn on them, but Kade sends them all flying away with a strong pulse. Some weapons impale a few guards as they fly past, as others are crushed by the debris from the blast. Half of the rulers were thrown to the ground, unmoving from the attack. The only ones still standing are the Unovan, Galarian, and Hoennian kings, and the Kalosian queen. The other monarchs have been thrown to the ground. With a horrible jolt, Max notices that a part of the wall has landed on the Kantonian queen's head, which is lying in a pool of blood.

One of the servants tries to run for the door to get help, but Ethel spots her. She summons an Aura Sphere and hurls it at the door, causing it to collapse. Kade looks around the room, clearly enjoying the looks of terror on the monarch's faces. He closes his eyes, and makes a show of basking in their fear. "Do you feel that?" he asks casually. "That feeling of fear? That is how my people are feeling right now. Your conference is determining whether or not we are allowed to live. DO you have any idea how that feels, to have that hanging over your head?" No one speaks. Kade grins at them all, before walking around the table. "You know, with our powers, we could kill everyone in this room right now without breaking a sweat," he says. "Our defence force has the power to wipe an entire army out without trying, so don't test us."

The Unovan king stands up at this. "You brute!" he exclaims. "This is why I argued for your end, before you all pulled stuff like- guh!" He's interrupted here by Kade, who summons a Bone Rush and throws it at the king like a javelin. It pierces his skull right between the eyes, and throws his body backwards, causing the seat to topple over. "This little demonstration," Kade continues, as if he wasn't interrupted, "is but a small taste of what my people can do. As for the People of the Water, their technological prowess make them unrivalled. So, I'd recommend not going against them either. Otherwise, this will happen." While Kade speaks, the Kalosian queen has snuck over to one of the weapons and aims it at Kade. She throws it, but Kade uses a pulse of Aura to send it flying back at her. Before she can do anything, the sword spins towards her, lobbing off her head.

Kade grins once more at the carnage he caused. "Well, I do believe we've given enough of a demonstration," he says, before turning to his comrades. "Come, let us go." "Wait!" calls a voice behind him. He turns to see that the Hoennian king is pointing his own sword at him. On his other side, the Galarian king has a javelin ready to thrown should they try escaping. "You're not going anywhere," says the Hoennian king, his voice shaking with fear. "You must pay for what you did!" Kade chuckles at this. "Do you really think you can stop us?" he asks. Neither man moves, so Kade sighs. "Fine," he says. "But you asked for this."

Then, Kade snaps his fingers, and two of his comrades throw Aura Spheres at the men, knocking them down. Then, the Aura Guardians make their escape. Right before he flees the scene, Kade looks down at the chaos with satisfaction. "That will keep them away from us," he says happily, before disappearing into the night. "Of course, it did the opposite," says a ghost. "Kade's actions spurred the hatred and mistrust for Aura Guardians, and by extension, The People of the Water, despite their lack of involvement." "Only 3 kings survived this attack," says another ghost. "The Galarian, Hoennian, and Johtoian. The rest of the monarchs were all killed. As you might expect, this only worsened our situation."

At this, the ghost talking gestured to the vision, which Max and Bonnie realise isn't over yet. The rubble that used to be the door is blasted apart by a Charizard, as several soldiers storm into the room, only to stare in shock at the carnage. A medic is called to the scene immediately, to see how many of them can be treated. As all of this goes on, a young man of about 20 steps into the room. He's dressed in regal attire, with short cropped brown hair, the beginnings of facial hair, and blue eyes. He stares at the scene before him, before his eyes fall on the lifeless body of the queen. "Mother," he gasps as he runs towards her. He examines her body, but quickly realises that there is no hope. He wails with despair as he cradles his mother's body in his arms. Then, he looks up at the hole that Kade and his comrades left, a burning mask of hatred on his face.

Chapter Text

The image fades from the prince, leaving Max and Bonnie in a stunned silence over what they just watched. Neither of them speak as the vision turns back to the citadel. Specifically, the top of one of the towers, where Solomon stands, looking out at the city below him with a concerned expression. "What. The fuck. Was that?" Max asks, his voice a bit shaky. "That. was what Kade believed to be the only solution to stopping the other regions from attacking our people," replies a ghost. "He hoped that by showing off their power, they could scare the world leaders out of any plans to attack us. As you're about to witness, and could probably guess, it had the opposite affect."

The two kids return their attention to the visions they're being shown, as a Spearow flies towards Solomon. He holds out his hand and the Spearow lands on it. Then, it begins squawking. Solomon looks troubled by this. "He did not," he says. "Are you sure?" The Spearow nods, and Max and Bonnie realise that he's talking to the Spearow. "Show me," says Solomon. He holds out his hand, and the Spearow allows him to touch its head. Solomon's eyes glow blue as he watches what the Spearow saw. They widen in horror as the vision plays out. "Oh Kade," he says. "What have you done?" He removes his hand and his eyes return to normal. "I thank you old friend," he says to the Spearow, who nods, before flying away.

The image shifts again. As it does, Bonnie asks, "But I thought that Aura Guardians could only speak to pokémon with a connection to Aura, unless they have a strong bond?" The ghosts nod. "That is usually the case, correct," says one of them. "But, it is possible to train our power towards understanding pokémon. It is a long process that usually takes years, and by doing this, it usually involves sacrificing other aspects of our power, such as the power to heal, or the power to fight." "The only reason Solomon could do it is because of his age," explains another. "He spent all his life studying every aspect of being an Aura Guardian, and as such, he was able to master it all." Bonnie's eyes gleam at this, to which Max elbows her. "You're only 12," he points out. "You've got a long way to go before you can try something like that." "Yeah I know," Bonnie replies.

The image stops shifting, and they see that they're in the same room as before. Only this time, there are more people in it. Kade, Ethel, and their comrades are all standing against the wall, looking at Solomon, who has a look of pure fury on his face. It takes Max a moment to realise that he's using his Aura to pin them all against the wall so that they can't move. "What have you done!?" Solomon demands. He doesn't shout at them, but his very presence, and the Aura pumping out of him is full of a fury so cold that it makes Max shiver. Kade, once so cocky and self-assured, now cowers under his uncle's wrath. "What have you done!?" he repeats.

"I-I did what I had to," says Kade, his voice missing its usual cocky air. "I prevented them from attacking!" "No, you didn't," says Solomon angrily. "In fact, you made it worse." At that moment, the Spearow flies in and perches on Solomon's shoulder. His eyes glow blue, and he holds out his hand, transferring his vision on to the others. The image shifts as Max and Bonnie are shown this vision. It is of the courtroom that Kade and his men attacked, but no longer damaged. The walls are being repaired, and there are new rulers standing in it. One of which is the young prince who Max and Bonnie saw standing over his mother's body. They're standing over a map, and with a jolt, Max realises that this is a map of the citadel, and Samiya, the capital city of the People of the Water.

The vision ends and everyone is back in the room. "Those are plans to invade us," Solomon tells him. "All you have done is anger the rulers of the 7 great regions. They will be coming for us, and it's all your fault!" Immense guilt passes over Kade's face at this. "I-I'm sorry," he says, shakily. "I didn't mean for this to happen." Solomon releases the pressure, and the 11 of them drop to the floor. A few guards enter the room. "Take them to the dungeons," Solomon tells them. "They are to remain there while I figure out what to do next." The guards nod and pick them up, before dragging them away, leaving Solomon to stare out on the balcony, wondering what to do next.

The image shifts once more, and Max and Bonnie find themselves looking at a conversation between Solomon and Adrien. The two are walking through the halls of the castle again, both with concerned looks on their faces. "Once again, I am truly sorry about this," Solomon is saying. Adrian waves him off. "Don't worry about it," he says. "It wasn't your fault." Solomon doesn't look convinced. "But I should've anticipated that he'd do something like that," he says. "Kade has always been impulsive. It was perfectly in character for him to try that. How did I not see it coming?" Adrian puts his hand on Solomon's shoulder. "Kade is a young man," he says. "Old men like us just aren't wired to predict what the youth will do. All we can do is adjust ourselves accordingly."

Solomon nods at that. "Well, we will have to adjust quickly," he says. "The 7 great Regions are gathering their forces together. It will only be a matter of weeks before we have them all at our doorstep." "And when you do," says Adrian, "I can promise you that my people will be there too to make sure that you stand a chance. We are united in this conflict, remember that. They will not stop once your people are dead. They will come for mine next." "And we'll make sure that they never get to that point," Solomon promises. "Gather your strongest generals, and I will do the same. Have them meet us here to discuss this further." Adrian nods, and swiftly departs.

After another vision change, Max and Bonnie find themselves standing in a big war room. On a large table, which is surrounded by important looking men and women is a map of the citadel. covering the outside of the walls on the map are a bunch of dots, signifying enemy soldiers. "Our first order of business needs to be to find a way to avoid conflict," says Solomon. "If we can ease tensions between us, that may be our way to end this before it even begins." "But how can we do that?" asks a general, Person of the Water id Max is to hazard a guess. "These guys are out for blood, and will not be satiated until it is spilled." "There may be a way," Adrian suggests. "If we offer up a peace offering, that may be enough." "But what would be suitable?" asks another general, an Aura Guardian this time. No one says anything at this.

Suddenly, there comes a knock on the door. A Person of the Water general opens it. "What do you need?" she asks. A guard is standing on the other side, looking worried. "Pardon the interruption," he says nervously, "but Kade has been asking to speak with you." "Tell him to wait," says an Aura Guardian general. "We're busy trying to get out of the mess he created." "I'm sorry sir," says the guard. "But he's particularly insistent." Solomon sighs. "Let him in," he says. "Let's quickly hear what he has to say, then get back to this discussion." The guard nods, then steps aside. Kade steps into the room, hands bound by chains. He looks thinner than he was in earlier visions, and his face has become almost a permanent mask of guilt.

"What is it boy?" asks another general. "I am here to atone for my crimes," says Kade. "I have a way to appease them, and spare everyone." This garners everyone's attention. "Well, what is it?" Adrian asks. "Offer me up as a prisoner," says Kade. Everyone stares at him in shock. "I was the one that caused this mess. I was the one that killed the monarchs. If you offer me up to them, they can satiate their bloodlust and revenge by desecrating my body." No one speaks at this, so he keeps going. "If that's not enough, the rest of my comrades have all volunteered to have the same done to them as well. Give us over to them, and they may spare you guys."

The generals all looks at each other, contemplating his offer. They whisper amongst each other for a few minutes, before returning their attention to Kade. "That might actually work," says Solomon. "I know the new Kantonian king. Finn is a reasonable man. He will be angry with you, but I believe he will be satiated by this, and will convince the other kings as well." This is a long shot, even Max can recognise that. But, these people don't have any other options. So, they look Kade in the eye, and Adrian says. "We'll do it. We can move the women and children who are unable to fight to Samiya, and concentrate all of the fighting here. That way, at least some of us will survive this mess." The others in the room agree to this plan.

Oncer again, the image changes. Now, they are standing in the streets of the citadel, and watching as families gather together to move their people in to Samiya. Kade is walking amongst them, gathering together anything that can aid the shoring up of defences, and helping move people safely to Samiya. He sees a lot of them shooting him dirty looks, but he can't fault them for it. This was all his fault. Suddenly, he stops moving, and stares at a young boy, about 2 years older than Max and Bonnie, sneaking away from the crowd. "Hey, Aurelias!" he calls. The boy stops and turns around. With a start, Max realises that he looks a lot like Sir Aaron, expect that his hair is a lighter colour.

Kade catches up to Aurelias, who looks annoyed at being caught. "What are you doing here?" he asks. "I thought you were told that you'll be heading to Samiya with the others." Aurelias glares at him. "Yeah, that's not happening," he says. "I'm staying here to fight." "No you are not," says Kade. "You are joining the others!" He gestures at him to do so, but Aurelias doesn't move. "Look, I'm not about to let you die because of your stubbornness," Kade says. "So please follow them." Aurelias actually laughs at this. "That's rich coming from you," he says bitterly. "I know," Kade replies. "That's why I'm offering myself up to them. This might be the only way to stop a war."

"And if it doesn't?" Aurelias asks. "Then we fight to the death," Kade replies. "And I'm not going to be cowering on an island while that happens!" Aurelias snaps. "That's not why I want you to go!" Kade replies. "Do you honestly think that we will win open war against the 7 great regions? They outnumber us like 100 to 1. We will most likely lose this. But, do you think they will stop once we're dead? No. They will make their way to Samiya, and they will kill everyone there. Which is why I need you there." Kade kneels down slightly to look Aurelias in the eyes. "You are a gifted Aura Guardian Aurelias," he says. "You can use those gifts to keep everyone safe. You understand right?"

Aurelias nods. "My dad would stay and fight though," he says. "Well, yes," says Kade. "But Aaron would also be sending you to Samiya if he was here. Look, no matter what happens, I am going to die soon. Which means that I will be seeing my old master once again. I cannot bear the thought of facing him knowing that his only son died for my sins. So please, join the others. Keep them safe. Preserve our legacy and our culture." Aurelias looks out at the group readying to depart. Then, he shoulders his bag. "Fine," he says. "Just make sure this place is still standing when we get back." Kade grins at him. "Of course we will," he says, before ruffling the boy's hair. Aurelias hits his hand away, then walks over to the front of the group.

As the image changes once more, Bonnie turns to the Ghosts. "Who was that kid?" she asks. "That was Sir Aaron's son Aurelias," says one of the ghosts, and Max notes that she speaks of him in a rather fond way. "He has an important part to play in this story. Though, he does not play his part just yet." Max wants to ask her what she's talking about, but the image stops shifting, and his jaw drops to the floor. The biggest army he has ever seen marches towards the citadel. Banners bearing the flags of the 7 great regions are flown over the heads of the soldiers. And at the front of the large procession, on the backs of 7 Rapidash, are the 7 kings.

As they step closer, one of them holds up his hand, getting everyone to stop. "Why have we stopped?" asks a king. The one who stopped the procession raises the visor of his helmet, and Max recognises him as the young king, Finn. "Can you not see the leader standing there?" he points out. The others look out over the land, and realise he's right. "What does he want?" another king asks. "I don't care," says another. "One of them killed my father. We're not stopping until they're all dead." "Wait," said Finn. "Let me talk to him first." They all look at him. "He was always friends with my mother," Finn explains. "I wish not to dishonour her memory by cutting down a family friend without hearing him out first." The other kings sigh, but allow him to speak with Solomon.

Finn rides his Rapidash over to Solomon, who stands outside the citadel's gates. "What are you doing out here?" he asks him. "You could've been shot before I realised it was you!" "I wish to talk," Solomon replies. "I believe we have a way to settle this without war." Finn raises an eyebrow. "Well, I'm all ears," he says. "But I'm not so sure about the others. They wish to spill blood." "Then they shall," replies Solomon. "Kade, the young man responsible for the attack, has offered that he and his co-conspirators be offered up to you as atonement for what he's done." Finn looks surprised to hear this. "If you take them back with you, no war will be necessary."

Finn looks back up at the other rulers. "I'm sorry," he says. "But that won't work. These guys don't just want revenge. They want you gone. That attack was just the excuse they needed to enact this plan. Handing those bastards over will do nothing to satiate them I'm afraid." Solomon looks grave at this. "Is there no other way out of this?" he asks. Finn thinks about it. "Actually," he says. "There might be." Solomon looks at him. "How?" he asks. "If you ally this citadel with Kanto," Finn explains. "Become official members of the Kanto region, and I can ensure that you are spared." Solomon stares at him in disbelief. "Is there no other way?" he asks. Finn looks at him gravely. "I'm sorry," he says. "But no."

Solomon thinks about this. "I'm afraid that is not a deal we can make," he replies. "We Aura Guardians are peacekeepers. Our objective is the pursuit of knowledge and protecting others. If we were to become part of Kanto, then we'd lose our way of life." Finn looks incredulous at this. "How so?" he asks. "All that will happen is that this city become a Kantonian one. That is all." "And how long will it take for you or your descendance to start trying to use our powers for your wars?" Solomon asks. Finn has no answer for that. "If we were to join with you," Solomon continues. "We'd lose everything that makes us who we are. We would lose our culture, our practices, our very way of life." "Better to lose that than your lives," Finn replies. Solomon shakes his head. "The way we see it," he says. "There is no difference between the two."

Finn gives him one last incredulous look, before his face hardens. "So be it then," he says, before turning around and riding back over to the others. Solomon looks at him mournfully, before he returns into the citadel. "It failed," he tells everyone. "They will be attacking us soon. Prepare the defences." Everyone salutes him, then rushes to their positions. All along the walls, forcefields go up from Aura Barriers, as archers from the People of the Water get ready. Finn rides back over to the kings. "What did he want?" asks one of them. "To hand over the people responsible for the attack," Finn explains. "As a means to stop this war." The other kings laugh at this. "Not happening," says another. "I will not be satisfied until every last one of them is dead." Finn looks sadly back at the city, which has shored up its defences. Then, he and the other kings raise their hands. Then, they drop them, and their army charges at the city. The war has begun.

Chapter Text

The soldiers of the 7 Great Regions charge at the walls of the Citadel, weapons raised high. In front of them are a bunch of armoured pokémon, just like in the mural Max and Bonnie found in the ruined house. The charging pokémon ram into the wall, and Max and Bonnie are half expecting them to break straight through it, but instead, they just bounce harmlessly off the forcefield surrounding the city. On the walls above, the Aura Guardians start throwing Aura Spheres down at the advancing army, blasting them away in great chunks. Meanwhile, the People of the Water archers are picking away at the smaller groups of enemies that the massive blasts of Aura miss.

The pokémon from the advancing army try to hit the wall over and over again, but they can't get through the Aura Barrier. But still, they keep trying. Some Rhyhorn start to chip away at their horns from hitting the barrier repeatedly. Suddenly, a bunch of pokémon come flying out of the city and counter the attacking pokémon. The advancing army manages to reach that wall and starts to throw spears and shoot arrows at the Aura Guardians. But, just like the pokémon below, these bounce harmlessly off the barriers in place. By now, the kings, who are standing behind their troops, are starting to grow frustrated. "There must be some way to break through their defences," says one, the Johtoian king. At that moment, the Unovan one grins evilly. "I have one," he says to them. "Follow me,"

Max and Bonnie expect the vision to follow the kings away from the battle, but it doesn't. Instead, it continues to focus on the onslaught at the walls. By now, the city is completely surrounded on all sides by the oncoming army, which is impressive considering the city's sheer size. The attackers try to raise massive siege ladders up on top, but they too are repelled by the barrier. One particular area near the front of the citadel manages to briefly create a way in by lassoing a bit of rope to the top of the wall and climbing up it. Some soldiers manage to kill a couple of Aura Guardians, and one Person of the Water, before they're quickly dispatched, and their rope is cut, dropping the rest of the soldiers climbing up the wall back down to the ground.

Throughout the talk between Finn and Solomon, Kade and his companions were standing by the door, hands bound together, so that if Finn agreed to the terms, they could be frogmarched out to him without difficulty. When those peace talks fell through, they were released and quickly joined in on the fighting. Kade and Ethel stand above the entrance, which has been not only blocked by an Aura Barrier, but also kept tightly sealed by various technologies from the People of the Water. Seeing all of the oncoming army, Kade has half the mind to jump down and start swinging, but Ethel keeps him in check. "Don't do anything stupid," she tells him. "We're going to need you here."

Kade turns to her and nods, but then he notices something. With every single warrior from both the Aura Guardians and People of the Water on the walls, the streets of the citadel are relatively empty. As Kade looks at Ethel, he notices some dirt on their side of the wall gets kicked up. Too late, he realises what's coming. "Everyone, behind us!" he shouts. BOOM! A house near the wall explodes as a tunnel is revealed to have been dug underneath the town. Soldiers emerge from the tunnel and start running for the walls. "Keep the barriers up!" a captain from the People of the Water orders. "We'll take care of them!" Then, his warriors redirect their attention to the soldiers pouring into the city from the hole, which they quickly learn was dug by a bunch of Diglett and Dugtrio.

The soldiers charge up the stairs, weapons drawn. The People of the Water, and some Aura Guardians clash with them, trying to prevent them from killing any of the Guardians creating the barrier. Kade and two of his cohorts create Bone Rushes, and snap them in half, dual-wielding them as they slash their way down to the tunnel. Once they reach it, they kill every soldier around it, then dissipate their staves. Once they do, they create massive Aura Spheres, before combining those big Spheres into one even bigger one, before raisin git above their heads. Then, with a bellowing cry, they slam it into the ground, causing the makeshift tunnel to collapse, crushing everyone inside.

The three of them grin at each other, believing they stopped this invasion. Unfortunately for them, one of the soldiers coming out of the tunnel is still barely alive. Using the last of his strength, he points an arrow at one of the Guardians keeping the barrier up. It slams into the back of her skull, causing her to topple off the wall, and leaving a gap in the barrier. The soldier grins at his handiwork, before a Person of the Water slams her spear through his neck. Now with a gap in the barrier, the soldiers charge straight he for it. The two Guardians on either side of where the woman stood try to close the barrier with their power, but it’s too much, and they stop trying, refocusing on their spots on the wall.

Now with a gap in the citadel’s defences, the soldiers don’t waste a second. They carry a large ladder over to the gap and manage to get it up standing. The Aura Guardians try to knock it down, but the soldiers are quicker, and some of them manage to make it to the top. By the time they’re dealt with, one manages to kill another Guardian keeping the barrier up. Now, the gap in the defences is even bigger. Two more ladders are propped up against the wall, while the Pokémon on the ground resume battering the wall with renewed vigour. Kade runs over to the wall under where the 2 Guardians died, and forms his own barrier as a means of stopping the Pokémon to burst through the wall. He manages to keep them at bay while the Aura Guardians’ Pokémon manage to attack them and stop them from breaking through.

Kade sighs with relief and lowers his barriers. But, he barely has time to turn around and summon another Bone Rush, before the wall behind him explodes. He’s thrown forwards, and has to roll quickly to avoid being covered in rubble. When he looks around, he sees that some of his friends who he attacked the council with are under the rubble. As he scours the ruins, he spots someone buried underneath it. Someone with long white hair. Rage consumes him, and he starts butchering everyone that clambers through the hole made by the explosives. Up on the walls, the Aura Guardians in the front where the hole is realise that there’s no point in keeping the barriers up, since all the soldiers are climbing through the hole or up the ladder. So, they focus on defending themselves from the onslaught.

Suddenly, the battle speeds up a little bit, as things remain on equal ground for a while. “As this conflict progressed our people were beginning to believe that they could hold out during this attack, until the 7 Great Regions gave up,” says one of the ghosts. “But, that was because of an oversight on their part.” “Oversight?” Max asks. The ghosts turn to look at Bonnie. “Has your Aura Guardian teacher ever told you what happens when you overuse your Aura?” Bonnie wants to argue that Ash isn’t her teacher, but she holds her tongue. “He told me that if I overuse it, it will kill me,” she replies. Max looks at her with complete shock, but she refuses to meet his eyes. The ghosts nod. “That is the case,” says one of the female ghosts. “But as you’re about to see, there’s more to it than that.”

Suddenly, the battle stops speeding, and goes back to regular speed. There a lot more dead bodies than before. The battle has moved on from just the wall, and has spilt into the main city. Houses are in flames and some are blown to pieces. There are more holes in the walls as soldiers continue to stream into the city. And yet, the Aura Guardians and People of the Water are still able to hold their own again. They’re being pushed back through the city, but they’re inflicting more casualties than the regular soldiers are. Despite knowing the outcome of the battle, Max would be lying if he said that he doesn’t have at least a little bit of hope that the Aura Guardians might win. Of course, everything chooses that exact moment to go horribly wrong.

The vision focuses on one Aura Guardian in particular. A young man, about the same age as Kade and his group, though he wasn't in it. He's a thin man, with very short black hair cut almost to his scalp. He's taking on 5 soldiers at once, constantly swapping between Aura Spheres, Barriers, and Bone Rushes, with occasional healing too. He keeps going, not stopping once to take a break from the constant use of his power. As he fights, Max can hear him saying, "Just a little more. Hold on a little longer!" But eventually, it becomes too much to take for his body. About 10 soldiers charge at him at once, forcing him to create a giant Aura Sphere and throw it at them. Then, as he runs at another batch of soldiers, he charges up a powerful blast, and lets it out at them with a mighty clap.

But this is different from other blasts done before, both from Bonnie, and during this battle. This one glows blue, and envelops the young man. Everyone in the fight is knocked over as this is spread across the street. One or two soldiers are unlucky enough to be caught in the source of the blast, and are thrown into walls. Several houses are torn apart. And when it's all over, the only one left standing is the man who let out the blast. He stands their, hands outstretched, still clapped together. Seeing the opportunity, a soldier runs at him, sword raised. But, when he goes to slice through him, the sword passes through like there's nothing there.

Shocked, the soldier tries to touch the Guardian, but his hand passes through. At that, the warrior begins to disappear. As everyone watches, he fades away to nothing. The soldiers all grin at this, as they have finally found a way to turn the tide of battle. With renewed vigour, they resume the fight, pressing the Aura Guardians even more. "That is what happens when you overuse your Aura," says a ghost. "The power disintegrates your body, briefly leaving a small remnant of you behind. If it's gradual, you can still briefly move. But, if it's done in a violent act, that happens." At this, more Aura Guardians begin to go out the way the man did. "And the soldiers quickly figured that out," says another ghost. "And in doing so, they completely turned the tide of the battle. From here, it became a massacre."

Chapter Text

As Max and Bonnie stare out at the vision before them, both of them can only stare in complete horror. As people are cut down or blown up left and right, Bonnie wants to look away, but something is gluing her eyes to the scene before her. Max meanwhile, isn't staring in horror at the scene before him. Well, he is, but most of his horror is directed at Bonnie. Just knowing that this could happen to her is a terrifying thought. And it's not made any better when one guy explodes so close to her it causes her to jump out of her skin and crash into him. "Sorry," she says as she moves away from him. "No it's fine," he says. "I just got distracted."

Soon enough, that large group of Aura Guardians and People of the Water dwindles down. Without the power of the Aura Guardians, the People of the Water have less defence against the overwhelming might of the 7 Great Regions. As they watch, the two start noticing something about the vision. It has started to hone in on one spot in particular. It doesn't take them long to figure out who it's honing in on. Finn, the Kantonian King, is in the middle of the battle, struggling against 2 Aura Guardians and 3 People of the Water. He wields a longsword, about the size of Max's leg, and swings it around with incredible precision. As he struggles against them, he forces one of the Aura Guardians to overuse their power and explode. Then, he takes advantage of the blast to cut down the other 4.

As they all hit the ground, Finn gives them all a once over. He finds the Aura Guardian that didn't blow up, and to his surprise, as well as Max and Bonnie's, he's still alive. Finn grabs his shirt and lifts him up to meet him eye to eye. "I need you to help me out here," he says to the warrior. "Where is Solomon?" The Aura Guardian laughs weakly at this. "Like I'll ever tell you," he says. "Go to the Reverse World!" Finn sighs. "If you tell me, I will spare you," he says. "I'll make sure you and your loved ones get out of her alive." The Guardian spits at him. Finn sighs again, then slices his throat. He goes to stand back up, but then he notices something about the man's eyes.

He picks him up again and holds him exactly where he did when he questioned him. Sure enough, the man's eyes aren't looking at him, but at a spot behind him. He turns around, and looks over at a massive tower, jutting out from the side of the castle. He grins to himself, then lets the Aura Guardian's body drop. "Thanks for the tip," he says, before standing up and making his way over to this tower. As he does, he's ambushed by several Aura Guardians and People of the Water at once. He pulls out his longsword and engages with them. He tries to make the Aura Guardians explode, but quickly realises that that isn't happening. For some reason, they're suddenly able to hold out for a lot longer than before.

One of them makes a move for his head with a Bone Rush, but Finn merely dodges out of the way, before slicing his sword through the man's neck. Another warrior threw an Aura Sphere at him, knocking him back a few paces. But, he was able to dodge her next attack and skewer her with his sword. A Person of the Water runs up behind him, but he flips the sword around and stabs her right through her face. He swings it out quickly and goes in for another strike against his attackers. At this point, both Max and Bonnie are able to look away, and so they refuse to watch what happened next. But, they do hear the sounds of the violence, and it makes them feel sick.

When the sounds of violence cease, the two of them turn back around and see Finn standing there, panting heavily, bloodied sword clutched in his hand, surrounded by dead bodies, and standing in a small pool of blood. Max feels like he's going to be sick, and Bonnie looks it. But, Finn just continues onwards towards the tower he spotted. As he makes his way through the citadel, he's confronted, over and over again, by a bunch of Aura Guardians and People of the Water. And each and every time, he manages to slaughter them. At first, he tries to make the Aura Guardians blow themselves up with their power, but it doesn't seem to work anymore. So instead, he focuses on just cutting them down.

Soon enough, he reaches the base of the tower. A few warriors stand guard there, but Finn simply continues walking towards them. One of them runs inside, while the rest of them charge at Finn. Max and Bonnie get ready to cover their eyes again, fearing that this will be bloody. Fortunately for them, the vision follows the warrior that runs inside the building. As he runs up the tower, he runs past several openings in the wall for archers to shoot arrows out of. As he runs up the stairs, he nocks an arrow into his bow, and shoots it down at Finn every time he runs past a window facing him. Soon enough, he reaches the top of the tower and bursts through the door and runs into the room.

Max and Bonnie are left speechless by what they see. Solomon is floating in mid-air, legs crossed in a meditative stance, eyes open and glowing blue. Surrounding him is an incredibly large bubble of Aura, which is pumping energy out of the tower and all across the citadel. With a start, Max realises that this must be how the Aura Guardians are suddenly able to keep their power going longer. Solomon has been feeding his own substantial power into them all to keep them alive for longer. He quickly relays this information to Bonnie, whose jaw drops to the floor at this. "Leader Solomon, there's trouble!" the warrior announces as he runs into the room. "King Finn is on his way, you must flee!"

Solomon looks at the warrior, then shakes his head. "I will do no such thing," says Solomon. "My people need me here, so I shall stay here. I am not about to back down while my people are slaughtered!" "A very admirable choice, old friend," says a voice from the doorway. Finn stands there, fresh blood on his clothes and sword. "Unfortunately, that is happening anyway." Without a word, the warrior points his bow at Finn and starts shooting wildly. Finn blocks the arrows with his sword, then rushes forward, stabbing the young man in the chest. As he dies, he aims one last arrow, and fires it out the window. Finn grunts as he pulls his sword out of the man's corpse. "Well, looks like he missed," he comments, before walking over to Solomon, sword raised.

But before he can strike him down, the window the arrow was shot through smashes, as Kade jumps inside from the back of a Fearow. He pats the Fearow on the head, to which it bows and flies away. Then, he summons a Bone Rush, snaps it in half, and stands at the ready. "Yeah, no he didn't, he just called me in here," says Kade, before he bends over and closes the warrior's eyes. "But, if you want to kill our leader, you're going to have to go through me first." Finn shrugs and raises his longsword. "Fine by me," he says. "I've been itching for some revenge for months now!" "Kade, no!" Solomon calls. "You don't have to do this!" "Yes I do!" Kade replies. "I got us into this mess. Let me get us out of it!" Then, without waiting for a response, he runs at Finn, who does the same back.

Kade's Bone Rush clashes with Finn's sword as he tries to use the momentum of the collision to leap over the young king's head and deal a blow. But, Finn manages to swerve under the blow and roll away. Getting back to his feet, Finn faces Kade again, in time to see him throwing several Aura Spheres at him. Finn manages to cut some of them down and dodge some of the others, but a few of them still manage to hit him. Right as he recovers from that, Kade is suddenly right before him, a big Aura Sphere clutched in his hand. Before Finn can react, he slams it into his chest, sending him flying through the window. As he flies, he sees an armoured Charizard flying over the battlefield. He lets out a shrill whistle, catching the beast's attention.

The Charizard flies over to him, then scoops him out of the air. Kade sees this, then uses his Aura to summon his Fearow. He jumps onto Fearow's back, then flies after him. Both pokémon clash in mid-air as their masters throw things at each other. Kade continuously hurls Aura Spheres at Finn while he fires arrows from his bow in retaliation. Both of them need to grab onto their pokémon for dear life at several points to prevent themselves from falling back down to the battle below them. Eventually, Kade decides that this is too risky, so he has his Fearow slam into Charizard, sending Finn crashing into the tower. As he gets to his feet, he sees Kade just in time, as he dives in with a Bone Rush, aiming to stab Finn in the chest.

Finn rolls out of the way, then jumps to his feet and swings his sword out at Kade. Kade ducks under it, before throwing more Aura Spheres. Finn manages to dodge them all, causing them to blow another hole in the wall of the tower. Kade is momentarily distracted by this, and as a result is barely able to dodge the slash from Finn. But the reach of his sword still allows him to slice through his chest a bit, causing blood to come out. He falls to one knee, but then gets back up and punches Finn right across the face, filling his fist with Aura as he does. Finn goes flying, and crashes into the wall. He manages to get to his feet, and sees Kade running at him with a snapped Bone Rush at the ready. But, Finn is able to raise his sword, and right as Kade is about to strike, he lunges, plunging the blade into his neck.

Kade stops moving immediately. As Finn removes his sword from Kade's neck, the young man slumps to the ground. As the light leaves his eyes, he chokes out two words, "I'm... sorry," before he dies. Solomon stares at the corpse of his nephew, tears pouring down his face. "Finn," he says mournfully. "You have had your revenge. Please, let this end." Finn looks at Solomon, his face full of regret. "I can't," he says. "The other kings will not be satisfied until we've won. I figured killing you would bring a swifter end to it all." Solomon sighs, then removes the ball of Aura from around himself. He looks frail from all of the Aura he used to keep his people alive.

"Vey well," he says. "But, can you promise me something?" Finn looks at him, then nods. "Can you promise me that you will spare those who did not fight in this conflict? Allow them to continue to live on. They bear no responsibility for what happened today." Finn doesn't say anything at first. "Please, your majesty," Solomon begs. Finn sighs. "They will be spared," he says at last. "You have my word on that." Solomon sighs happily. "Thank you my friend," he says, before he summons a Bone Rush of his own. "Having said that, I can't just let you kill me. I must do my duty for my people." Finn sighs then raises his own sword. "So do I," he replies. Then, they charge at each other.

Their weapons clash as the two leaders collide. Despite the fact that Solomon is weakened from pumping all of his energy into keeping his people going, he still has enough to fight. Max is almost positive that had he been at his full strength, Solomon would easily win this battle. Thanks to his age, Solomon has the experience of battle to keep up with the young Finn. Finn meanwhile is more fatigued from his fight all the way up here, plus his fight with Kade a few seconds ago. So, this should be no contest. But, Solomon is still an old man, and as a result, he still struggles to hold a Bone Rush for very long, forcing him to swap between using it and some Aura Spheres in order to keep the fight going.

Due to this, and the previous pummelling it got from the 2 pokémon crashing into it, the tower is slowly growing more and more unstable as they fight. It doesn't help that it's being hit on all sides by other attacks during the main battle going on below. As the two leaders struggle with each other, their battle is briefly interrupted by the tower shaking. "This place is about to collapse!" says Solomon. "Might I suggest we do this somewhere else?" Finn responds by aiming a strike at his head. Solomon ducks underneath it, then blocks the next attack with an Aura Barrier. Then, he throws the barrier at Finn, who gets hit across the head with it. He hits the floor hard and is left dazed. Solomon summons an Aura Sphere and slams it down. Finn rolls out of the way, and the Sphere collides with the floor.

Due to the power in the sphere, the floor cracks underneath them, and begins to come apart. As it cracks, Finn acts fast and dives weakly onto Solomon. Just as the old man hits the floor, it collapses, dropping the tower on top of them. As they fall, Solomon summons an Aura Barrier to protect them both from the tower. Then, the 2 of them spin around in the air, trying to use the other to break their fall. At last, they hit the ground, and the tower collapses around them. Max and Bonnie stare at what just happened, waiting to see who will appear first. Eventually, the debris budges, as a figure emerges from the wreckage. King Finn stands up, then weakly rummages around the debris, looking for Solomon.

Max and Bonnie approach the wreckage right as Finn stops digging. He grabs something and pulls it out, revealing the dead body of Solomon. Finn sighs, then closes the old man's eyes. Then, he gets to his feet, and almost falls to the ground again. He picks up his sword, then uses it as a walking stick. "Have to find the other kings," he mutters to himself. "Have to tell them." He staggers through the ruins of the citadel. The battle is almost certainly by now, as the city is very quiet. All they see are bodies and burning buildings. "Have to find them," he says again. "Have to let them know... to spare the others." Then, his eyes roll into the back of his head, and he collapses to the ground unconscious.

"And that was the end of King Finn's involvement in this conflict," says a ghost. "Had he had the strength, he may have been able to save what little was left of us Aura Guardians and People of the Water. Unfortunately, he was found by his own men and presumed dead for too long before they discovered that he was breathing, and he was shipped off to a hospital in Rota. By the time he recovered, it was too late." "What happened?" Bonnie asks. "The rest of the warriors from both the Aura Guardians and People of the Water were killed," explains another ghost. "And the other kings turned their attention to the island of Samiya, and the location of the rest of our people."

Chapter Text

As the vision shifts away from the carnage of the Citadel, Max and Bonnie are very glad for it. What they saw was so depressing that they need a quick break. Seeing this, the ghosts take a bit longer to show the next one. "Why are you showing us this?" Bonnie asks them, her eyes watering. "You have to see it," says one of the ghosts, who looks like he'd put a hand on her shoulder if he could. "You must learn where your power comes from, and what will happen if you overuse it. Also, you must learn this final point, and what drove us into hiding our power to this day." Max puts a hand on her shoulder. "We can get through this," he says. "It's only one more, right?" The ghost nods. "See?" Max tells her. "We can do this." Bonnie nods, then allows them to show the final vision.

The second it appears, she immediately regrets it. The image is that of her second nightmare, the one she had in Cerulean. They appear in a large circular room, with heavy stone walls, and markings all over them. All around are people, both Aura Guardians and People of the Water. Children, elderly, and men and women who couldn't fight in the battle all sat around fearfully, while guards from both tribes stand at the entrance, waiting to see who will come through. Children run around, playing together happily, though it's clear that they're confused by the fact that they're in this room and can't leave. Their parents keep their eyes on them, while some other older people occasionally join in on the fun, just to keep the kids' occupied.

The vision shows them all of this, before focusing in on one group of children in particular. As they watch them, Max and Bonnie realise that they recognise these kids. One of them is Aurelias, but the others are also familiar. The girl next to Aurelias is small and thin, with long blonde hair tied in 2 plats that fall down her front, and green eyes. The boy next to her is pudgy, with short, cropped orange hair, and blue eyes, and a face covered in freckles. Next to him is another girl, also on the heavier side, with curly black hair that falls past her neck, and piercing blue eyes. Next to her is another boy, thin, with long brown hair that fell down his back, and brown eyes covered by a pair of glasses. Then, there's another girl, clearly the oldest in the group. She had short dark brown hair and grey eyes. After her is another boy, tall, with spikey brown hair and blue eyes. And finally, completing the circle is another girl, once again with blonde hair, although hers is wavy and falls down to her shoulder blades.

Max notices that the last 2 have markings on their arms like he did, and he quickly figures out that they're People of the Water, while the other kids are Aura Guardians. And it is the Aura Guardians that he is familiar with. As he stares at the kids, he looks up at the ghosts. Then back at the kids, then up at the ghosts once more. "That's you isn't it?" he asks. "You're showing us your story." One of the ghosts, the woman who's child form is sitting next to Aurelias, nods. "We told you before that we were the last of the Aura Guardians," she says. "This is how we became so. And, I believe it is time we told you our names."

The 5 of them quickly introduce themselves. From the order of Aurelias onwards, it goes Carina, Dorian, Felicity, Keren, and Zara. The 2 People of the Water children are called Cain, and Rosemary. By the time the introductions are done, some noise can be heard from the doorway to the outside. Some people look at the door with hope, while others look with trepidation. The two warriors standing by the door get their weapons ready, just in case they are foes as opposed to friends. As soon as it starts, the noise stops. A spear and Bone Rush point at the door, ready to fight. Suddenly, the door is blown away, crushing the two warriors standing before it. As everyone watches, soldiers of the 7 Great Regions march in.

Everyone in the room starts panicking as the soldiers begin to cut everyone down, man, woman, and child. Bonnie looks away like she did last time, but Max can't bring himself to. He covers his eyes whenever someone is struck down, but he watches the fight back. And it's lucky that he does, because he quickly spots Aurelias. Aurelias is fighting his way through the soldiers, using Aura Spheres and Bone Rushes to take out as many as possible. Max gets Bonnie's attention and points him out. Even she has to admit, it's impressive to watch. Aurelias slashes his way through several soldiers trying to kill a family, but is knocked off his feet by another. He bounces a few times, then rushes in again, but is too slow to save that family.

His face becomes a mask of rage as he cuts down more and more soldiers, but more just keep coming. Soon enough, he's blasted off his feet once more, and falls onto his back. He gets back to his feet to keep fighting, but before he can, someone grabs his shoulder and pulls him behind a small mound of corpses. He activates a Bone Rush, ready to strike whoever grabbed him, only to see his friends, as well as an older woman crouched behind them. "Listen to me Aurelias," says the woman. "We have no hope here. You're one of the only fighters here." Aurelias nods impatiently at this. "Yes I am," he says. "And I need to get back to doing that right now, or we'll all die!"

He moves to go back out, but the woman stops him. "Listen to me Aurelias!" she says quietly. "We're all going to die anyway. But we need you to get out of here and preserve our legacy." Aurelias looks at her with utmost confusion. "What's the point of that if we're all dead?" he argues. The woman puts her hand on Aurelia's shoulder. "That is why we need you to take these guys, and anyone else you can find along the way, and get out of here," says the woman. "Please Aurelias, you're the only hope for our people to not be forgotten, and lost forever. Please, take them, run. Survive!" Aurelias looks at his other friends, who all show that they're determined to do this. He sighs, then nods his head. "let's go," he says. Then, he begins to lead them through the chaos.

Their escape is not an easy one. At first, they try to make it to the front door, but there are too many soldiers in the way. So, they sneak to the back of the room. When they do, they find a locked door. With little choice, the Aura Guardians press their hands to the door, while the two People of the Water manage to open it ever so slightly by fiddling with the handles. Then, the Guardians blast a small hole through the door, allowing for the 8 of them to slip through the door unnoticed. Then, they start quietly walking through the corridor, with Cain and Rosemary leading the way, all of them silently praying to Lugia that no one will find them.

As they do, they pass some dead bodies, that were caught in a trap. One their persons are bows and arrows, and swords. Cain and Rosemary look at the weapons, then at each other nervously. "Take the weapons," Aurelias tells them. "You will need to defend yourselves if we are to make it out of here. I don't think it will take them long to figure out that we've escaped. Especially with the hole in the door." The two of them nod, then pick the weapons up. "Do you even know how to shoot a bow?" Carina asks. Rosemary nods her head, while Cain shrugs. "How hard can it be?" he asks. Dorian rolls his eyes. "We're doomed," he says. Felicity elbows him, before she and the other Aura Guardians summon Aura Spheres in order to see in the dark.

With that, they begin to set off up through the city of Samiya. With Cain and Rosemary leading the way through the city, and the Aura Guardians lighting the way through. Soon enough, they begin to see the way out of these tunnels. Grinning to themselves, they push forward. And then, they hear voices. "There's no way that hole was natural," says a voice. "There have to be a few escapees." "Search the place for them," says another. "They must not be allowed to leave!" The Guardians immediately switch off their Spheres. Aurelias turns on his Aura Vision to keep the soldiers in his line of sight. "Is there another way through here?" he asks. Rosemary shakes her head. "That's the only way out of this tunnel," she replies. "Well shit," says Aurelias, before looking around for a solution.

As he does, the soldiers begin to walk down the tunnel they stand in, causing the kids to panic. Then, Keren steps forward. "I have a potentially stupid idea," he says. "Everyone hide." They all look at him like he's crazy, especially Zara, who grips his hand with worry. "Don't die," she tells him. He grins at her. "Of course I won't," he replies. Then, they all take cover, while Keren staps forward. He crouches behind a chair, before picking up a rock and throwing it near him. Hearing it, the soldiers start walking towards the sound. As soon as they walk past him, he leaps out. Before they even have time to scream, he fills both of his hands with Aura Spheres, before slamming them into their skulls with a sickening crunch.

The others step out and look at Keren with admiration. "Good job bud," says Dorian. Aurelias nods in agreement. "Now, let's keep moving," he says. "Someone could have heard that." The others nod, before following him. They make it back to the main hall that leads to the main chamber where everyone was hidden. None of them fancy returning to the carnage, so they keep moving up. As they do, they occasionally run into more soldiers, but are quick to dispatch them with either Aura or arrows. At one point, they're spotted by a small horde of soldiers, but are able to kill them all when Aurelias fills an arrow with Aura, and Rosemary fires it at the soldiers, blasting them all apart.

At last, the entrance to Samiya is in sight. But, before they can reach it, they're suddenly surrounded by soldiers. The Aura Guardians activate their Bone Rushes and Aura Spheres, while the two People of the Water raise their swords. "Look kids, you've put up a courageous fight," says a soldier, obviously a captain. "But you're outnumbered here 3 to 1. You've got no hope. Just give up quietly and let us take you to the kings. Maybe they might spare you all." Aurelias shakes his head. "If they were to spare us, they wouldn't have attacked this city," he replies. Carina nods. "You want us all dead, so listening to you or fighting will make no difference!" The captain shrugs. "Suit yourselves," he replies, before pointing at them.

The soldiers charge at the kids, but before they can reach them, Felicity yells at them all to duck, before she unleashes an Aura Blast, knocking all the soldiers on their feet. "Nice job Felicity," says Keren. Felicity smiles at him. "Let's get going," says Carina. "We're almost out." "Wait one second," says Cain. "We need to make sure they don't follow us." Rosemary realises what he's going to do, and ushers everyone else to the doorway. While she does that, Cain steps over to a nearby wall and presses his crystals against the stone. Instantly, spikes appear from the ceiling and begin to descend. The doorway the rest of them are standing at begins to close. Cain races towards them as fast as he can, and manages to slide under the door before it closes. His crystals slip of his wrist, so he reaches back in and grabs them, pulling his hand out right as the door closes.

When it does, they hear the sounds of desperate screaming, before the sounds stop. Cain looks deeply troubled as he taps his crystals against another wall. They hear the sound of mechanisms starting up, but Cain turns away from it. "In case we come back here in the future," he explains, before leading the way onwards. Rosemary looks at him with sympathy, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, they make the rest of the journey through the city in silence. At last they reach the end and steal a boat back to the mainland. Cain and Rosemary row them back, while the Aura Guardians stand on the edges, keeping an eye out for any attacks.

They almost make it to Kanto before they're spotted by 2 other boats. And unfortunately for them, the boats are full of more soldiers. At first, they hope that the soldiers won't pay them any mind, but they aren't so lucky. The soldiers turn their boats towards them, and begin shooting arrows their way. Carina and Zara put up an Aura Barrier while the other 3 Guardians throw Aura Spheres. While they do that, Cain and Rosemary row as fast as they can, so as to successfully escape them. They manage to make it to Kanto with the soldiers in hot pursuit. They quickly scale the cliffs up to the mainland, making sure to keep Aura Barriers up, as the soldiers keep shooting them.

At last, they make it to the top of the cliff. From there, it's a simple matter of picking off the soldiers who are still at the bottom. Soon enough, those ones are dead, and the kids breathe a sigh of relief. However, they notice too late that only 1 of the boats docked with them on the beach. "Hey guys," Carina says. "What happened to the-?" She's cut off then as an arrow sprouts through her chest, and she falls tot the ground. They rest of the kids look up, and see the soldiers of the second boat approaching them, weapons raised. Aurelias screams with rage and charges at them, Aura filling his hands as he does. Dorian, Zara, and Keren join him, while Felicity pulls the arrow out of Carina's back and begins trying to heal her. While she does, Cain and Rosemary stand back and shoot at the soldiers with their arrows.

The kids manage to make short work of these soldiers, especially with Aurelias's rage at the shooting of Carina. He practically tears these soldiers apart, frightening his friends a little bit. Once the soldiers are all dead, Aurelias stands amongst their corpses, panting furiously, covered in blood. He quickly heals himself, then runs over to Carina, the others joining him. When they get there, they find Felicity sobbing over Carina's body, with the 2 People of the Water, looking mournfully at her. "I'm sorry," says Felicity. "I tried my best, but the arrow already pierced her heart." Aurelias stares down at his friends body. Then, he falls to his knees and screams with pure rage and sorrow.

As he screams, he notices a feint glow coming from the sky. They all look up to see Lugia and Manaphy descending from the heavens. Aurelias glares at them as they approach, but doesn't say anything. Lugia and Manaphy look down at Carina's body, sadness filling their faces. Then, they begin to glow. As they do, so does Carina. When she does, her wound begins to close. As they all watch, the colour returns to her face, and she starts breathing again. Then, she sits up, staring around at her friends with utter confusion. When the glowing stops, she's suddenly tackled on all sides by her friends. Lugia and Manaphy look at them, and grin.

Keren lets Carina go, and looks up at the two Legendary Pokémon. "Wait!" he calls. "If you can heal her, can you heal everyone else?" Lugia and Manaphy look at him sadly, before voices fill their minds, and Max and Bonnie's too. "Alas, we cannot," says Lugia sadly. "Healing is something we can do, but bringing someone back from the dead is a different matter. In order to do so, we must pull their souls from the afterlife, then force them back into their body. The more time that passes between their death and us beginning to heal, the more of our power it requires. "And that is just one person," Manaphy adds. Reviving multiple people is simply impossible."

Aurelias looks like he wants to argue with that, but Carina interrupts him. "I thank you, lords Lugia and Manaphy!" she says quickly. "Thank you for saving me." "Why didn't you save us all?!" Aurelias demands. "Why let us all die!" Both pokémon look sad again. "We wanted to help," says Lugia. "Truly we did. But Lord Arceus warned us against doing so. They told us that doing so could have disastrous consequences for the future. They didn't specify what those were." "But we thought that the least we could do was help you," says Manaphy. "So, we came here to save you. We are truly sorry we couldn't do more."

Aurelias sighs, his anger leaving him. "No, it's alright," he says. "You did the best you could. Thank you." The Legendary Pokémon bow, then disappear. "Come," says Aurelias to the others. "Let's go back to the Citadel. See if there are any survivors." The others nod, then follow him. It takes them a hours to make it to the Citadel, since they can call on giant flying birds to their aid. They fly over to a cliff that overlooks the citadel. They land on it, then allow the birds to fly away. By this time, dawn has broken, and they can get a clear view of their home. Or at least, what's left of it. As they look down upon the once great city, all that's left, is charred ruins, and smouldering streets. And, at the centre of the city, right outside the chapel, is a still burning pile of human corpses. What's left of their people.

Chapter Text

After the sight of the burning city and the pile of corpses, the visions stop altogether, leaving them all of them standing in nothing but white space. “After that,” says Carina, “we all made our way to the nearest town, which happened to be Cerulean. We stayed there for a few days while we figured out what to do next.” “But, after a few days, Cain and Rosemary left us, deciding to return to Samiya to check for survivors, and bury the bodies,” Dorian continues. “We never saw them again. But, it seems they managed to make a life for themselves, judging by your being here.”

He says that last part to Max, who nods in understanding. “From there, we spent the rest of our lives living nomadically,” Keren continues. “Aurelias decided that it was too dangerous for us to continue to use our powers and our practices, which is why we never told our children about their origins. And thus, the Aura Guardians were lost to time. That is, until the birth of Riley Genaro and Ash Ketchum. And then, you.” They all look to Bonnie at this, which causes her to blush. “How did you get this message to us?” she asks. “We returned here in our adult years, and fed some of our Aura into this building,” Felicity explains. “Thus, a small part of us remained here, until the day an awakened Aura Guardian came by.”

“Then why didn’t you contact Ash?” Max asks. “Why wait for Bonnie?” “Because after he awakened to his Aura, Ash never stayed in Kanto long enough for us to contact him,” Zara explains. “You were the first we could actually get in touch with.” Bonnie accepts this. “Now, as for the rest of the world,” Dorian continues. “King Finn survived his battle with Solomon. He woke up in his Palace in Rota, 2 weeks after the Samiya massacre. When he learned of what happened there, he was devastated. So devastated in fact, that he cut Kanto off from the other regions. He even had a statue erected in Rota, dedicated to the Aura Guardians’ last stand.” Max becomes confused at this. “I was in Rota a few years ago,” he says. “ I don’t remember any statue like that.” “That is because it was torn down by Finn’s descendants,” Felicity explains. “They didn’t want their ancestor tied to such a horrific event.”

At this, the whiteness fades, and Max and Bonnie find themselves standing in the ruined chapel once more. “And that, was the story of the Aura Guardians,” Keren rounds off. “We are sorry you had to see such graphic scenes, but they had to be shown. It was so that you could understand why you must be careful with your Aura.” Max and Bonnie are both speechless. Once they find their voices again, Max asks, “But wait, if you guys are the Aura Guardians that escaped, then where is Aurelias?” The Guardians all look at each other, smiling. “He requested that you be introduced to him last,” Carina explains. “We were to tell you our story, and if you accepted the risks of wielding the power of Aura, he would show you a skill that he created. One that hasn’t been seen until Ash Ketchum took the world’s stage.”

Bonnie gets very excited at this. Finally, she’s going to learn something new with her powers. “I promise you, my Aura powers will not be abused!” Bonnie tells them. “I will use them for self defence only, and to protect those I care about!” The 5 ghosts smile at her. “Well then,” says Carina, “perhaps it’s time we introduce you to the man himself.” With that, the ghosts drift away from the plinth, and move towards the back of the chapel. Bonnie and Max follow them, but Bonnie notices that Max seems a little off. She walks beside him, and is about to ask him if he’s alright, when the ghosts speak again. “Come, this way,” says Zara. “He will see you now.” Then, sigils appear in the shape of a doorway, with a domed top. Then, the stone in the middle of the sigils slides downwards, revealing a tunnel behind the wall.

“Come,” says Keren. “Follow us.” Then, the ghosts drift down the tunnel. Max and Bonnie look at each other, then follow after them. The tunnel stretches for ages, barely illuminated by the glow of the ghosts. As they walk down the tunnel, Bonnie takes the opportunity to check up on her friend. “Are you ok?” she asks him. “You’ve been awfully sullen.” Max looks up at her, and waves his hand dismissively. “Oh, I’m fine,” he says. “Just in my own head.” Bonnie looks at him suspiciously. “Max, we’ve been travelling together for long enough for me to tell when you’re lying,” she tells him. “So, tell me what’s really going on?” Max says nothing. “It’s about what we saw, isn’t it?” Bonnie asks him. Max sighs. “That’s a part of it,” he says.

But before he can elaborate further, the ghosts call out to them once more. “Through here!” says Dorian. “Aurelias is through here!” Bonnie turns back to Max, waiting for him to elaborate. “I’ll tell you later,”he says to her, before leading the way out of the tunnel. Bonnie sighs, knowing there’s no point in trying to get him to talk, before following him out. At the other end of the tunnel is a small courtyard, completely reclaimed by nature. A massive tree sits growing in the centre of the courtyard. Beneath the tree sits two other plinths, lower down than the one with the ruined statue of Lugia. Behind those plinths is a stone block, and sitting on that block in a meditative stance with his eyes closed is another Aura ghost.

Aurelias opens his eyes and looks at Max and Bonnie. He’s a lot older than he was in the visions, and looks so much wiser. His hair has grown out in a wild mop down his face, but he sits with such authority that both Max and Bonnie feel the urge to bow. Then, he smiles at them, and they feel themselves relax. “So, our legacies have endured,” he says, looking at Bonnie, before turning to Max. “And it seems that Cain and Rosemary figured things out. Good for them.” He stands up, and walks over to them. The other ghosts join his side, and Max and Bonnie notice that Carina links arms with Aurelias. “Welcome,” he says, “to the final resting place of the Aura Guardians.”

Max and Bonnie stare around the place in amazement. “I don’t remember that tree being here in the visions,” Max points out. Aurelias nods at this. “That is because we planted it after we buried what was left of our people beneath it,” he explains. “Because of this, this tree houses an indescribable amount of Aura within it. Thus, it is the perfect place to show you something.” Then, Aurelias makes a strange noise with his mouth at this. A rustling comes from the trees, before a Pokemon jumps down from the branches above. It takes them a few seconds, but Max and Bonnie realise that they’re staring at an Aura ghost of a Gallade.

"You may have seen what I'm about to do before," he says to them. "But just in case you haven't, here's a demonstration of what you would call, Bond Evolution." As Aurelias begins his demonstration, Bonnie begins to bounce around with excitement, which makes Max grin. Aurelias and Gallade both throw their arms out to either side of them, before punching them both forward. As they do, psychic energy wraps around Gallade. Soon enough, the energy dissipates, as Gallade's form changes.

Now, the green top of its hair has grown out, in a similar style to Aurelias's hair, and the blades on its hands gain similar scarring to the scars on Aurelias's hands. Completing the look is a cloak of psychic energy that billows behind Gallade, just like the one Aurelias wears. Aurelias smiles at his Gallade, before looking at Max and Bonnie. "Say hello to Aurelias-Gallade," Aurelias tells them.

Max and Bonnie stare in amazement at this. "You invented Bond evolution!?" Bonnie exclaims. Aurelias nods. "Well, technically my father, Sir Aaron, invented it," he explains. "But he died before he could properly test it out on his Lucario. So, I perfected it." He undoes the Bond Evolution, then sends Gallade back up into the tree. "Alright," he says, turning his attention to Bonnie. "Now, show me your progress with Bond Evolution."

Bonnie looks somewhat bashful at this. "Actually, I haven't been able to do it yet," she responds. Aurelias, and the other ghosts, look at her quizzically. "Really?" He asks. "How long have you had your partner?" "Well, I've had this guy for 6 years," says Bonnie, showing them Dedenne. "And I got her over 2 years ago." She releases Delphox which sends Max into a panic. "Rap!" He exclaims. "I just realised we left all of our stuff in the forest!"

"Relax," says Keren. "Felicity and I will fetch them for you." Then, they disappeared into thin air, before Max can even tell them that he doesn't know where they were left. "Don't worry," says Zara. "They will know where to find it. We did manage to lure Bonnie away from there after all." Max nods, then returns his attention to Aurelias, who is looking at Bonnie quizzically. "It is very odd that you have so far been unable to perform Bond Evolution," he comments.

Then, without warning, he floats over to Bonnie and touches her forehead. His eyes glow blue as he does this, and stays like this for less than a minute, before letting go. "I believe I may have found the reason," he states. "Bonnie, have you ever let off a random burst of Aura, totally out of your control?" He asks. Bonnie nods. "Plenty of times," she replies. The other Guardians quickly realise what Aurelias is getting at.

"You mean to say that her Aura is unstable?" Dorian asks. Aurelias nods. "That is correct, old friend," he replies. "It seems that when you awakened your Aura properly, you were under some stress. Couple that with heightened anger and frustration, and it has all made your Aura unstable. As a result, you haven't been able to use Bond Evolution." Bonnie looks crushed by this. "So does that mean I won't be able to use it at all?" She asks sadly.

Aurelias shakes his head at this. "No, you will," he says. "But, you will have to unlock it via a very unorthodox method." With that, he floats back over to the 2 plinths, gesturing for the 2 kids to follow him. They both look at each other, then do so. When they reach the plinths, Aurelias stops them. "Now, I need you to get onto one of these, while Delphox gets on the other," he explains. "You should be able to utilise the Aura from the tree to achieve Bond Evolution."

Bonnie nods, then gets onto one of the plinths. Delphox follows suit, standing on the other plinth. At that moment, Keren and Felicity return with all of Max and Bonnie's things, dropping them in the centre of the courtyard with a loud bang. Max can't help but laugh at this as he checks to make sure that everything is in order. "Well, it's a good thing they haven't started yet," says Carina. "We're about to," Aurelias snaps. "So can you all be quiet!" They all apologise. Then, Aurelias begins the explanation.

I recommend listening to "I could use a boost" from The Wild Robot for this bit.

He has Bonnie and Delphox sit in that same meditative stance that he was in when they first met him. As they do, he begins talking, slowly and clearly. "Now, I need you to sense the Aura of everyone in this room," he says. Bonnie goes pink at this. "It is only for a moment," he says. "Just so that you can link up with Delphox." Bonnie does as she's told, searching out for the Aura of everyone in the room. When she sees Max's green Aura, she goes even redder. But she locates Delphox's Aura easily enough.

"I've got it," she says. "Good," Aurelias replies. "Now, I need you to focus on her Aura. Train yourself on it, until you can't see anyone else's." Bonnie does as she's told, honing in on Delphox's Aura. As she does, she notices that the other Aura's in the room are slowly going out, as Delphox's gets stronger. Aurelias can clearly sense that it's working, because he moves on to the next step before Bonnie can inform him that she's got it.

"Now, I need you to dig deeper," he says. "Draw some of the Aura from the tree to stabilise yours, then feel for more than Delphox's Aura. Feel for her emotions, her presence. Her very life force. Try to connect yourself to that." Bonnie nods, then begins to draw power from the giant tree. As she does, she thinks she hears other voices in her head, encouraging her to keep going, telling her that she's doing a great job.

Once she has enough Aura from the tree, she connects her and Delphox's emotions together, linking them up to be almost one and the same. "Very good," says Aurelias. "Now, I need you both to stand up, without breaking this connection. Once you've done that, begin to synchronise your movements, until you're mirroring each other. Do not open your eyes." Slowly and carefully, Bonnie and Delphox get to their feet. Then, they start to move.

At first, they moves are completely different. To the point that Max nearly laughs. But, slowly, they start to get it right. One by one, more and more of their movements become similar. Eventually, they start doing the same moves, but one of them is always a second or two to slow. When Bonnie stretches her hand out to the left, Delphox would do the same a second later. When Delphox lifts her knee up, Bonnie would mimic her a second after.

But, slowly, they're able to perfectly synchronise their movements. Then, Aurelias has them do 2 at the same time. This time, they start off doing the same moves. However, while one movement is in sync, the other would be behind. If Bonnie told on one foot and turned her head to the side, Delphox would do the same, but while her head would move at the same time as Bonnie's, her leg would come up a second later. The same thing would happen when Delphox instigated the same move.

But after a few more minutes of trying, the two of them become in sync once more. Aurelias then has them try to do 3 moves at once. This time, it barely takes a minute for them to be perfectly synchronised. Max has to admit, seeing Bonnie and her Delphox mimic each other perfectly with their eyes closed is a spectacular sight to behold. He wants to cheer for her, but he's worried that that might break her concentration, so he stays silent.

After a few more minutes of this, Aurelias stops them. "Very good," he says. "Now, your movements should be in perfect harmony. So, I need you to both reach into each other's mind. When you do, you need to both choose a movement that you can both do at the same time. As you do this movement, feel for your shared bond. If you do this correctly, you shall achieve Bond Evolution."

Trying to keep her excitement in check, Bonnie feels out for her bond with Delphox. Once they connect, she thinks of a move for them to do. Once they've agreed on it, they initiate it. Their legs stand apart, and both of them raise their right arms in the air. As they do this, fire erupts around Delphox, scaring the crap out of Max. Bonnie opens her eyes to see this flame engulf her starter. Then, it dissipates, and Bonnie is left in awe at the sight before her.

Aura-Delphox stands before her in all her glory. The fur around her ears has shifted to look like Bonnie's ponytail, with some flames coming out of the top of her head to be like Bonnie's hat. Her wand has grown to a full size staff with a large flame at the tip, and she has flames going down her body in the shape of Bonnie's bag. Completing the new form is additional red fur on her cheeks, looking like Bonnie's rosy cheeks.

Bonnie and Max both whoop and clap at this, as Aura-Delphox steps off the plinth and lets out a small jet of flame in victory, careful not to set fire to the tree. Bonnie also steps off the plinth, then starts ordering Delphox to do some moves like Mystical Fire and Flame charge. Aura-Delphox does so, moving so fast it's as if she teleported. Her Mystical Fire now stretches across her body, shooting out from the bag as well as her staff.

Max eagerly sends out Sceptile, and the two have a mini battle to test out Aura-Delphox's new powers. Normally, Sceptile is able to withstand a few of Delphox's regular attacks. But now, when he fails to dodge her Mystical Fire, it takes him out in one hit. They both stare in amazement at this new power, and Bonnie runs over and hugs Aura-Delphox. Then, she summons Talonflame, and has the two of them do a quick battle.

Aura-Delphox is able to win, but not without sustaining some damage. And when she does, Bonnie feels all of it. "Wow," she says. "Ash wasn't kidding. That actually hurts." Max chuckles at this. Bonnie stands back up, then orders Aura-Delphox to do a couple more moves. Aura-Delphox tries to do so, but before she can, the Bond Evolution ends, and Delphox returns to normal, before immediately collapsing.

Bonnie does the same, but Max is able to catch her before she falls to the ground. "You did it!" He exclaims. Bonnie chuckles happily at this. "No," she says to him. "We did it." She indicates to herself and Delphox at this, who has Sceptile, who'd been revived, helping her up. Max laughs at this, then nods. Bonnie smiles up at him, before falling asleep.

Stop music here.

Max lays Bonnie down on the softest part of the ground that he can. Then, he turns to the ghosts to thank them. But before he can, he notices something about the tree. It's glowing. "Uh, what is the tree doing?" He asks. The Aura Guardians look at the tree. "Oh, whenever someone uses the Aura from the tree," Zara explains, "the tree shoots out any excess Aura that was pulled out of it but not used through the air, so as to keep the rest of it safe." "And by the looks of it," says Dorian, "It's going to be shooting out quite a lot."

"WHAT!?" Max exclaims, suddenly worried. "And how far does this spread?" "Oh very far," says Carina. "I'd say enough to cover the whole world. Max becomes panicked by this news. "We have to stop it!" He exclaims. "Now!" "Why?" Asks Keren. "Because Bonnie and I are in hiding!" Max explains. "From bad people. If that Aura shoots into the world, they wil know we're here! They'll find us!"

But it's too late. As Max was explaining this, the Tree glowed brighter and brighter. Now, as Max watches, it gathers a bunch of energy and Aura from the surrounding area. In a stunning display, all of it travels up through the tree, before gathering in the branches. Then, with a loud BOOM! the Aura is expelled across the globe, shooting out in a bright blue airwave. As Max watches this happen, he finds himself being able to only say one thing. "Oh that's not good."

Chapter Text

Throughout all of Ash's conflict with Team Terra, many people wondered whether or not the Master's 8 would being going ahead this year, due to what the current Monarch was doing. To make matters worse, there was some talk that if the Monarch was beaten, the new Monarch would be the one to lead this war effort. Thankfully, Ash quickly put those worries to rest, saying that he would continue to lead the fight against Team Terra, even if he lost the title of Monarch.

So, with this relieving news, trainers new and veteran began battling each other in earnest over the course of Ash's conflict, hoping to be the one to finally topple the new Monarch from his throne. Especially since Ash was so busy with the conflict that he mightn't have gotten the chance to train his Pokémon up enough to retain his title. Unfortunately for these people, Ash has spent plenty of time training his Pokémon. "Perks of having to stay in one building," he said to Serena the last time she spent the night at his place.

Soon enough, the day comes for the Master's 8 to be underway. People from all over the world come to watch. Even some people who are working with Ash against Team Terra take breaks from assignments to tune in. And the roster for this year is something else. Famous trainers from across the world have come to battle here, including a surprise entree from none other than Brendan Birch himself, who uses the tournament to inform Brodie that he will be taking his title back.

But he doesn't make it to the final. He's knocked out of the semis by Paul, who's blazed through the tournament this year. Unsurprisingly, so has Ash, meaning that this year, the final battle will be between one of the most famous rivalries in living memory. Despite the fact that Paul is basically his second in command, Ash isn't about to let that stop him from going all out against his greatest rival in this tournament.

As the two of them walk out onto the pitch of Wyndon's main stadium, an uproar of cheering emanates from the crowd, as everyone is excited to see these 2 battle it out for the title. In all 6 years of Ash being Monarch, the 2 of them have yet to face each other in the final round. But all of that changes today, and everyone in the world is excited to see it. As the two rivals meet in the middle of the pitch, the announcer begins presenting the battle.

As he finishes doing so, the ref steps forward, flags in his hands. "This will be a six-on-six battle between reigning champion Ash Ketchum, and challenger Paul Shinji! Any substitutions will count as a knockout! Only one special power boost permitted per battler! Is everyone clear on the rules?" Both Ash and Paul confirm that they are. "Then battle, begin!" The ref shouts, waving his flags down. Instantly, Ash and Paul grab a Pokéball from their belts. But before they can send them out, they hear a sound coming from above.

Looking up, they see 3 large helicopters hovering above the stadium, with a big green T painted on their sides. As they all watch, tops begin to descend from them, as grunts begin to infiltrate the crowd. Ash quickly spots one of the helicopters pointing its light at one of the boxes, where Serena and Miette are watching the battle. He points this out to Paul, who sees red and releases Honchkrow, hopping onto its back and flying over there to help them.

Ash is about to do the same with Pidgeot, but before he can, he notices that the middle helicopter has started lowering a rope down to where he stand. As he watches, a big man with a mask, hood, and a green cloak suddenly stands at the doorway of the helicopter. Then, he grabs onto the rope and slides down it, coming to a stop a few paces away from him. "So, we meet at last, Ash Ketchum," says The Boss. "Glad to see you aren't hiding anymore."

Ash glares at him. "Big talk from someone who's wearing a mask to conceal his identity," Ash claps back. "What do you want asshole? Here to finally surrender?" The Boss laughs at this. "Funny enough, not I'm not," he replies. "I'm here for information. Information that you will give to me." Ash scoffs at this. "If you think I'm going to be handing over any form of information to you, then you are sorely mistaken," he replies.

The Boss laughs at this. "Why don't you take a look around then?" he tells him. "Have a look at your adoring fans." Ash does so, and his heart sinks. A lot of the audience turns out to be members of Team Terra, and all of them have guns pointed at large groups of people. Ash then looks up at the box where Serena and Miette are sitting. This one has several grunts standing there, guns pointed at the two girls, as well as Paul.

Ash returns his attention to The Boss. "What do you want from me?" He asks. The Boss chuckles. "Oh nothing much," he says. "In fact, I've been looking for your base of operations, hoping to find any information about the whereabouts of one Max Maple." Ash freezes at this. Of course he's here for that. "But after your little stunt at one of my main ship launching areas, I decided to find that information personally. So, where is Max Maple?"

Ash refuses to look at the audience as he replies, "I can't tell you that. He and Bonnie will not be found by the likes of you." The Boss sighs. "I should've guessed that would be your answer," he says. "So, I've come up with a solution that I think you'll like. We'll fight for it." Ash stares at him quizzically. "If I win," The Boss explains, "you tell me the location of Max Maple. But if you win, I'll take off the mask."

Ash's eyes widen at this. This could be the perfect opportunity for him to learn who his enemy is. But at the same time, he risks losing everything he's fought for if he loses this. And then there's the fact that Team Terra has hostages, some of which include Ash's friends. At this thought, he realises that he has no choice but to accept, so he does. "Just please, let everyone go," he tells The Boss. "They don't need to be dragged into this conflict."

The Boss chuckles at this. "Oh don't worry, they won't be," he reassures him. "But they won't be leaving either. I need everyone to watch as I beat you. To show the world what happens when you meddle with Team Terra's affairs. So, get ready Ash Ketchum!" Ash nods, then pulls out a Pokéball, expecting The Boss to do the same. He doesn't. Before Ash has time to send one out The Boss appears before him suddenly, and Ash barely has time to realise that his fist has collided with his chest, before The Boss punches outwards.

Electricity courses through Ash as he's sent flying backwards. He bounces a few times, before coming to a stop. "What the Reverse World was that?!" He exclaims. The Boss laughs. "Surely you've seen these before?" he asks, holding his hands up to reveal the gloves that the Admins wear. "How did you move so fast?" Ash asks. The Boss chuckles again. "Oh these aren't just gloves," he explains, before undoing his cloak and showing the inside of his top.

To Ash's surprise, there's technical jargon inside the stitching of the top. "This whole suit conducts the powers of the gloves," he explains. "So, whenever I use the lightning, fire, or any other type of punch..." he trails off as he suddenly appears right above Ash's head. "I move so fast it's as if I teleported," he finishes, before slamming down on the ground.

Ash quickly rolls away before the punch lands, leaving a small crater where he lay just a few seconds prior. He gets to his feet quickly and strikes his own punch into The Boss's chest, but The Boss doesn't even flinch. Instead, he merely kicks Ash in the gut, before punching him again, sending him flying back once more. "But of course, you know what it feels like to move faster than the eye can see, don't you?" The Boss asks.

Ash gets to his feet and looks at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?" he asks. The Boss laughs again, and Ash realises the man must be thoroughly enjoying himself. "Don't play dumb with me," he replies tauntingly. "I know all about your special abilities. I know what you are." Ash's stomach drops at this. "Why do you think I showed up with this tech?" The Boss goes on. "It was to make this a fair fight."

Ash starts to panic a little at this. Perhaps he had overdone it when fighting those agents over the past few months? "I don't know what you mean," he replies, which makes The Boss laugh. "I thought I just told you not to play dumb," he says. "The only way you're going to win this fight is if you use your gift. Otherwise, you might as well just tell me right now where Max Maple is."

Ash glares at him. "How did you find out?" he asks. "Well it was simple really," The Boss replies. "I had my scientists analyse what was left of poor Sub-Admin F after you unceremoniously threw him out of that window. From there, it was very easy to guess what you are. So, are you going to use your powers, or will the world watch as their Monarch is defeated so completely?"

Ash responds by running forward and kicking him in the head, hoping to dislodge the mask. All that does is jerk The Boss's head to the side. So he goes in for a punch to the gut, and then an uppercut at the chin. His gut punch lands, but The Boss manages to dodge out of the way of his uppercut. Then, he fills his fists with fire, and punches Ash in the chest with both fists, sending him flying into the forcefield surrounding the pitch.

Ash crumples to the ground, breathing heavily. The Boss approaches him, looming over him. "So disappointing," he says. "I was expecting a bit more from you. But I guess you really are just a coward." With that, he raises his fists to deal the final blow. Up in the stands, Serena shields here eyes, unable to watch what happens next. But then, Ash mutters, "You know what? Screw it," before a massive pulse shoots out from him, throwing The Boss backwards.

Everyone stares at Ash as he gets to his feet, energy swirling around him. He glares at The Boss, before holding out his hand. "I swore I would never do this," he says. "I swore I would keep it a secret, for the good of society. But you've left me no choice. I must defeat you here. And if I have to use my Aura Powers to do so, then so be it!" With that, he cups his hands, and two Aura Spheres appear in them. All anyone can do is stare in amazement as The Aura Guardians are brought into the limelight once more.

Chapter Text

Everyone in the audience stares speechless at Ash as he stands there facing The Boss, 2 Aura Spheres clutched in his hands. Small whispers from those brave enough to speak start to spread about what it could mean. Some people guess that his gloves are what's causing them, while others believe that they're seeing an illusion, and it's his Lucario standing there, with something done to him to make him look like Ash. Though, some of them do guess the truth, that Ash is a mythical Aura Guardian.

Up in one of the boxes, Serena, Miette, and Paul sit there, watching what's happening below. As they do, Paul keeps looking over at some of the grunts, wondering how many of them he could take before they start shooting. But then he looks at the one with the gun pointed right at Miette's head, and stays where he is. He doesn't want to risk Miette getting shot. So, he stays where he is, stewing in his own anger about being so useless.

"Ash is going to have a hard time with reporters when he gets out of this," Serena comments. Paul and Miette look at her quizzically. "How so?" Miette asks. "Well, he's kept something as big as this hidden for 6 years," Serena explains. "Obviously people are going to have questions." "And one of them is bound to be if he used his Aura to cheat during any of the Master's 8," Paul finishes. Serena nods. "Poor bastard," says Paul. "Let's just hope for his sake he wows people enough that they'll leave him alone."

Back on the pitch, Ash and The Boss face each other. Ash holds the Aura Spheres in his hands, daring The Boss to move at all. The Boss meanwhile continues to stare back, his gloves coated with fire. Eventually, both of them grow bored of this, and The Boss charges, while Ash throws the Spheres. The Boss dodges both of them, then reaches Ash. He punches him, but he's not there anymore. Suddenly, he's above The Boss. He summons an Aura Sphere with both hands, and slams it down on him.

The Boss is flattened against the ground, and struggles to get to his feet. Ash lands on his, then fuels his right leg with Aura, and kicks The Boss across the pitch. The Boss bounces a few times, before righting himself and using his hands and feet to stop his momentum. Then, he rushes Ash again, disappearing from view. Ash's eyes glow blue as he uses his Aura vision to track The Boss's movements. Then, he limbos, just as The Boss's fist sails over his head.

Using his Aura vision, as well as his heightened movements, he gracefully dodges everything The Boss throws at him, before sweeping his legs out from under him. The Boss lands on his back, then roles out of the way as Ash punches down, fist filled with Aura. The Boss rolls out of the way, then jumps to his feet. Before Ash has time to react, he spins around and plants a kick on Ash head, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Before Ash can get back up, he feels the wind be knocked out of him s a block of ice slams into his chest. The Boss stands over him, his fists covered in ice. He raises them up and slams them down again, causing Ash to cough up a bit of blood. He raises them a 3rd time, but Ash sends out a powerful blast of Aura, sending The Boss hurtling backwards. Ash gets to his feet, then uses his Aura to heal himself. The Boss. Also stands back up. The two of them glare at each other, then vanish.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust shoots up from the middle of the pitch. Then, another one sprouts up to the right of that. Then a 3rd further back. As everyone watches, clouds of dust and dirt sprout up all over the pitch, as Ash and The Boss continue their fight. As scared as they all are, some of the audience would be lying if they said they aren't enjoying the fight. Even some of the Team Terra grunts have to admit it's cool.

Suddenly, the clouds of dust stop sprouting up, as Ash and The Boss meet in the middle of the pitch. There, the two of them begin punching each other furiously, Ash's fists filled with Aura, and The Boss's covered in lightning. The power coming off the 2 of them is awe inspiring as they continue to through punches. Suddenly, both of them throw each other backwards. They stand facing each other for a few seconds, before running in again, The Boss's fists electrified, and an Aura Sphere in Ash's hand. They meet in the middle and throw their attacks, The Boss's fist slamming into Ash's Sphere.

The resulting explosion is massive. Almost the whole pitch is blacked from view by the eruption and the cloud of dust. Serena desperately screams Ash's name as the dust settles, and he's nowhere to be seen. She starts to fear the worst, then the dust clears, and both of them are standing there, panting furiously, but still standing. A wave of relief washes over the crowd, so glad are they that they didn't just watch their Monarch snuff it.

Both men stand, ready to go again. But before they can, a different wave washes over them. An enormous wave of energy washes over the stadium, making Ash feel energised. The Boss meanwhile feels very confused. "Momiji," he says into an earpiece, suddenly having to swerve to avoid a Sphere thrown at him. "Analyse what kind of power that is!" Momiji confirms that she will, then begins.

While he waits, The Boss focuses on dodging Ash's attacks, rather than fighting back. For some reason, he seems stronger than before. At last, Momiji gets back to him. "It's the same energy that's coming from Ketchum," she tells him. "Only it's at least 500 times stronger." The Boss grins under the mask at this. "Maple," he says to himself. "I want you to focus on finding the source of this burst," he tells her.

Momiji is clearly confused by this, so he elaborates. "I believe that Max Maple is at the source of that burst," he explains. "His companion is an Aura Guardian like Ketchum is. Meaning that she might've been the one to cause the burst. Locate it at once, and we'll have Max Maple's location." "Yes sir," says Momiji, who gets started right away. While he waits for her to get back to him, The Boss continues to dodge Ash's attacks, which start getting harder to do.

At last, Momiji gets back to him once more. "The wave is coming from the Kanto region," she tells him. The Boss nods and thanks her, then stops dodging. Ash flies over to him, fist raised and ready to strike. But before he can hit him, The Boss catches his hand. Then, he throws him to the ground. "This fight is over," he tells him, standing up. "I have what I need. We do not need to carry on with this anymore."

With that, he begins walking away. "NO!" Ash shouts, getting to his feet and rushing him. The Boss looks at him, then disappears from view. Suddenly, he appears behind him, slamming his fist into Ash's back. Ash feels a sharp pain as he hits the ground. "Don't worry, I only knocked the wind out of you," The Boss explains as he starts walking away. "You are not my enemy Ash Ketchum. Therefore you do not deserve my wrath."

As he walks away from the Monarch, a rope flies down from the helicopter above. He grabs it, and is about to ascend, when an Aura Sphere shoots towards him, cutting the rope. The Boss sighs as he turns to face Ash again. "You just don't know when to give up do you?" he asks. Then he sees Ash, as he becomes surrounded by a blue energy so powerful it blows his hair and clothes around, despite the total lack of wind. "You're not going anywhere," Ash tells him. "Not until I've defeated you, and torn that mask from your face!"

The Boss chuckles at this. "The 2 of us are basically evenly matched," he points out. "How can you possibly hope to defeat me?" Ash grins at this. "Simple," he says. "That wave of Aura just gave me a major power boost." The Boss chuckles at this. "Even if that we're so, it would hardly be enough to..." he begins, but he's cut off here by Ash suddenly appearing in front of him, his leg making contact with his mask. He barely has enough time to make a noise of surprise, before Ash kicks him in the face, sending him flying across the pitch.

The Boss gets to his feet and chuckles. "Wow," he exclaims. "You really are stronger than I thought. But you are not my enemy. My fight is not with you. It is with the greedy, corrupt, selfish assholes who run our world, and would happily blow it to pieces if they were given a PokeYen for it!" He extends his hand towards Ash at this. "You could join my side," he says. "Use your gifts to help me save the world!" "Bite me!" Ash replies. The Boss sighs. "So be it then," he says.

I recommend you play the song BITE ME by AJ Dispirito, from Murder Drones, during this fight

Ash fills both of his hands with Aura Spheres, while The Boss charges his gloves with lightning. Then, they disappear from view, before reappearing in front of each other. The Boss tries to strike Ash, but the power emanating from him causes him to freeze for a second, which gives Ash enough time to punch him in the gut, sending him flying backwards. He quickly gets to his feet, then has to immediately dodge as Ash comes flying in for another strike.

Once he's avoided the attack, The Boss spins around and kicks Ash away. Then, he lunges, fists sparking with electricity. Ash acts quickly and tries to dodge the flurry of blows. While he is mostly successful, a few of The Boss's attacks still manage to land. Ash quickly sweeps The Boss's legs from under him, then goes to slam an attack on him when he falls to the ground. But this time, The Boss is ready for this.

As he falls, The Boss punches upward with both fists, striking Ash under his jaw. Ash goes flying upwards, trying to regain control of himself to allow himself to continue to fight. But before he can right himself, The Boss appears before him, and slams him back down to the ground. Be begins to punch him repeatedly, but Ash uses another Aura Blast to get him off. Then, he throws another Aura Sphere at him, but the Boss dodges it.

He charges up more electricity in his fists, then rushes at Ash once again. However, instead of hitting Ash with the attack, he hits a barrier of Aura instead. Ash grins at him, then forces him back with the barrier. As The Boss stumbles, Ash rushes in, Bone Rush in his hands. The Boss ducks under his swings, then punches right through the bone, snapping it in 2. Of course, Ash takes advantage of this and slams both sides on the bone into The Boss’s head, staggering him slightly.

While he's staggered, Ash makes a desperate attempt to break his mask, but The Boss recovers enough to dodge him, and kick at his shins. Ash flails at this, causing his Bone Rush to dissipate. The Boss then takes a swing at him, but he manages to avoid that, but barely. Ash then shoots out a pulse from his hand like Bonnie does, hoping to use that to knock the mask off. But that doesn't work either.

Getting frustrated, Ash waits until The Boss comes at him for another swing, then summons an Aura Barrier once more. It sends the Boss flying back a couple of metres. When he tries to get back on his feet, Ash uses the barrier to pin him down. Now with no way to move, The Boss can't do anything but lie there as Ash walks over to him, and begins to pull the mask from his face. Or at least, so Ash thought.

The Boss sends out an electrical pulse from the gloves, which shatters Ash's barrier. Then, while Ash is staggered by this, he goes in for another punch, winding Ash once again. The Boss tries to swing at his face, but Ash ducks underneath it. Then, he fuels his fist and attempts a strike at The Boss's head. Unfortunately, The Boss swerves at the last second, and the strike goes wide. Then, The Boss grabs his arm, preventing him from moving.

The Boss chuckles at this. "All that, and you still miss at the end?" he taunts. "Who said I was aiming for you that time?" Ash replies. "I was merely trying to get close enough to do this." Then, he turns his fist so that his fingers are facing The Boss, and he opens his hand. An Aura Sphere appears in it, and he slams it into the side of The Boss's head. The Boss bounces away again, but this time, before he can get up, Ash is already over him, slamming him with another massive Aura Sphere.

The strike from the blow creates a crater, with The Boss lying in the centre. Ash goes for another strike like that, but The Boss disappears from the crater before he can. Suddenly, he appears above Ash, fists ready with ice. He tries to slam them down on Ash, but Ash summons another Barrier, blocking the attack. What follows is a fierce back and forth as Ash pushes the Barrier upwards, while The Boss tries to push down with his fists.

Eventually, seeing that this is going nowhere, The Boss breaks off the attack and allows Ash to push him into the air. As he flies up, Ash throws more Aura Spheres at him. The Boss knocks them away with the fire in his gloves, then causes the fire to grow bigger, before slamming down on Ash with the flames. Another explosion ensues, and for the briefest moment, everyone thinks Ash is done for. But then he swats away the smoke, glaring at the Boss as he lands.

"How can you still be standing?" he demands. "It's just not possible!" Ash grins at this. "The answer is simple," he replies. "Filling his hands with Aura Spheres. "You pissed off an Aura Guardian, and now, you're gonna get it!" Then, he hurls both spheres. The Boss dodges the m by jumping to the side, but he misses the barrage of them that Ash throws at him. While he takes these hits, Ash charges up a big Aura Sphere in his hands, before running at The Boss with everything he has.

But, as he does, he sees The Boss standing there, slumped over and nearly defenceless. Suddenly his mind jumps back to Kalos, up at the top of Lumiose Tower. Where Serena was held captive by Sub-Admin F, and Ash saved her by accidentally killing him. At this thought, F's shocked face as he plunged to his death appears in Ash's mind, causing to freeze up before he hits The Boss, his Aura Sphere inches away from the Boss's mask.

Stop music here.

The Boss lets out a slight chuckle at this, then raises his fist, electricity pumping through it. He backhands Ash across the face, sending him flying. Ash sprawls on the ground, struggling to get back on his feet. But before he can, The Boss appears in front of him suddenly, and kicks him back onto his back. "I see Sub-Admin F came to your mind as you were about to trike me," he says, kicking Ash again.

He keeps going, each time he pauses, he gives Ash another kick. "This is why I have subordinates," he tells him, kicking him again. "It's so that they can get their hands dirty, (kick) doing what needs to be done (kick). So that I can keep my hands clean, (kick) to do what's, (kick) necessary!" At this, he raises his hands, both gloves filled with electricity, and goes to slam them down on Ash.

But before he can, Ash lets out another Aura Blast, knocking The Boss back and allowing him to stand up. "Arceus do you ever stop talking?" Ash asks, getting to his feet. "You sound just like the heads of every other terrorist group I've taken down. This time will be no different." Then, he creates a massive Aura Sphere and throws it at the Boss. It creates a small explosion, and for a moment, everyone believes it's over. But then, The Boss waves the smoke away, revealing his ruined gloves.

As Ash stares in shock at this, The Boss just laughs. “I’m very different from those men,” he says. “Do you want to know the biggest difference between us?” At this, The Boss raises his hand. “I’m resourceful.” Then, he snaps his fingers. Immediately, something whooshes out of the helicopter above them. Ash barely has time to register that it’s a Fearow, before the bird slams into him, and carries him across the field.

It turns around and flies back towards The Boss, who leaps into the air and lands on the Fearow's back. Then, he rides it up into the sky, with Ash pinned to one of the wings. Once they're high enough for The Boss's satisfaction, he looks down at Ash. "You know, we could've worked well together," he says. "As I said, it is not you that I fight. So, please know that this is nothing personal." Then, he grabs Ash's shirt and lifts him off the Fearow's wing.

Immediately, Ash fills his fist with Aura and uppercuts at The Boss's chin. He's taken by surprise at this. In fact, he's so surprised that he isn't able to stop his mask from slipping up his face, revealing to Ash who wears it. Seeing The Boss's true face fills Ash with rage. "YOU!" he exclaims, creating an Aura Sphere and preparing to throw it at him. But before he can, The Boss quickly lifts him up and head buts him with the mask. Then, while he's dazed, he undoes Ash's belt of pokéballs, causing them to fall to the ground. Then, he drops Ash too.

"ASH!" Serena screams as he begins to plummet. Everyone in the stands watches as the Monarch falls from the sky. They all want to help, but none of them can do anything out of fear of being shot. Still, Serena continues to scream Ash's name, begging him to wake up and save himself. Ash shakes his head, clearing it of the daze. Then, he notices that the ground is quickly approaching. He tries to grab a Pokémon, but his belt is gone. So, with no other option, he lets out a powerful blast of Aura.

The blast catches him as he's 5 metres over the ground, causing him to bounce in midair. Then, he hits the ground with a loud THUMP, and stops moving. Everyone stares at his body, incredibly worried about him. Up in the air, The Boss refits his mask back on his head, looking down at what he's done. Suddenly, Momiji's voice appears in his ear. "You let him live?" she asks him.

"I meant what I said," The Boss tells her. "He is not our enemy. He is merely misguided. He believes that he's doing the right thing, because he doesn't understand what it is we're trying to do. A man like that doesn't deserve to die. Even if he is in our way." "So, what do we do now?" asks Momiji. "Have every available agent gather in the Kanto region," he tells her. "I want them to scour the place until Max Maple is found!"

Momiji confirms that she will, then begins to do that. The Boss looks down at Ash one last time, before riding his Fearow into the helicopter. Unfortunately for him, he is too injured to go to Kanto himself to find Max Maple. Back down on the ground, the Team Terra agents stop pointing their guns at the audience, and join their leader in the helicopters, or just fly away with Flying Type Pokémon.

As soon as they're gone, Serena races over to where Ash lies, with Paul and Miette hot on her heels. Other friends of theirs join them as they run to check on the Monarch. When they reach him, Serena puts 2 finders to Ash's neck to check for a pulse. Upon finding one, she practically cries with relief. Doctors show up to check on him, quickly declaring that he needs to be brought to hospital. All anyone can do is watch as the Monarch of the World Coronation Series is airlifted away, while The Boss of Team Terra escapes.

Elsewhere in the world, a man sits at a desk, watching this battle on a screen, with a large Persian lying on his lap. He grins at what he saw, then he remembers something someone proposed to him. He presses a button on his desk. "Dr. Zager," he says. "Could you come here please?" A minute later, the man comes running into the room. "Yes boss?" he says, kneeling before him. "I seem to recall you telling me about a project you came up with recently," says the man in the chair.

"You mean Project Lucario, sir?" Zager asks. The man nods. "That is the one," he replies. "Do you believe you can get it to work?" Zager nods at this. "Absolutely sir!" he replies eagerly. "Once I have your approval, I can start work right away!" The leader smiles. "Good," he replies. "Then you have it." Zager smiles and turns away, before turning around again. "Why the sudden chance of heart sir?" He asks.

The leader smiles again. "Because I have just seen something truly incredible," he replies. "And I will be damned if I don't get to wield power like that. So, make it for me, and I will make you a very rich man!" Zager nods eagerly at this, then runs back to his lab. The man in the chair grins, then turns to look at his screen again, where the unconscious form of Ash Ketchum is frozen on. "I must thank you Ash Ketchum, " says Giovanni. "Thanks to you, and what you have shown me, Team Rocket will rise again, greater than ever before." Then, he starts to laugh.

Chapter Text

Hilbert Touko is incredibly excited. Tomorrow, he is officially transferring out of this stupid prison, and going to do field work once more. His sister Hilda has finally fully recovered from her episode, for now, and has decided that she wants to continue working in the prison. So, for the 1st time in their lives, the pair will be going their separate ways. This has never happened before. Ever since they were placed in an orphanage at 5, the two have never been apart for longer than a few days. But now, neither of them know when they will next see each other. SO, Hilbert makes damn sure that he spends every available second he has with his sister. Despite this, Hilbert would be lying if he said that he wasn't looking forward to leaving the place behind.

The two of them patrol the hallways of the prison one last time, while Hilbert tries to ascertain the location of Max and Bonnie, in an effort to re-join their journey. If he's going to be involved on this war again, he may as well get involved in the most crucial way possible. Keeping Max Maple safe from Team Terra's clutches. Hilda looks over his shoulder at his phone. "Still trying to find them?" she asks. Hilbert nods. "I've managed to figure out which region they're in," he tells her. "But I'm completely stumped on where in that region they are. There are a bunch of conflicting accounts on where they were last heading, so I have no idea which ones to believe." Hilda put a hand on his shoulder at this. "I'd say you'll manage to uncover their location soon," she says. "Just be patient." Hilbert nods at this, then puts his phone away.

The two of them continue their rounds, and stay away from the Team Terra section of the prison. Despite being completely over the episode, Hilda still isn't comfortable with going into that section. And since Hilbert will be leaving her tomorrow, the two of them decide to just stay away from it. As they walk, Hilbert lets out a sigh. "Overall, not a very exciting last day," he comments. Hilda lets out a small chuckle. "What were you expecting to happen?" she asks. "This is the most fortified prison in the world, do you really think anyone could try and escape from here?" Hilbert shrugs. "I don't know," he admits. "But I'm still bored. I was hoping for something a bit more exciting." Hilda laughs at this. "When working in a prison, exciting is the last thing you should be hoping for," she points out.

In the skies above Unova, several helicopters and carrier planes descend from above, each bearing the emblem of Team Terra. They've flown out from across the world, and have congregated for a purpose. Over all of their radios, the voice of Admin Angie comes through. "I'm well aware that this mission is a few days early," she says. "But The Boss pushed our schedule ahead with his attack. We have Max Maple's location, and need all of the agents we can get. So, is everyone clear on the plan?" Everyone replies that they are. "Excellent," replies Angie. "In that case, let's begin." Then, the flying vehicles begin to descend. Soon, they move out of the clouds, and their target comes into view. Interpol's prison in Unova.

So far, it seems that they haven't been detected. As they approach, the sides of the carrier planes open up, as Team Terra agents step out and leap out of them. They fall, and deploy parachutes, descending to the ground below. Once they do, they begin sneaking their way towards the prison. While they do, the second phase of the plan begins. For those agents to get into the prison and disable the security systems there. But to do that, they will need a distraction. Which is where the helicopters come in. All of them quicken their pace as they approach the prison, making a lot of noise. Below, the pilots can see people scrambling as they see the helicopters coming. But before they can properly mount any sort of defence, the choppers open fire.

The building shakes violently as Hilbert and Hilda continue their patrol. "What the Reverse World was that?" Hilbert exclaims. The run down the hall, ignoring the shouts from all of the prisoners as they do. They find another guard who is running towards them, an assault rifle in his hands. "What's going on?" Hilda asks as they approach. "We're under attack!" the guard replies. "Team Terra have arrived. They're raining bullets down from helicopters!" The twins' eyes widen at this. The guard continues running, calling back behind him, "Get to the Team Terra section! Guard it with your life! They must not be allowed to get through!" The twins nod, then watch the guard disappear around a corner.

Hilbert looks at his sister with concern. "Will you be ok with this?" he asks her. Hilda looks down the hall, then back at her brother. She gives him a determined nod. "Of course I will," she says. "I can deal with Team Terra's taunts if it means keeping them locked in here forever!" Hilbert grins at her. "That's the spirit," he says, patting her shoulder. "And don't worry, I'll be armed, so if any of them say anything to you, I can shoot them." Hilda shakes her head at this. "No, don't do that," she says. "Leave that to me. I'll be armed as well." Hilbert grins at this, then the two run into the nearest armoury, and grabs themselves a handgun each. Then, they start running towards the Team Terra section of the prison.

Back outside, Interpol are scrambling to mount a defence against Team Terra's onslaught. Massive gun mounted on the roof are turned towards them, and begin a counterattack, while hordes of guards run to the walls, rifles in hands. They try their best to fight back against them, but the bullets from the choppers tear them all apart. The massive guns manage to shoot down 2 of the choppers, but most of them are destroyed before they can do anything else. Finally, a guard manages to run over to the wall with an RPG, and blow two of the propellers off one of the choppers. As it spins out of control, she tries to shoot a second one down, but she's blown up by another chopper. The one she blew up continues to spin out of control, before it crashes into one of the prison walls.

Hilbert and Hilda continue to run through the halls, making it to the Team Terra section as fast as they can. They're just about to run into it and start standing guard, when Hilda glances out of a window. "Hilbert get down!" she shouts, diving onto him. Suddenly, where they had been standing just seconds before, a helicopter crashes through the wall. As the two of them get to their feet, they see that a couple of Team Terra agents have survived the crash. They exit the chopper, then quickly spot the two of them, and pull out their guns. But before they can shoot, Hilbert pulls out his own and shoots them in their legs, causing them to collapse. Then, Hilda steps forward and knocks them out.

As she looks back at her brother, she can see that he's grinning. "So, I take it this is the kind of final day you were hoping for?" she asks. Hilbert nods. "Oh you bet your ass it is," he says. "Defending the prison from an invasion, then heading off to protect Max Maple from these goons. I feel like the main character of an action movie!" Hilda laughs and rolls her eyes. "Just don't let it get you your head," she tells him. "Don't worry, I won't," he says. Then, he reloads his gun, and the two of them prepare for any Team Terra agents that come their way. "Are you going to be ok?" Hilbert asks. "You sure you're ok to use the gun?" At this, Hilda pointed the gun to the ceiling and fired. "I think I'll be fine," she replies. Hilbert chuckles, then the two of them wait for anyone to come round the corner.

By this time, those agents sneaking up on the base have managed to infiltrate it thanks to the distraction. They make their way up to the generator room. Once inside, they begin to mess around with the power, cutting it off all over the prison, making sure to leave the security room alone. Soon, the power goes out. 30 seconds later, the backup power comes on. "Ok," says one of the grunts. "I'd say we have a minute or so before someone comes to investigate. Let's get out of here and get started on the next part." They all nod and quickly flee the scene. Once they're safely away from the generator, they stop and begin to search through their bags. Grinning to each other, one of them removes an explosive from his bag. He places it on one of the walls and primes it. They all chuckle amongst themselves, then make their way around the building to place more explosives.

As soon as all of the power goes out, Admin Angie and Sub-Admin O spring into action. They take advantage of the big guns momentarily stopping from shooting them to use ropes to descend to the prison. Once on top, they blow the gun up. Several Interpol guards run over to them, guns pointed at them. But before they can say anything, Angie just grins, then removes the big gun from her back. Then, she starts firing it, tearing through the guards before they can react. O also gets in on the action, knocking other guards out before they can get to her boss. Soon, all of them are either dead or unconscious. Angie grins at their handiwork, then starts making her way through the prison.

She and O reach the security room without issue. They take the guards sitting in their by complete surprise. Before any of them have time to react, Angie has already started shooting. In just under a minute, everyone in that room lay dead. "I don't understand why you don't let me just knock them out," says O. "It's less messy, and it'll allow me to get some information out of them." Angie chuckles at this. "Rest assured, I have all the information we need already," she tells her. "I just need you to work your magic and open the cells." O nods, then steps over to the computer. It takes her a few minutes of trying to figure the system out, but once she does, it merely takes a few button presses, and an alarm goes off, as the electromagnetic lock switches off. Both women watch with satisfaction as the cell doors of the Team Terra section begin to open.

Hilbert and Hilda stand there, waiting for more Team Terra grunts to arrive when the power goes out. Immediately, Hilbert swivels around and points his gun down the hallway where the prisoners are kept, while Hilda stiffens. He's about to ask her what's wrong, when the backup power comes on, lighting the room once more. "Ok, that's not good," says Hilbert. He looks around, expecting to see the prisoners opening their cells. But nothing happens. The cell doors don't open. "I don't understand," he says. "Why cut the power and not use it to open the cells?" "Because then every cell in the building will open," Hilda points out. "Team Terra want to free their own people, not the other prisoners. So, the power cut must've been for something else."

That something else happens a few minutes later. As Hilbert and Hilda are walking down the hallway to make sure that none of the prisoners managed to get out during the power cut, they hear the sound of an alarm. They both have time to say, "That can't be good," before they hear the sounds of the electromagnetic locks switching off. As the two of them watch in horror, the cell door around them swing open, and the Team Terra agents step out. "Well, well, well," says a voice from Hilbert's right. The twins turn to see Cooper walking over to them, with Debbie standing beside him. As Cooper grins at them, he cracks his knuckles. "I told you I'd be getting you back soon," he says menacingly.

Hilbert immediately points his gun at Cooper. "Yes, but I'm armed," he points out. "So don't try anything stupid." Cooper laughs at this, then looks around him. "My dear Touko, we outnumber you at least 10 to 1, and that's just within our immediate vicinity," he points out. "We have at least another 3 to 400 people within this prison." Hilbert smirks at this. "I like those odds," he says, pointing his gun at Cooper's face. Cooper only grins, then starts walking towards him, ready to start throwing punches. But before he can try anything, a voice calls from behind them all. "Stop!" shouts the person coming towards them. At first, Hilbert hopes that it's reinforcements here to help them. But his hopes are quickly dashed when Colress walks over to them.

"They are not to be harmed," he says to everyone. "They are the few that have been allowed to walk away from this situation." Everyone in the hallway stares at him with amazement. "But Sub-Admin C sir," Debbie argues. "They're some of Interpol's best agents! Letting them go will be bad for us!" "But they are friends with Max Maple," Colress points out. Meaning that letting them live could prove to be beneficial to us, Admin's orders." Then, he looks at the twins and grins. "Besides, I've found that I've grown rather fond of them." Hilbert sees red at this and charges at Colress, bellowing with rage. But Colress simply steps to the side and sticks his leg out, tripping Hilbert up and causing him to fall to the ground, his head colliding with the bars of a cell.

Hilda immediately runs over to him to make sure he's ok. The prisoners step aside and allow her to reach her brother. They grin down at them, then Colress steps forward, walking between them all until he's at the front of the group. "Now, let's get out of here," he says. "We have some information to gather!" Roars of cheers emanate from the Team Terra Grunts at this. Then, Colress leads the way through the prison, which the other Grunts following after him. Hilda focuses on making sure Hilbert doesn't have a concussion. In fact, she's so focused on that that she fails to notice Roberto walking over to them until he stamps on Hilbert's ankle, making a horrible snapping sound and causing him to cry out in pain. "Oops," he chuckles, before running after his teammates.

Hilda glares at him and pulls out her gun, but he disappears down the hall before she can shoot him. So, she sighs, then puts her gun away. She checks on Hilbert's ankle, and sees that it's already become a slight purple. She winces at this. "Are you sure you don't have a concussion?" she asks him. Hilbert nods, wincing in pain from his leg. "I'm sure," he says, struggling to his feet. "Come on, we need to go after them." He stands up, cries out, and almost collapses, but Hilda manages to catch him. "You're in no condition to be chasing anyone!" she tells him. "We should focus on getting out of here." "Why?" Hilbert asks. "I don't like this feeling I get," she replies, as she wraps his arm around her shoulder. "I think they've got something else in mind other than a breakout."

As Admin Angie and Sub-Admin O walk over to a carrier plane that lands at the entrance to the prison, they're quickly joined by Sub-Admins C and R, as well as all of the Team Terra agents that were imprisoned there. "Good work C," says Angie. "Mission accomplished?" C nods. "Flawlessly," he replies. Angie chuckles at this. "Good," she replies. "Now we wait for the rest of them." A few seconds later, some more agents approach them. "Are the bombs in place?" asks Angie. The agents nod. "Excellent," she says. "Everyone into the planes. We're leaving!" The agents all salute, then steps into the planes. As soon as they're full, Angie looks back at the prison, then grins as she holds up a trigger. "Time to blow this joint," she says, as she presses the button.

Hilbert has to limp as Hilda leads him through the halls of the prison. "Come on," she says. "We're almost out." Hilbert nods, in too much pain to speak. Suddenly, the building shakes once more. "What now?" Hilda asks looking around. Suddenly, the sounds of explosions reach their ears. "They're blowing the building up!" Hilbert grunts. Hilda nods, then she starts leading Hilbert quicker. He has to practically gallop as the building continues to shake. They round a corner, and can see the way out. "Come on," says Hilda. "We're almost there!" But at that moment, the ceiling behind them begins to collapse as the explosions tear the building apart.

The two of them pick up the pace as they make a mad dash for the door. But, due to Hilbert's ankle, they can't run particularly fast. They're about 5 metres from the door when the collapsing hallway catches up with them. "We're not going to make it!" Hilbert cries. Hilda sighs then gets behind him. "No," she says. "You are!" Then, she gives him a mighty shove. Hilbert launches forward stumbling as he rolls just outside of the door. He continues to stumble for a couple more metres before coming to a stop. He hits the ground and cries out, then turns to look at his sister. He has just enough time to see her running towards the exit, and make eye contact with her, before the building collapses on top of her.

Hilbert stares in horror at what he just saw. He starts slapping his face, hoping to wake up from a bad dream. But he's still kneeling on the ground outside of the now collapsed prison, staring at the spot where his sister just was. After staring for a few seconds, he screams Hilda's name, hoping against hope that she'll hear him and scramble out of the ruins. But she doesn't. No one moves from under the rubble of the prison. But, there's movement from behind him. He turns his head, and sees a few Team Terra agents coming towards him. They quickly spot him and point their guns at him. "Looks like a cop survived this," says one. Another chuckles. "What are you talking about?" she asks. "No he didn't." Then, she raises her gun to fire.

Hilbert closes his eyes and accepts his fate. But before she can shoot, another voice calls out, "Stop! Let him go!" He opens his eyes, and sees Admin Angie walking towards him. Her mask is removed, revealing the face of Aldith from Team Plasma. "So, at least one of the Wonder Twins survived," she says with mock sympathy. Hilbert sees red and points his gun at her. "You killed my sister," he growls. "And now you'll pay for it!" Aldith chuckles. "Please, I'd like to see you try to shoot that with your PTSD," she comments. Hilbert freezes at this, which makes Aldith chuckles. "Oh yeah, I know all about that," she tells him. "In fact, I know quite a lot about you and your late sister."

Hilbert continues to glare at her as she grins. "I know that your father left you after you were born, and your mother, in your words and the words of that awful orphanage, 'abandoned you' when you were 5. The 2 of you have been on your own since then, sticking together until the end. And now, it looks like you're sister left you too." "No she didn't!" he bellows, tears pouring from his eyes. "You killed her! You'll pay for this!" The agents raise their weapons again, but Aldith orders them to lower them. "Don't bother," she tells them. "He's alone out here, while Interpol will be focused on the main entrance. He'll be lucky to be found by the end of the week. Let's go."

At that moment, the sound of a carrier plane's engines stir to life as Team Terra leave Hilbert behind. He points his gun at them and tries to shoot, but when he does, he starts getting flashbacks, and finds that he can't pull the trigger. Soon, Team Terra are gone, and he's alone. He sits there for a while, stewing on his anger and sorrow. Eventually, he hears voices approaching, and quickly recognises one of them as Agent Looker's. He tries to call out to them, but finds that his voice doesn't work. So, he raises his gun into the air, and starts pulling the trigger. Each shot shoots a bad memory into his head as he does, but he ignores them and keeps shooting.

BANG! A gun is pointed at him and his sister, aged just 5. Hilda stands in front of Hilbert in a protective manner. BANG! The gun turns away from the two of them. BANG! The body hits the ground, lying in a pool of blood. After this one, his hand shakes o much that he can barely pull the trigger. But, he pushes through and finishes shooting. With his gun empty he drops it to the ground, before throwing up. He's found a few minutes later by Looker, unresponsive, lying next to a small puddle of vomit. He's still breathing, but doesn't even blink when Looker waves his hand over his face. "Get him to a hospital," Looker tells the others. "He needs to be looked after."

Chapter Text

When Hilbert comes to his senses, he finds himself lying in a bed that he doesn't recognise, in a place completely unfamiliar to him. "Where the Reverse World am I?" he wonders aloud. "Oh good, you're awake," says a voice to his right. Hilbert jumps out of his skin and wheels his head to the right, seeing Detective Looker sitting on a chair next to the door. Hilbert looks at him with immense confusion. "Where am I?" he asks. "You are in a hospital in Nimbasa. We found you collapsed on the ground and brought you here." Hilbert nods and looks around again. "And Hilda?" he asks. "What about her?" Looker looks down sadly. "We haven't been able to find her," he tells him. "We're currently searching the ruins for survivors, but haven't found any yet.

Hilbert feels himself go numb at this. Hilda can't be dead. She just can't be. He tries to get up, but his legs are still slightly shaky. Looker runs forward and manages to catch him before he falls. "Woah, you are in no condition to move." Hilbert pushes him off and gets to his feet. "I'm ok," he says. "I wasn't injured. It was just a blackout." "All the more reason that you should stay here," says Looker. "We can't risk the sight triggering another one." Hilbert ignores him and starts grabbing his things. "I'm sorry detective," he says. "But I can't just lie here while my sister's fate is unknown. I have to see if I can find her." "Hilbert, you've been out for a few hours now," he says. "The chances of her still being alive are slim to none." Hilbert ignores him and leaves the hospital.

Looker takes him back to the ruins of the prison. Along the way, Hilbert asks him how many lives were lost in the tragedy. "About half of our guards," Looker replies. "As well as every single prisoner who wasn't a member of Team Terra." Hilbert feels a bit of bile build in his throat at this, but he swallows it back down. They arrive at the ruins of the prison, and Hilbert watches as his fellow Interpol agents pull bodies out of the rubble. People with varying degrees of broken pones and torn skin. A few people even had their skulls crushed. One person is little more than a squished pool of blood and other things that Hilbert doesn't want to think about.

As soon as he arrives, he runs over to one of the survivors. "Has my sister been found yet?" he asks. The man shakes his head. "We're still looking," he says. "So far, we haven't found any survivors underneath the rubble." With his heart sinking fast, Hilbert makes his way back to where he and Hilda attempted to make their escape. When he gets there, he finds people still searching the rubble for anyone still alive. Without a word, he joins in the search. For the next hour, they scour the ruins for anyone at all, even some of the prisoners. These people were truly sick, but no one deserved a fate like that. Especially not his sister.

Finally, after an hour of searching, they finally find her. One look at her is all it took to be able to tell that she's dead. Her head has caved in slightly, and her limbs and back are slightly bent out of shape. her eyes are closed, giving her an appearance of sleeping. But the way her body looks proves otherwise. Hilbert can only stare at her as he watches one of his co-workers lift her body out of the rubble. She remains completely still, even as they check her vitals. It takes barely a minute, but they quickly declare her dead. Hilbert breaks down. He can barely look at his sister as they carry her away, but he follows them none the less. As she's brought away from the scene, all he can do is watch as his last remaining family is taken from him.

The funerals are held a few days later for every security guard who died in the Interpol Tragedy, as the papers are dubbing it. Hilbert is something of a focal point for the tragedy, since he lost his sister to the events. But, he manages to avoid the press by keeping to himself. Now, he stands before his sister's grave, staring at the etchings on the stone. He wears a black tuxedo, but still keeps his hat on. Without a word he steps forward and lays his sister's hat on the grave. As he stares at it, he remembers those words she said to him back when they were travelling with Max and Bonnie. "I'm not going anywhere. We're stuck together like glue, ok?" "You liar," he says quietly.

Looker approaches him, dressed the same as him, but without the hat. He puts a hand on his shoulder, and the two of them stare at the grave for a while, Hilbert silently crying. Eventually, he speaks. "I saw who did it," he tells him at last. "I saw who orchestrated it all." Looker glances at him. "It was an Admin of Team Terra," he continues. "Formerly Aldith of Team Plasma, now Admin Angie of Team Terra. She was the one who killed my sister." Looker turns Hilbert around so that they face each other. "I know what you're thinking," he says sternly. "You're thinking of going after Angie as some form of revenge for your sister!"

"If you forbid me, I will hand in my resignation," Hilbert replies quickly. Looker shakes his head. "I wasn't about to suggest that at all," he replies. "But I do want you to think rationally. The Admins have some insane technology, the likes of which we've never seen. If you go up against her and you're unprepared, you will only end up getting yourself killed. Just keep doing your job, and if you come across her again, then you can try to enact your revenge." Hilbert looks at Looker, then smiles. "Thanks," he replies. "I will try. But if I even hear a a single thing in regards to her location, I'm dropping everything and hunting her down." He looks at Hilda's grave again. "She killed my sister, and I will not rest until I've done the same to her."

After the battle against The Boss, Ash is brought to the nearest hospital in Wyndon. Serena is by his side throughout the whole process, only separating from him when the doctors need to examine him for any damage to his body. As it turns out, he'd suffered several broken ribs, a cracked skull, two fractures on his arms, internal bleeding, and multiple bruising all over his body, as well as a few burns. But, he's still alive, just in a coma. Once he's cleared for visitors, Serena re-joins his side, and sits by his bed, holding his hand and hoping that he wakes up and grins at her. But he doesn't. He continues to lie in that bed, unmoving. If it wasn't for all of the machines beeping, Serena probably would've assumed he's dead.

She's joined shortly after by Dawn, Paul, and Brock. They all crowd around his bed, looking at Ash with mixed looks of grief and worry. A few hours later, the rest of Ash's friends and allies arrive. Thanks to being the Monarch, he's given the biggest room in the Hospital to himself, meaning there's enough room for everyone to stand there and crowd around his bed. No one speaks for a while, all of them staring at the unconscious form of their friend. But eventually, Paul speaks. "So, am I going to be the one who has to address the Donphan in the room?" he asks. Everyone looks at him quizzically. "How the Reverse World did Camo not warn us about this attack?" he asks.

Everyone looks at him, realising he has a point. "Maybe she didn't know about it?" Sophocles suggests. May shakes her head. "She knew about the lighthouse takeover and shipment operation, and she knew about the smuggling from Hulbury. You'd think she'd know about a plan of this scale." Some of the others nod in agreement. "But you can't expect her to stay on top of everything," Sophocles points out. "Maybe not," says Dawn. "But I would expect her to report to us if Team Terra were planning an attack like that!" "Wait, so what are you actually suggesting Paul?" Goh asks. Paul looks to Ash again, before addressing the question. "I believe that Camo may be our spy," he says.

They all stare at him. "But how?" Cilan asks. "She's been giving us valuable information this whole time." "And yet, when we really needed it, she didn't say anything!" Paul counters. "She had plenty of opportunity to share with us the plans to attack the Masters 8 tournament, and yet she never said anything. Shit like that isn't exactly spur of the moment." No one says anything for a while. Eventually, Sophocles speaks up. "But look at all of the information she gave us," he points out. "And look at the amount of victories we won because of it!" "We lost an equal amount of defeats as well," Kiawe points out. "And I'd say some of those were more costly than our victories were beneficial. Meaning she must've been giving us information that Team Terra could afford to lose."

This makes everyone very nervous. No one speaks again for a little while. Then, Clemont addresses the real Donphan in the room. "What do we do about Max and Bonnie?" he asks. Everyone looks at each other, as if daring the other to make a suggestion. Most of them have the same idea however; They need to be moved. However, Iris speaks up about that. "I think they should stay in Kanto," she says. Everyone looks at her like she's gone mad. "But Team Terra know they're there!" Serena argues. "So surely it would be wiser to move them." "How?" Iris asks. "Last time we got lucky, because Ash was able to get help from Team Rocket. This time however, we won't have that. Plus, Team Terra probably have every way out of Kanto monitored thoroughly. We'd be hard pressed pulling a stunt like that again."

This makes sense to the others. "So what do we do then?" asks Brock. "Monitor them ourselves," says Tracey. "First, we find them, then, we keep them safe." "Just don't interfere with their journey, or stop them from travelling," Clemont warns. "I'd hate to see what Bonnie would do to you if you stopped her from entering another League." "So it's settled then," says Mallow. "Some of us continue to fight against Team Terra, and try to catch Camo, while the rest of us head to Kanto and scour the place until we've found Max and Bonnie, and made sure they're safe!" Everyone else agrees with this plan. But at that moment, they hear a noise from behind them.

Whipping around, they see a vase on a table shake, clearly having been disturbed. Quick as a flash, Goh reaches it and grabs the air. His hand catches on something and he holds it in place. "It's Camo!" he calls. "She's here!" Suddenly, he jerks backwards as he receives a kick in the chest, but not before punching out, causing the invisibility to turn off. Lana and Lillie, who are nearest to him, desperately try catch up to Camo, but the window slams open and she jumps through the window. Before any of them can do anything, she vanishes once more. They all stare out of the window for a few seconds, before Paul turns to Sophocles. "You wanted proof?" he asks. "There it is. She was listening in on us. Camo is a Team Terra Spy!

True to Ash's group's assumption, Team Terra are flocking to Kanto. After the breakout in Unova, hundreds of helicopters and carrier planes, all with the Team Terra brand on it, fly over the Kanto region. Troops of Team Terra grunts begin to flood the towns and cities, combing them top to bottom in search of Max Maple. Forests are scanned by machines and flown through by drones and flying types, but neither he nor his blonde companion can be found anywhere. They try to trace the pulse that flew out from Kanto, but by the time the fight ended, the pulse had vanished. And, by the time the prison break occurred, any trace of the pulse was gone. However, something else was discovered instead. Or rather, 2 other people.

Sarah and Sam find themselves being dragged through one of the few Team Terra bases in Kanto, before being thrown to the ground. They kneel there, utterly terrified, as 2 people step towards them. "So," says Admin Homura, "you two have been here for months, tracking Max Maple?" "And in all of that time, not one of you shared this information with the rest of us?" Admin Kasei continues. Sarah and Sam begin to sputter, trying desperately to think of an excuse. But Homura holds up his hands. "I don't want to hear your excuses!" he snaps. "I have half a mind to send you both packing back to Kalos for this!" Both of their eyes widen, and they immediately begin begging not to be sent away.

Kasei holds up her hands. "Relax," she says. "We're not going to do that. Though that's only because we need as many people here as we can get. Though, you will still be punished for this transgression." Both of them bow at this. "We're sorry," says Sarah. "We thought that this would be a way to get recognition." Homura laughs at this. "Oh, you'll get recognition alright," he says. "As the worst agents Team Terra has ever had!" Both of there faces fall, which causes both Homura and Kasei to laugh. "But don't worry," says Kasei. "Because now you'll get to bear witness to a true duo." Homura nods at this, as the two of them begin to walk towards the door, their fists sparkling. "Now, all of Kanto will bear witness to the wrath of Team Terra's Demolition Duo!"

Chapter Text

Throughout all of the madness going on in the world, Max and Bonnie have been in a tunnel. More specifically, Max has been carrying Bonnie through a tunnel, since she hasn't woken up yet. It's been 3 days according to his phone, and not only has she shown no signs of waking up, but also this tunnel is showing no signs of stopping. After Bonnie's absorbing of the Aura from the giant tree, Max feared that it may have just alerted Team Terra to their location. Aurelias pointed out that it would've been near impossible for them to figure out it was him and Bonnie, but Max was still uncertain. So, Carina shows him a tunnel that will take them out of the forest completely undetected. Thanking them, Max carried Bonnie over to it. But, before he took her in, Aurelias had a few other things that needed to be relayed to Bonnie. After promising he would tell her, he carried her into the tunnel.

"I wish they told me how long it would take me to walk through this tunnel," Max complains. "I would've carried her back through the ruins." He needs to stop again because of how fatigued he's getting from carrying her for the past 3 days. If he was in the forest, he could've just set up camp and waited for her to wake up. But here inside a dark tunnel, that isn't an option. So, he decided to keep going until he's out of the tunnel. He made that decision 3 days ago, and he's been complaining about it ever since. Now, sitting down on the stone floor, he decides that he will just wait here and rest until Bonnie wakes up, no matter how long it takes.

But, just as he's settling down to take a quick nap, Bonnie stirs. Grumbling in his head at the unbelievable timing, Max turns on his torch so as not to give her a fright. She sits up and looks around, quickly spotting him and his light. "Max?" she asks. "Where are we?" "A tunnel leading away from the Aura Guardian's citadel," Max explains. "You've been out for quite a while, so I've been carrying you through it." Bonnie thanks him, then stands up. Her legs start to shake and she has to lean against the wall to stay up. Max gets to his feet and gives her a hand, sitting her back down. "Thanks," she says. "So, how long was I out anyway?" "Three days," he replies. "I've been carrying you through the tunnel for all that time."

Bonnie looks at him incredulously. "But why?" she asks. "Surely it would've been wiser to wait until I woke up." Max shakes his head. "Team Terra now know we're here I think," he tells her. She looks at him with even more surprise, if that's at all possible. "But how?" she asks. Max proceeds to explain what happened with the tree after she collapsed, and how according to the Aura Guardians, the blast spread across the world. Bonnie winces at this. "Well, that's bad," she says. "But it was worth it! Delphox and I finally achieved Aura Delphox, and I finally have my Aura stabilised!" Max winces at this, which Bonnie notices. "What's with the face?" she asks. Max sighs. "The Aura Guardians warned me of a few things," he tells her. "One of which being that your Aura hasn't stabilised."

Bonnie's jaw drops. "What do you mean?" she asks. "I thought the tree stabilised it." Max shakes his head. "It temporarily stabilised it," he explains. "Aurelias explained it to me. He said that the Aura from the tree only temporarily stabilised you. Just enough to allow you to first use Bond Evolution. Your Aura is still really unstable." Bonnie looks down at this. "So I can't use Bond Evolution anymore?" she asks. "No, you still can," he replies. "But your Aura will still burst if you use it too much." Bonnie looks down at that. "And here I thought I was done with that," she complains. "Did they tell you how I can stabilise it?" Max nods. "Training," he replies. "With the help from a trained Aura Guardian." Bonnie starts grumbling at this. "Of course that would be the case."

Bonnie tries to stand up again, and this time she succeeds. So, they carry on walking through the tunnel. As they do, Bonnie looks over at Max and sees that something is clearly on his mind. "Did the Aura Guardians say anything else?" she asks. Max is quiet for a moment. Then, he says, "They told me to tell you something else. I have no idea what it means." He looks at her suspiciously. "They said to tell you not to worry about the visions of the future you got, because those can be avoided. They are mere warnings." Bonnie stops dead in her tracks at this. "Bonnie, what visions are they talking about?" Max asks her, realising he was right all along. Bonnie was keeping something from him every time she had a nightmare.

Bonnie doesn't meet his eyes as she says, "It's nothing to worry about." Max raises an eyebrow. "Can you look me dead in the eye and say that?" he says. Bonnie looks at him, holds eye contact for a few seconds, then looks away again. "I knew it," says Max. "I knew that those visions of the past weren't all that you were shown." "How did you figure it out?" she asks. "Well, after your first nightmare, you shouted my name," he points out. "And I'm confident I never appeared at any point in history." Bonnie sighs at this. "Alright," she says. "The truth is, there was more to my visions than just the flashbacks. I didn't want to talk about them because doing that would make them seem real."

Then, she opens up to him about the visions of the future she got. Max jumping off the cliff, her being surrounded by people who aren't him, staring at something terrifying as it blasts them with some sort of power, and her having an Aura Surge on top of a mountain. When she finishes, Max doesn't say anything for a while. He ponders all that she told him, wondering what to make of it all. At last, he starts walking again, and Bonnie does the same. "Well, thanks for telling me all of this," he says. "And hey, now that I know that I'm supposed to jump off a cliff while we're here, I know to avoid doing that." Bonnie realises that he's right. Now that he knows about the future, he can avoid it, especially since the Aura Guardians told him that these visions aren't guaranteed.

With all of this in mind, Bonnie starts walking through the tunnel with a bit more pep in her step. Max walks in front, keeping his torch lit now that there are 2 of them. "How does your phone still have battery by the way?" she asks him. "Keren used a bit of his Aura to charge it," he replies. Bonnie looks at him in amazement. "That's possible!?" "Apparently," Max replies. In order to save Max's battery, Bonnie summons Delphox and has her light the way again. Luckily, the tunnel has no turns, so it's easy enough to get through it. "How were you navigating your way through this place before?" Bonnie asks. "With no light at all," Max replies. "Better to save my phone's battery for if someone calls me than to use it all trying to see down a straight line." Bonnie nods at that,, and they keep walking.

After another little bit, they start to see light up ahead. "Oh my Arceus finally!" Max exclaims, before he starts running towards the light. But as he does, his phone begins to ring. When he checks it, he sees that May is calling him. "Oh that can't be good," he says, before answering and putting the phone on speaker so that Bonnie can hear. "Hey May," he says. "Oh thank Arceus you're alright!" she exclaims. "We have big problems right now! Where have you been?! Why didn't pick up your phone?!" "Sorry," Max replies. "We were in an are with low reception. Hiding from Team Terra." May sighs with relief at this. "That's good to hear," she says. "But you don't have to do that anymore. They know you're in Kanto."

"WHAT!?" both kids exclaim. "It was the massive pulse wasn't it?" Max asks. "Correct," May replies. "What was that anyway?" "A very long story," Max replies. "But, what do we do now?" May sighs. "Well, for now you're staying in Kanto," she tells him. "Just until we can figure things out. We're in a huge mess right now." Max would be lying if he said he was disappointed to hear that, and looking over at Bonnie, it's clear he's not the only one. "Not that I'm complaining," he says. "But why are you leaving us here?" "Because they found out that you're in Kanto 3 days ago," May replies. "They have completely swarmed the region, making getting in or out virtually impossible."

"But surely Ash could think of something sneaky," Bonnie says. "For when we're done in the League of course." May seems quite down by this. "That will not be possible," she tells her. "Ash has been put into a coma by The Boss." both of them stare at Max's phone in horror. "WHAT!?" they exclaim again. May proceeds to explain to them the events of the Masters 8, followed by what happened to Interpol's prison. Both of them are incredulous by all of this. "And on top of that," May finishes, "we've managed to figure out who the spy is." "Who?" Max asks. "It was Camo," says May. "She didn't tell us about The Boss's plan to attack Ash, and she was listening in on our conversation in his hospital room."

Both Max and Bonnie's jaws drop to the floor at this. "Camo was working for Team Terra?" Max asks. "As far as we're aware, yes," says May. "But, I do have some good news. Brendan has managed to reclaim his title from Brodie, so the bounty is no longer on your head." Max becomes incredibly relieved by this. "Send him my congratulations please," he tells May. May promises to do so, before asking, "So, what are you going to do now?" "We're going to keep going," says Max. "We've had these guys on our tail for over 2 years. What makes this any different? Plus, Bonnie can now properly use her Aura to defend us!"

At this, both girls look at him quizzically. "How so?" Bonnie asks, hope clear in her voice. "Well, since Ash used Aura in that fight, he revealed it to the world," Max points out. "Which means you no longer have to hide it." Bonnie brightens so much she almost lights the tunnel up. "YAY!" she exclaims, which makes Max laugh. "Well, I'll leave you to it then," says May. "But remember, if you get into trouble, I'm only a call away." Max picks up the meaning behind that, and agrees. Then, May ends the call. Max puts his phone away, and he and Bonnie make their way towards the light. They reach the way out, only to find that it's completely covered with foliage. So, Max has Sceptile cut through it, and the pair climb through. They stand up, and stare in horror.

They're standing on a small hill, overlooking Vermillion City. "We've gone back to where we started," Bonnie whines. "All of that walking for nothing!" "I'm amazed it took us 3 days to get back here," Max points out. "It took us a week to get out that far after all." "That's not the point!" Bonnie exclaims. "Now we have to do it again!" Max looks down at Vermillion, and spots the St. Anne cruise ship docked at the harbour. "Maybe not," he says, before looking at Bonnie again. "Since we no longer have to conceal our presence in Kanto, how would you like to ride the St. Anne to Celadon?" Bonnie's eyes light up at this, and she nods immediately. "Let's do it!" she exclaims. Max laughs at this, then he leads the way down to Vermillion, and towards the cruise ship.

Chapter Text

Max and Bonnie make their way back through Vermillion and head over to the St. Anne II in order to purchase tickets for the boat. Luckily, since it's the morning, the boat is docked and ready to go. So, they simply get tickets for it. Luckily, since they're only getting the ship to Celadon, as opposed to taking the cruise, the tickets are much cheaper. With that sorted, Max quickly learns what time the boat leaves. Once he has that, he and Bonnie decide to spend some time in Vermillion while they wait for that time. Bonnie seizes the opportunity to begin training for the next Gym Battle. She starts training up her fire types, as well as her other 2 pokémon, just to be safe. While she does that, Max swaps between watching her and writing in his notebook.

Eventually, it comes time for the boat to be boarded. So, Max and Bonnie get into the queue for boarding. Bonnie is visibly vibrating with excitement. "You're acting like you've never been on a boat before," Max says. "Calm down will you?" Bonnie apologises and calms herself. The guy collecting the tickets looks at them with an amused expression as they hand theirs over and step onto the ship. The boat does not disappoint. It's full of different shops for clothes and food, with a big hall in the centre for battles and dancing. Upon learning this, Max says, "There is nothing on this world you could offer me that would get me on that dance floor." Bonnie laughs at that. "Don't worry, I won't try," she replies, patting him on the back as she laughs.

The 2 of them spend much of the journey on the boat exploring it, with Bonnie focusing on the clothes shops and battle items, while Max focuses on all of the food. They even participate in a few battles as well, both against each other and other people. Soon enough, they get bored of all the wandering and battling, plus their teams need to be healed. So, they decide to take a seat on one of the upper decks of the ship and chat for the rest of the journey. As they sit and talk, Max occasionally looks around him, adding some notes on the behaviour of some of the pokémon on the ship, as well as the ones he can see outside. It is as he does this that he suddenly feels something metallic press into his head.

"Get up, now!" says a voice he recognises. Instead of doing what he's told, Max continues to sit there, thinking. "I know you," he says casually, as if he's speaking with this person on the street. "You are definitely someone that I outsmarted before. Which idiot am I dealing with?" Suddenly, another voice he recognises, a woman's this time, appears right behind Bonnie. "The 'idiots' with a plane you kept breaking," she says. This causes Max to pause slightly, as he turns his head to look at Bonnie. Standing behind her is Debbie, which means that the man behind him is Cooper. "But how?" he asks. "You 2 got locked up!" Cooper laughs at this. "Ever heard of a prison break?" Cooper asked. "That's what we did. Now get. Up!" He presses the gun further to max's head.

Max however doesn't move. He makes a show of thinking, before deciding to continue to sit there. "No, I don't think I will," he says. Cooper chuckles again. "Awfully brave for someone with a gun pointed at his head," he comments. Max shrugs. "I've spent the past near 2 and a half years with guns pointed at me," he replies. "I've become desensitised to them. Especially since, none of you can shoot me." Debbie and Copper look at each other, then back at him. "What makes you think that?" Debbie asks. "Because you need me," Max replies. "More specifically, I have something that you need. And if I'm dead, you can't get it." This is a huge risk and he knows it. Because all they need to do is make the connection that they just need to take his notebooks and he's screwed. Looking over at Bonnie, he can see that she's come to the same conclusion, and subtly shakes her head, silently begging him to stop.

Luckily for him, Cooper eases the gun from Max's head. "You're right," says Debbie as he does this. "We can't kill you. But she doesn't share that luxury." Suddenly, she puts her gun against Bonnie's head. "Get up, and come with us," she tells him. "Or she gets it." Panic rises through Max at this, but he forces himself to stay calm. "Actually, you need her alive as well," he says. "If you shoot her, no matter what you do to me, you will never receive my help!" He hopes that this would cause Debbie to lower her gun as well. Instead, she grins wickedly. "Want to test that?" She asks, pressing the gun further into Bonnie's head. Bonnie begins to subtly shake her head, telling him not to cave. Max tries hard to resist, but when he sees Debbie's finger begin to curl around the trigger, he snaps.

"No!" he exclaims. "I don't!" He stands up at this. Debbie grins and lowers her gun. Bonnie also gets to her feet and the two of them are led away from their seats. As they do, Max looks around at the other passengers, hoping that one of them will stand up and help them. But none of them do. All of them continued to sit there like nothing was happening. "I'm impressed," he comments. "I didn't realise that you had enough agents and sympathisers to fill this boat." Cooper laughs at this. "Oh, I'd say about an eighth of the people on the ship are," he comments. "We were shipping to Celadon when Debbie spotted you." He looks around. "The reason no one here is coming to help you is because they know better."

As they continue through the ship, more and more Team Terra agents join their precession. Absolutely no one tries to help them, which causes a bit of anger to build up inside Max. If he was a fully grown man, maybe he'd understand why no one is speaking up. But he and Bonnie are 12, so surely someone would come to their rescue? But, as they're marched towards the top deck, no one moves to their aid. Soon, they're approaching the entrance to the top deck, an outside viewing area with a helipad at the back. "Now, we're going out there to wait for the chopper that we called," says Debbie. "Don't try anything clever Maple, or you know what'll happen." She points her gun at Bonnie to prove her point.

As they head towards the door, Bonnie speaks up. "So, we know what'll happen if Max does something clever, but what about me?" she asks. Both Debbie and Cooper point their guns at her. "We shoot," they say. "But, then how will you stop Max from running off?" she asks. Both of them look at each other, realising too late that they haven't thought of this. Bonnie grins. "Excellent," she says, before she lets out an Aura Blast, sending the agents flying away from them. "Let's go," she says to Max. "We can get away as long as we stay away from them until this ship docks in Celadon." Max nods, and the two of them run for it. Team Terra scramble to their feet and chase after them.

The two of them sprint down several flights of stairs, ending up in the massive hall on the ship. Several people stare as they run, one or two scoffing at the 2 children running around the ship unsupervised. Those scoffs turn to gasps of alarm as Team Terra agents spring out in front of them, blocking them from going any further. "End of the line assholes," says one of them. "Come quietly if you know what's good for you!" In response, Bonnie raises her arms and shoots out 2 Aura pulses from her hands, knocking down two agents. Max tries to fend for himself by fighting another agent, but it quickly becomes apparent that he's utterly rubbish at fighting.

He punches a grunt in the face, and goes to kick him, but she quickly dodges that. then, she grabs his arm and tries to pin him down. Max spins around to try and punch her again, but she catches that hand, then twists it, causing him to cry out on pain. Bonnie hears this and spins around, shooting another pulse out, knocking the agent away. Max thanks her, then sees that another grunt is trying to seize the opportunity to knock her to the ground. Max rushes him and kicks him in the shin. As the grunts cries out in pain, Max smacks him in the face. He tries to punch him too, but loses his footing and hits the ground. The grunt looms over him, so Max tries to trip him up by sweeping his leg out. Unfortunately, this doesn't work, it just hurts Max's leg.

Thankfully, Bonnie quickly saves him from that too with another Aura Pulse, before helping him to his feet. "Are you alright?" she asks him. "Apart from my pride, I'm fine," he replies. "How are you holding up?" "Well, I'm not physically hurt," she replies. "But I can't do much more of those pulses. I feel my Aura building up again." Max swears at this, then joins her in running away. As they run, they see Debbie and Cooper charging after them, and gaining fast. They sprint out of the hall and down a short hallway, coming to a seating area. They run through a row of seats, hoping to dart around them to keep the duo away. But unfortunately for them, they're too close for them to be able to escape. And then things get worse, as two other people on either side of the row stand up.

Max and Bonnie pick up speed, not wanting to be grabbed by the newcomers. But the newcomers don't go for them. The second they pass by, the two in the seats throw out their arms to their sides. Debbie and Cooper reel as those arms collide with their necks, causing them to fall to the floor. The two who knocked them down walk over to them and kick them in the heads, knocking them out. Then, they turn and reveal themselves to Max and Bonnie. "Well, I told you that would work," says Hau, smiling at Gladion, who scoffs. "A stopped clock is right twice a day," Gladion replies, before both of them turn to look at Max and Bonnie. "Hey you two," says Hau. "Long time no see!"

Max and Bonnie stare at them wide-eyed, before Bonnie runs forward and hugs them both. "It's so good to see you guys!" she exclaims, Hau laughs while Gladion looks uncomfortable, so Max helps him get Bonnie off. "It's nice to see you too," says Gladion. "But how about we save the catching up for when we get out of here?" Max and Bonnie nod, then follow Gladion and Hau as they lead them to the back of the ship. "Where are we going?" Bonnie asks. "We're getting off the boat," says Hau. "Now that Team Terra know your here, they'll be swarming it." At that moment, the sound of a helicopter can be heard. "Well, that's our cue to leave," says Hau, before rushing on.

The two of them lead Max and Bonnie out to the back of the ship. Sure enough, Team Terra helicopters have started circling the boat. "Do you guys own flying types?" Gladion asks. Max and Bonnie pull theirs out. Both Hau and Gladion nod, before Hau pulls out a small device. "What's that?" Max asks. "A pager from Alola," he explains. "It allows me to call a Charizard to fly me around." "Normally they don't work outside of Alola," Gladion explains. "But I have my ways." At this, Hau presses the button on the device. A pokéball on Hau's belt shakes as a Charizard bursts out of it. Gladion and Hau hop onto it while Max and Bonnie summon Pidgeot and Talonflame. Bonnie Mega Evolves Talonflame, then has her carry her away, while Max climbs onto Pidgeot's back. Then, the 4 of them escape the ship, right before Team Terra's choppers notice them flying away.

Chapter Text

The 4 of them fly away from the ship, and make their way to the land. Unfortunately, they aren't near enough to Celadon to fly straight there without being spotted by Team Terra's helicopters, so they landed about a day's walk away going at Max's slow speed. When they landed, Hau is quick to return his Charizard to his ball, after removing the pager changes. Bonnie returns Talonflame to normal, and returns her to her ball, and Max does the same with Pidgeot. Then, they start walking towards Celadon, keeping an eye on the skies as they go. If it looks like Team Terra are getting close, they dart into the bushes and wait for the chopper to pass and go back to the St. Anne II.

Once they're positive that they'd escaped, they stop hiding in the trees so much, and keep on the path. As they do, Max turns to the two boys that saved them. "Thanks for that," he says. "I have no idea what we would've done had you not come our way." Hau waves him off. "Don't mention it," he says. "Truth be told we had no idea that you were even on that ship." Gladion nods. "We were looking for you though," he adds. "After Ash was defeated in Galar, many of us have been looking for you, hoping to keep you safe from Team Terra. We arrived in Vermillion yesterday and decided to take the boat to Celadon, hoping to wait for you there. But, obviously we didn't need to."

"But how did you know we were in danger?" Bonnie asks. "That move you pulled on Debbie and Cooper was too well-timed to be improvised. Gladion chuckles at this. "You can thank Hau for that one," he said. "When we saw you coming, Gladion was going to leap up and join the fight," says Hau. "But I thought it would be a better idea to knock them both down instead. As you can see, it worked." Gladion wrapped an arm around Hau's shoulder at this. "Even I have to admit it was a good idea," says Gladion. Hau grins at this. "So you're saying I'm a genius?" he asks. Gladion lets him go. "Now, I wouldn't go that far," he says. Hau pouts. "But you said my idea was a good one," he points out. "And a stopped clock is write twice a day," Gladion retorts. "Doesn't mean I'm using it to tell the time." Hau has no response for this, and shuts up.

Max and Bonnie chuckle as they continue on their way to Celadon. As they do, Max looks over at Bonnie. To his total lack of surprise, she has her Matchmaking face on. So, he decides to try and avoid her bringing that up again and dealing with the bashful dancing, as funny as it could be. "So," he says casually. "What have you 2 been up to since Brock and Olivia's wedding?" Hau shrugged. "Oh, the usual," he says just as casually. "We travelled together a bit, travelled alone for a bit, fought against some Team Terra sometimes. Then Ash's war broke out and we were fighting them almost constantly. Then Ash got knocked into a coma and the world descended on Kanto. I asked Gladion out, he said yes, then we came here to look for you."

Max and Bonnie nod at this. "It's more or less the same for us," Max replies. "Except we were hiding rather than fighting, and neither of us asked the other out-" At this, they both fully register what Hau just said. "WAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIT!" Bonnie exclaims, so loudly that it causes Max's ears to ring. "Did you just say that you're dating now!?" In response, Gladion and Hau take each other's hands. Bonnie squeals at this and bounces with excitement. "How?! Where?! Details! Now!" she says, her brain practically frying in her excitement. Max chuckles and grabs her head, holding her down and preventing her from jumping so much. "Calm down," he tells her, laughing as he does.

Gladion and Hau also laugh at this. Then, Gladion shrugs. "There isn't much to say really," he says. "Shinji sent us amongst those who would go looking for you two. Before we left, Hau cornered me and told me how he felt, which obviously I reciprocated." "What made you want to confess to him?" Max asks. "A few reasons actually," Hau replies. "Namely what happened to Ash. Seeing him plummet from the sky made me realise that at any point, that could happen to one of us, and I'd have never had a chance to say anything." He laughs a bit a this. "But another reason was that I have heard tell of your little schemes Ms. Citron," he says. "And I didn't want to have you do that for me."

Gladion looks at him. "Wait what?" he asks. "What are her schemes?" "She's a matchmaker," says Max. "She likes to meddle in other people's romantic lives." "And I didn't want her meddling in ours," says Hau. Gladion laughs at this. "So, a little girls' meddling put enough fear of Arceus in you to get you to finally say something to me?" he asks. Hau goes slightly pink, but nods. Gladion laughs again, before he turns to Bonnie. "I am going to have a few words about you to my sister," he says. "Maybe that will finally stop her and Elio from dancing around their feelings for each other." Bonnie laughs and gives a thumbs up. "You can count on me!" she tells him. Gladion returns the thumbs up with a grin.

The 4 of them continue through this path, walking at their usual speed due to Max's slow walking while he documents pokémon in his notebooks. A few hours into this journey, he gets a call from none other than Professor Oak. When he answers it, he sees Oak looking at him with a mixture of pleasantness and concern on his face. "Hello Max," he says. "I'm just calling to let you know that the Sceptilite from Professor Birch has arrived." Max swears at this. "We're near Celadon," he says. "And Team Terra are all over the place." Oak doesn't look pleased at this. "That does make things a bit harder," he agrees.

He thinks on this for a moment, before saying, "Are you travelling with anyone other than Bonnie?" he asks. Gladion and Hau step forward and bend over to show themselves on the camera. "Are you suggesting that one of us go back and get it for him?" Gladion asks. Oak nods grimly. "I know that's not exactly the ideal plan," he says. "But with Team Terra now knowing where you are, having your first partner being able to Mega Evolve will give you an edge in battle. Especially in a region where it isn't used as much." At this, Hau stands up. "I'll go," he says. Gladion stands up as well and glares at him. "You will do no such thing!" he argues.

Hau puts a hand on Gladion's shoulder. "I have the pager, and the pokémon connected to it," he points out. "Plus I'm better at riding Charizard than you are. If anyone is suited for this, it's me." "But what if something happens to you?" Gladion replies, and a look appears on his face that clearly doesn't show often. Worry. Hau grabs his other shoulder and looks him dead in the eye. "Then you get to say I told you so," he replies, which gets a chuckle out of his new boyfriend. "I won't be long, I promise," Hau continues. "Give me 2-3 days and I'll be back with the stone." Gladion sighs, then nods. "Just be safe," he says. "Don't let what happened to Ash happen to you." Hau nods, then turns back to Oak. "I'll be the one to come and get it," he says.

Oak nods. "Alright," he says. "I will have it ready for you when you arrive, so that this will be as quickly as possible." Hau thanks him. Then, Oak ends the call. Hau takes the pager out again and releases Charizard. He gives Gladion a hug and says, "I'll be back soon. Don't leave Celadon without me." Gladion nods as he returns the hug. Then, Hau hops onto the Charizard. He waves at them all and takes off. Gladion watches him go with a nervous expression. "He'll be fine," says Max. Gladion nods. "I know," he agrees. Then, he turns around and leads the way on to Celadon. "Come on," he says. "We need to get to Celadon. You have a Gym Battle to win right?" Bonnie nods, then runs after him, with Max following behind.

Chapter Text

Max and Bonnie are able to tell that Gladion is worried about Hau. While they have done missions for Ash without each other before, things are different now. For one thing, now that Team Terra know that the 2 of them are travelling with Max and Bonnie, they could try capturing him to get Gladion to hand the two over. For another, they've begun dating, so now he's even more worried about him. In fact, he's probably more worried about Hau than he is about himself, Max, and Bonnie, the people that could be argued are more important than Hau. But neither Max nor Bonnie think that. Both of them understand how Gladion is feeling. After all, they'd feel the same way if they were separated from each other.

But, they don't need to worry about themselves though, because according to Max's map, they're almost at Celadon. Excited to finally be at the next Gym, Bonnie runs on ahead. But as she does, Max notices her eyes widen. Her foot catches on a tripwire, causing a massive explosion. She quickly pushes Max out of the way, allowing the explosion to throw her backwards. Max catches her before she hits the ground, but she's still knocked unconscious by the blast. Gladion sends out his Silvally, while Max stands over Bonnie protectively. "Show yourselves you cowardly bastards!" Max shouts. he and Gladion look around, waiting to see who appears to get beaten by them. A few seconds later, 2 people do.

Two Team Terra Admins step out of the trees, and Max feels his heart sink. Admins Homura and Kasei step out onto the path, chuckling to themselves. “I told you we’d be able to take out the Aura Guardian,” says Homura. “And now all that’s left is our target, and a straggler.” Max glares at the 2 of them. “Piss off!” he shouts at them. “If you think I’m going to help you, you’ve got another thing coming!” Kasei chuckles at this, raising something in her hand. “Oh, we don’t think you will,” she says. “We know you will.” Too late, Max realises she’s holding a gun. All he can do is watch as she pulls the trigger, striking Gladion in the chest with some sort of electrical bolt.

Scaly roars with anger and charges at Kasei, head bent low, aiming to strike Kasei with its massive horn. But Kasei releases a pokémon, a Victreebel, who immediately uses Wrap to bind Silvally in place. Silvally cries out as it hits the ground, causing Gladion to glare at Kasei. “Unless of course, you want your friends to die,” Kasei finishes. Max glares at her and Homura, before looking down at Bonnie’s unconscious form, and over at Gladion, trying to resist the effects of what he was shot with. Max feels his stomach knot up with guilt, and he goes to stand up. But before he can, Gladion calls out, “Don’t listen to him Max!” he shouts. Kasei glares at him. “And you can stay quiet!” she tells him.

She approaches him and goes to kick him in the face, but Gladion spins around, kicking at her legs. This causes her to collapse to the ground, dropping her weapon. “Silvally, return!” he shouts, returning Silvally to its ball. “Grab Bonnie and let’s get out of here!” Max nods, and picks Bonnie up bridal style. Then, both of them take off down the path. But before they can get very far, Max hears Homura say, “Oh no you don’t!” before pressing a button in his hand. Instantly, the path in front of them explodes, throwing them backwards. Max drops Bonnie as he hits the ground, and she rolls away from him. He tries to crawl over to her, but Homura and Kasei stand between them.

Homura chuckles at this, raising the button in his hand. "We've rigged the entire path from here to Celadon with explosives," he explains. "All of them are connected to this button. The fun part is, they're rigged so that a random set goes off whenever I press this button. If I double tap it, all of them blow. "So, I'm going to ask again, and again, and again for you to cooperate. Each time you say no, or don't move, I will press the button, and a random spot on this path will blow." Gladion scoffs at this. "So we'll just get off the path then," he says, dragging Max with him. Homura chuckles. "But what about her?" he asks, jerking her head in Bonnie's direction. Max's stomach sinks as he realises that she's still on the path, and still unconscious.

"So, Max Maple, are you going to cooperate?" Kasei asks. Max says nothing, and just glares at them. Homura shrugs, then taps the button. In the distance, they hear the sound of an explosion as dust is kicked up. "Ooh, I hope there's nobody else on this path," says Kasei. "Now, let's try this again. Are you going to cooperate?" Max still says nothing. So, once again, Homura presses the button. This time, the explosion is a lot closer, right next to where Bonnie is, but not close enough to effect her. "Ooh, close one that time," says Homura. "Better hope that this one doesn't hit her. So, we do this again." This time, Max is ready to hand everything over to get them to stop. But Gladion places a hand over his mouth. "We refuse!" he says. Homura smirks, then presses the button again.

Nothing happens. So, he presses again. This time, an explosion occurs much closer. Some of the dust covers them. Through it all, Max can see that Bonnie is beginning to stir. Hoping to keep this going long enough for her to wake up enough to crawl out of danger, Max asks, "Won't doing this destroy the surrounding wildlife!?" Kasei chuckles. "Not at all," she said. "These bombs are only on the path, which is manmade. Nothing natural will be harmed by us. That is a guarantee. Now, cooperate, or we press it again." Max still says nothing, he just keeps glancing at Bonnie, silently praying to Arceus himself that she'll get off the path to safety. Seeing his lack of response, Homura presses the button again.

Once again, nothing happens. He presses it again, and once again, nothing. So, he double-taps it. The path starts blowing all at once, and Bonnie still hadn't gotten out of the way in time. So, without thinking, Max runs towards her. Homura and Kasei try to grab him, but Gladion uses his Umbreon to freeze them in place with Psychic, allowing Max to dive under them, grab Bonnie and getting her off the path before it blew up under her. Homura and Kasei manage to free themselves from the Psychic, then try to make another grab at Max. But before they can, their hands are suddenly bound by vines coming from down the path.

They turn to see where that came from, and see a young woman wearing a Yukata coming down the path, accompanied by a Tangrowth, which has its vines outstretched and wrapped around Homura and Kasei's arms. "I cannot stand those who would pick on children," says the woman sweetly, but every word makes Max very glad that she's not talking to him. "And I especially can't stand those who wantonly destroy somewhere where pokémon live peacefully. So, you are going to let these kids go and scram, or I'll make you!" Homura glares at her. "Do you not know who you're talking to?" he demands. "We are Admins of Team Terra. The Demolition Duo! We will not be spoken to like-!"

But before he can finish his sentence, the woman nods to her Tangrowth, who starts slamming both of them around like a cushion, before hurling them away from them. Max sighs with relief, then carries Bonnie over to the woman. "Thank you so much," he says. "I need your help. My friend is hurt!" The woman kneels down, then pulls out another pokémon, this time a Leafeon. The pokémon looks Bonnie over, then uses Leech Seed on itself, transferring a bit of energy to Bonnie. Max is amazed by this, and immediately starts making notes of in in an audio log. Then, he and Gladion help Bonnie to her feet, and then they follow the woman back towards Celadon. "Thank you for saving us," says Gladion. "Who are you?" The woman stops and turns to smile at them. "My name is Erika," she says. "And I am the Gym Leader of Celadon City."