"Stay behind me, Caleb!" As more Rockets had begun pouring into the room, Ash and his younger friend had found themselves closer to one of the far corners, now separated from Janine. Valiant had stuck with them, still prepared to at least try and defend despite the sweat pouring down his face. Ash wasn't totally confident the Kirlia could manage a barrier, but the young psychic had resisted his attempts at returning him to his ball.
The rest of their teams had resumed fighting, except for Nebula and Golbat, who had used up their reserves and needed to be returned. Ampharos and Politoed provided the rest with valuable moments of reprieve as they assumed the front lines against the attacking forces, but that reprieve did not stretch to Ash's psych as the shaking and crashing noises from the above floors continued to intensify. The sound of Tyranitar's roaring echoed downwards across the tower, and every single instance caused him to momentarily freeze in place.
Adrenaline pumped through Phenom's veins as he bashed his head against an Ekans, sending it recoiling backwards. An instant later, he turned just in time to see the Raticate rushing for him, but not in time to stop the strike from the large rodent's tail that struck him in the face. Staggering back, the Tyrunt would have lost his footing if he had not hit a gravestone first, and with growing rage, lunged for the rat. Sidestepping a gnash from the normal type's teeth, the young dinosaur bowled over his larger opponent with Roar, before leaping forward and chomping down with Poison Fang. His teeth punctured their way through the Raticate's skin, and he ignored the terrible taste of fur as he clung to his opponent. His mouth filled with blood as Raticate screamed, running around aimlessly as Phenom fought to maintain his grip. The rodent ran past Eevee, who disfigured a charging Fearow's beak with Super Tail as Toxtricity launched more shockwaves into the advancing enemies.
Ivysaur remained glued to Janine's shadow as the purple-haired girl fought to exercise her breathing, knuckles white as her eyes scanned the room.
"Scum…" she muttered under her breath, and her starter only had time to spare a glance at her before returning to vigilance. "This is…" Her efforts to regather her thoughts were halted as the earthquake-like shaking above them grew even more intense, drawing many eyes up to the ceiling as a loud crash was heard just above them. Even as the fighting continued, it was interrupted yet again as cracks began to form, and then… "No, wait! Guys-"
The ceiling burst open.
Debris from the above floor showered into the room, accompanied by a few gravestones and caskets undoubtedly containing deceased Pokemon. All eyes in the room immediately zeroed in on the enormous figure that crashed down onto their floor, silhouetted by the cloud of dust.
Tyranitar resembled a solid shadow as he crouched in the center of the room, fragments of a gravestone cracking and crumbling beneath his feet as he rose to full height. As the monstrosity surveyed the surrounding parties in the room, Ash found his back against the wall, palms pressed firmly against the surface. He wanted to look away. He couldn't look away. For what felt like a split second, the beast's eyes were on him.
Moments later, Marauder landed beside Tyranitar with the Weavile and Scizor in tow. Domino and Kris soon after.
"I don't know what that thing was you just caught," Kris began, "But-"
"You've already lost," the hunter interrupted, snapping his fingers. "Boys, clean up!"
Rearing back, Tyranitar roared as a surging Hyper Beam shot out of his mouth towards Smokey. The blast ripped through the room, destroying whatever in its path wasn't yet rubble, and as the Arcanine cleanly evaded it, tore through the wall into the next room, where it detonated against the far end, leaving a hole into the outside.
Some Rockets tried to rush Kris with their teams, while others fled, preferring to stay out of the way. Ampharos fired a large bolt of lightning into the beast, but Meganium's blast of leaves were turned to ice by Weavile. Politoed forced Scizor back with a blast of water, before being socked in the jaw by Crawdaunt as Mandibuzz rushed for Smokey.
Grabbing onto Caleb, Ash eyed the doorway leading downstairs. "Caleb, we have to go." Even as he said it, his eyes frantically scanned the room for his team. Apart from valiant being at his side, only Nebula had been recalled. And Janine was somewhere in the chaos. He did not want to draw attention, but against his better judgment, he called out while leading the younger boy by the hand. "Guys! Are you there?!"
From the corner of Marauder's eye, he could see them attempting to flee, but thought nothing of it. 'They're just collateral. We need to beat the Ace Trainer so we can get away with the prize.' "Scizor, sink your claws into her!"
The metal bug turned to Kris and rushed for her with Metal Claw. Her fists tightened as Meganium launched herself at Scizor with Vine Whip and Body Slam, crashing into his body and launching him away as Tyranitar attacked Smokey with Dark Pulse. Marauder could see Domino and her team trying to slip away in the distraction, but something else caught his eye as well… A familiar Sableye appeared out of a shadow on the floor, boldly firing a Power Gem into Tyranitar's back. The attack did little to faze the beast, but it did get his attention, and Yami almost buckled under the behemoth's death glare.
"Pipsqueak is back? And here I thought Weavile knocked you out." On cue, the dark/ice type rushed for Yami, who quickly ducked under him with Shadow Sneak, before resurfacing behind him to strike the back of his head with Fire Punch.
"Smokey, Flamethrower!" Meganium positioned herself in front of Kris as Yami's blow launched Weavile forward. A surging stream of flames slammed into him and blasted him away from the immediate area. Scizor quickly took a leap back to avoid the fire as Marauder signaled for Tyranitar to move.
"You can't keep up like this forever, girl." the hunter sneered. 'I've beaten people stronger than you, and evaded more clever ones at that."
"I'm not letting you escape with whatever you just caught."
'Good, she's targeting the wrong one.' he thought with some satisfaction. By now, Domino was absent. "Hyper Beam, Tyranitar!" The titanic creature reared back once more, before firing the blast straight for kris and Meganium. The teen's starter quickly wrapped vines around her to pull her out of the way as she leapt to the side, but the shockwaves still had Kris screaming as the blast collided with the floor, tearing another hole.
/
Blood trickled from Phenom's snout as he batted the Raticate away with Dragon Tail. The Rocket grunt in front of him snarled in frustration as the rodent sank to a knee. Phenom soon did the same, however, desperately trying to suck more air into his lungs as the larger normal type returned to a standing position. The dinosaur's body was covered with bruises from all of the fighting that had gone on, and despite his best efforts, he could feel his body accepting its limits, even as his eyes flared with a rare rage.
A smack from the Raticate's tail quelled whatever adrenaline was left as the Tyrunt's back collided with a stone behind him. A weak growl escaped his throat as the Raticate advanced. The rodent's balance staggered for a moment before regaining itself as the soldier ordered another attack.
A stream of bubbles slammed into the side of the normal type's head, and Phenom's eyes widened briefly as Tempest came into view. He could only take in the sight of the Krabby for a brief moment before his eyes began to shut, his body relaxing itself despite his best voluntary efforts. Glaring at the soldier, Tempest fired another a second Bubble Beam straight at him, growling in frustration as the grunt quickly retreated. Just as he was about to give chase, he paused and looked back to Phenom.
The Tyrunt was unconscious now, leaning unevenly against the gravestone. His hide was clearly bruised with blood leaking from a few spots. With a sigh, Tempest moved to lift him up, but was struck from behind with a Bullet Seed that sent him rolling straight into the collapsed dinosaur. Shaking his head, Tempest's eyes squinted for a moment to see the approaching Cacnea, before an Icy Wind suddenly slammed into it.
Valiant huffed as the grass type collapsed in a sheet of ice. The… presence was gone, and he could feel some strength coming back, but catching his breath was still a struggle. He and Tempest locked eyes for a moment before Ash returned the Krabby and Tyrunt to their poke balls.
Caleb clung to the older boy as Ash looked around in desperation. His heart wouldn't stop pounding, and for a moment he had to press a thumb against his chest to remind himself to breathe. "Alright, that's two. Where are Pikachu and-" a sudden call diverted his attention, and his eyes widened to see Yami approaching them. "Yami!"
The Sableye was half-sunk into his shadow, moving along the floor smoothly like water before rising a bit as he stopped in front of the group. Ash winced at the ghost's condition; it wasn't horrendous, but Yami had clearly been taking punishment. Yami must have noticed Ash's concern, shaking his head reassuringly before frantically chattering, gesturing towards the wall.
'He wants us to get outside.' Ash quickly realized. "Yami, Pikachu and Eevee are still somewhere, but I lost sight of them. Do you know where-" Ash was cut off as the Sableye quickly pointed down, and his blood somehow felt colder. "They fell through the floor?!"
/
Janine was cursing herself as her feet halted. Recalling Beedrill and Toxtricity had not been too difficult, as both had made their way back to her as Kris had called for her to run. And run she had, though Ivysaur remained glued to her throughout. Escaping the chaos was all she could think about, and she had not remembered Ash until she had already reached the third floor. She could hear fighting in the room next door as she and her starter halted.
"You've got to be…" the poison specialist hissed through clenched teeth as she reluctantly looked back towards the stairs that she and Ivysaur had just gone down. Her partner nudged his head against her legs for a second or two as she desperately racked her brain for a solution. 'I can't leave Ash and his team behind, but if we go back up-' An explosion from above shook the tower, and she grunted while covering her ears for a moment. 'It'll be dangerous no matter which direction we go in. Kris is up there, but so is the Marauder, and…' her mind trailed off as she looked around the room, and suddenly, something caught her attention.
There was a familiar Pokemon lying further in the room, and her instincts urged her to draw closer. As she and Ivysaur approached, her eyes slowly widened in realization.
It was Eevee.
"Eevee!" quickening her pace, she quickly knelt down in front of the unconscious normal type while Ivysaur nudged the evolution Pokemon with a concerned growl. "How did you get…" her eyes made their way towards the ceiling, where clear holes had been punctured through by the fighting, and she felt a cold sweat running down her. "They're… completely destroying the tower." Another worried growl from Ivysaur. In hopes of reassuring him, she patted her starter's head, but the action was absent minded, without much thought put into it as she felt a shiver up her back. Trying to rid herself of the feeling, she felt Eevee's pulse before gently shaking her body. The normal type was definitely hurt, but her injuries didn't seem too severe, and she was breathing fine. Had the fall been what knocked her out? Normally she'd use Iron Tail to save herself. Had the Rockets taken her out? "Eevee? Eevee, wake up."
As Janine coaxed her, the furry quadruped's eyes began to squeeze for a moment, before opening lightly. Janine's relief was short-lived as another, louder explosion struck the ceiling above them.
Chunks of rubble fell down from nearby, and the girl yelped, initially believing she was going to be hit. A particularly loud thud, however, drew her attention to the casket that had landed in front of her. Half a casket, at any rate.
A good portion of the top had been blown off, completely exposing the inside, and the girl's face turned to a sheet at what fell out. The remains had long since been decomposed, and all that was left was the deceased Pokemon's skeleton, hanging awkwardly out of the casket, right in Janine's line of vision.
As her face grew even paler, she felt something in her throat. Something cold… yet hot. Her stomach was sloshing as she urged her willpower to push it down, and miraculously, nothing came up. Her eyes, however, could not leave the skeletal remains no matter how badly she willed it, and for a few moments she felt like she was seeing double. The world was tilting, and she felt her own gaze growing hollow. Pressing her hands against the hard floor, she scooted herself back, only for the gravestone her back pressed against to serve as yet another reminder. Her fingers trembled against the surface of the floor, and she didn't respond to Ivysaur's nudges.
"How can… any of you…" she chewed her lip. The hammering in her chest was beginning to distract her. "Nothing's sacred to you, you're just barbarians! You're just…" she gripped her chest for a moment, but the fog in her mind had both her hands clutching her head as her eyes were drawn to the floor, unable to focus on anything else as the shivering trailed over her entire body. "WORTHLESS! DEMONS! SCUM! ALL OF YOOOOU!"
Another explosion moments later silenced her, and all she could do was moan as her wet eyes clouded her uneven vision. Soon, it wasn't just her eyes that were wet. She thought she could feel Ivysaur rubbing against her, but she couldn't see him, and her body wouldn't let her move to look. All it would allow was for her arms to hug her knees against her chest as her face wettened further. "Father… what the hell am I supposed to-"
"Who's that in here?" Though she jolted, she couldn't immediately make out the two figures entering the room and approaching her, but a low growl left Ivysaur's throat as he positioned himself between his trainer and the Rockets. A Hypno stood beside one, and a Jynx with the other.
The second Rocket, with the Jynx, nudged the first on the shoulder as his eyes scanned the girl. Ivysaur's growling grew more and more hostile the closer the Rocket squinted, but the two psychics took a step forward to ensure no retaliation. "This girl… why am I…?"
"She does look a bit familiar, doesn't she…" the first Rocket observed curiously. She was still huddled up against the gravestone, the half-conscious Eevee leaning against her side as her knees, wrapped in her arms, leaned into her chest. "Wait a minute…"
"So you do recognize her?" the second Rocket inquired.
The first Rocket's face slowly split into a grin. "I think I do… this is Koga's daughter." his fists shook as Ivysaur's growl turned sharp. "What great luck."
"What's she doing in Lavender?"
"Who cares?!" the first Rocket nodded to Hypno as his eyes locked onto Janine's. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her face as he took a step forward. "This is perfect! My cousin was killed last month thanks to your demon father." his expression was twisting now. "His daughter's coffin should make a good birthday gift."
Ivysuar was not growling anymore. A guttural shout escaped his throat as the two psychics advanced. Janine wanted to protest, but nothing would come out of her mouth even as it opened.
Just as the Hypno raised its pendulum, a dark arrow suddenly struck it in the back…
/
Klark observed the two unconscious Rockets for just a moment before shifting his eyes to the girl against the grave. She wasn't awake anymore, and had probably passed out during the brief fight. Her Ivysaur had eyed him suspiciously, but quickly eased up after seeing Kris' Gardevoir with him.
"This is Janine, right?" Looking over at Gardevoir, she nodded back to him. "Take her to the Center, I need to stay here.
/
"Caleb, are you alright?" Ash reached down to help the younger boy up. As they had rushed down the stairs with Valiant and Yami, Caleb had lost his balance, nearly falling down the stairs had Ash not caught him.
"Y-Yeah…" Caleb tried to breath as Ash helped him back to his feet. "Thanks."
Ash looked him over for a moment before grabbing his hand and continuing, doing his best to move down carefully without compromising their speed. A loud crash from the fourth floor filled his ears as he struggled to remain focused on the path ahead.
Yami was moving along the walls, body still half sunk into Shadow Sneak as he led the way down. Valiant brought up the rear of the group, not sparing any glances back, but doing his best to keep the feeling in his head under control. Now that the intense presence of distortion was gone, his mind was coming back to him, but the overwhelming myriad of emotions coming from every direction had only been somewhat reduced.
As they passed through the doorway, Ash braced himself for the worst, desperately hoping they weren't about to run into a gang of Rockets that would… he could barely process the thought. 'Why is this still happening?!'
They quickly did draw the attention of a figure, but to his relief, the man was no Rocket. In fact… he seemed fairly ordinary. He was dressed in casual clothes, with blazing red hair slicked back into spikes. A large canine Pokemon that the boy narrowly recognized as a Stoutland stood by his side; had the situation not been what it was, he would have gaped at the normal type, who was very similar to Smokey in size. Not too far away was what appeared to be a bird Pokemon, or an owl, more specifically, but Ash drew a blank on the species.
He quickly realized that this man must be another visitor, and was probably paying his respects while they were at Knighter's grave. Although Ash wasn't any less panicked, seeing this newcomer thankfully did not make his mood worse, which was the best he could ask for at any point. He still stiffened upon noting a few unconscious Rockets and their Pokemon in the room.
Klark's eyes widened as Ash and his group entered the room. Decidueye spared them a second's worth of attention before returning to her vigilant stance, ready to strike at any attacker. "Kids! Are you two hurt?"
The man seemed a lot more composed than one would expect a civilian to be in a situation like this, and that barely calmed Ash's nerves in the slightest bit as he led Caleb in the man's direction. "We're fine for now, but I have two friends missing. Have you seen a Pikachu or Eevee on this floor?"
Klark and Stoutland met them halfway , the man taking a brief moment to look back at Decidueye before his eyes returned to Ash and Caleb, the latter once more clinging to the former as though it had become second nature to him. Valiant looked up at him somewhat warily while Yami's eyes surveyed the room for the two missing Pokemon. "You're Ash and Caleb right? Your Eevee was here, Janine already found her."
Ash's eyes widened for a split second, not even registering that this stranger knew his friend's name. "Janine was here?! Where are they now? Are they o-"
"They're okay," Klark quickly raised a hand to try and calm the boy. "Ace Trainer Kris' Gardevoir got them out of here a few minutes ago, so they're safe." his face was serious. "You said you have a Pikachu missing?"
"Yeah, my friend Yami," Ash looked over to the Sableye for a second. "Said he and Eevee fell through one of the holes in the fourth floor." It was a miracle he could get his words out properly. "We're trying to find them and get out of here."
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"Focus on the second part," Klark urged. "I can get you to the police-"
"No!" Ash yelled almost a bit too quickly. Freezing up for a second, he looked back at the startled Caleb, and mumbled apologetically before returning his focus to Klark. "I can't leave without him! He'll-"
"The police will find your friend." Klark tried to ease him. "I know how you feel, but you can't prolong escaping. This is a full on attack, you can't be in the middle of it."
"I… already am…" Ash could feel his voice losing strength as Caleb held onto him tighter. "Please, I just…"
Klark's face scrunched up as he looked over the young rookie with clear pity. The boy's body expression was one of an overwhelmed child, being pulled in every direction by panic and fear. Caleb was not faring much better, having effectively become attached to Ash's clothes.
A loud THUD caught their attention as something fell through one of the holes in the ceiling, and Ash could hear a familiar voice yelling out as the impact kicked up a small cloud of dust. Signaling for Stoutland to remain with Ash and his group, Klark ran over to the body that had fallen through the hole, quickly joined by Decidueye.
"Kris' Meganium…" Klark gritted his teeth. The grass type was knocked out clean, and a good portion of her skin charred black, and a massive bruise on her side and head. A loud crash opened up another part of the ceiling, prompting a startled yelp from Ash and Caleb as more fell through.
Once more, Ash felt his blood freeze in place as Tyranitar rose to full height. The beast's hide was scarred by battle, but he still stood tall above everyone else in the room as Marauder, Scizor, and Weavile joined him. The dark ice/type was clutching an injured arm, but was quickly recalled as the masked hunter's eyes zeroed in on the red-haired man.
"Klark, Klark, Klark…" the agent's face scrunched, eyes stiffening as Marauder's own gaze narrowed beneath his mask. "Somehow I knew you'd follow me all the way to Indigo. Do you have anything better to do than be a leech meddling with my career?"
Despite his dwindling focus, Ash managed to look back at Klark in surprise. 'Wait… what…?'
"I'll follow you until you're behind bars," Klark's professional tone suppressed his snarl. "You've gone past inhuman yet again."
"All that matters is the accolades," Marauder responded nonchalantly as Decidueye took aim at him and his team.
"Of course you'd say that," Ash's eyes turn to see Kris entering the room. She seemed to be massaging her shoulder for a moment, but quickly straightened out as best she could, with Smokey and Ampharos behind her. "You don't have any more respect for life than Team Rocket has for the law."
"Marauder, sir!" several grunts entered the room. "The police are making their way up! We have too-"
"Fight our way out, I know." Marauder eyed the officers entering from the second floor. He unclipped another Poke Ball from his belt, releasing a bird whose appearance made Ash's skin crawl.
Its feathers were a suit of armor, with red eyes that glowed more like a demon than a creature. As it flapped its wings in place, the bird let out a howl that made Ash feel as though death were massaging his spine.
"Alright Corviknight," Marauder looked between Kris and Klark, barely even paying mind to the police officers. "The mission is over, so I'll need an escape route."
"You won't get one!" Kris asserted as Smokey crouched down in front of her. "You're under arrest, and that's final!"
"You really are too young for your job, Ace Trainer." Marauder leered at the teen. "That Alpha ghost I captured on the top floor? It's not even with me. Domino slipped away ages ago." Kris only had time for her eyes to widen in shock before he snapped his fingers. "Tyranitar, Scizor, carve through them!"
Tyranitar's roar was deafening. Overpowering. The sound filled Ash's entire head as he lost his grip on Caleb, collapsing onto his bottom. The Tyranitar was clearly in view, but he did not see the inside of the tower anymore. The floor was made of rock, and so were the walls and ceiling. Dust fell from the top of the cavern, as though threatening to cave in at any moment as he frantically scooted backwards, the thought of standing suddenly foreign to him. 'No, don't. I don't want to be back here. Please...'
And then Tyranitar let loose a massive Fire Blast.
Smokey dove straight into the blast as the room exploded into chaos. The Arcanine's Iron Tail was molten hot to the touch as he drove it straight into the behemoth's breast. Multiple police Pokemon attempted to shower their attacks onto the giant beast, but were quickly forced to contend with the other Rocket Pokemon closing in.
Decidueye aimed an Energy Ball at Tyranitar's head, but Corviknight quickly flew to intercept it. The emerald sphere exploded against the bird's armor, but he tanked the attack with ease before zipping through the air at a downwards diagonal angle towards the grass/ghost type. The metal bird's Drill Peck was narrowly avoided as Decidueye used Phantom Force to dematerialize, but the reappearing owl was knocked away by a Steel Wing to the beak before she could use Confuse Ray.
Just as Corviknight was about to press his advantage, an Electro Ball entered his peripheral vision. He just barely swerved to the side, but winced as some of the lightning singed his exterior. Ampharos charged forward and targeted him with a Thunderbolt, but the bird was ready this time, and turned to block the streak of electricity with Steel Wing, snarling as he strained himself to contain the attack.
Stoutland's teeth were completely engulfed in fire as he charged forward to take a bite out of Scizor. As though his life depended on it, the metal bug slipped away from the attack before rearing back to strike the large dog in the hip with a Brick Break. Stoutland whirled around and forced Scizor away with a Roar, but even as he staggered back, the bug let loose a barrage of golden stars that pelted the canine in the face. Stoutland's eyes were forced shut for a moment as he struggled to shake off the attack, but he still had the awareness to take a leap backwards when his opponent went for a second Brick Break, before blasting Scizor with a Thunder Wave that briefly forced the armored bug in place. Now once again, Stoutland leapt forward with Fire Fang, intent on chomping down into Scizor's head, but quickly spotted a grunt's Mightyena charging for him from the side. Changing his trajectory, Stoutland rammed head first into the dark type, bowling it over.
Officers and Rockets alike shouted orders at their Pokemon as attacks were flung in every direction. Tyranitar towered in the center of the mayhem, his roars sounding more like claps of endless thunder from his vocal cords as he batted Smokey away with his tail, before firing a Dark Pulse up at a nearby Pidgeotto. The bird squawked loudly as she swerve to avoid the blast, only to be knocked out cold by Corviknight moments later as the Dark Pulse struck the ceiling above Kris. Her eyes widened as a large piece of debris fell towards her, but just as she was about to move out of the way, a yellow blur coated in Agility leapt above her head and batted away the rocky chunk with an iron Tail.
The Ace Trainer blinked for a moment before her eyes zeroed in on Pikachu. Ash's starter had dirty cuts across his side, and his fur was covered with dust from the rocks, but despite his somewhat heavy breathing, he was very much still in shape. "Pikachu, to me! Quickly!" The mouse nodded before trotting to her side, and she allowed herself a split second smile. "Thanks for that."
Finally on his feet again, Ash's eyes doubled in size as he realized Caleb and Valiant were no longer with him. In fact, he was in a completely different part of the room than he had been in before. When had he stood up and started running? "Valiant, Caleb! Where are you-" Something suddenly caught his eye from the side. Turning around, he screamed at the Liepard rushing for him-
And then turned again as the feline was blasted away. Looking for the source of the attack, his eyes fell on Yami, whose breathing had grown hard, and no longer effortless. Feeling his legs getting much heavier, the boy began making his way to the small ghost, who was looking up at him with relief. "Yami, do you know where-" his eyes widened again. "Wait, behind you!"
The Sableye turned around just in time for Scizor's claw to smack him across the head. Ash looked on in horror as the dark/ghost type flew a few feet away, before tumbling several more across the damaged floor, finally stopping after slamming into a half upheaved gravestone. Though still conscious, he collapsed onto his stomach, struggling to summon the strength to raise an arm and massage the wound on his head. Hearing footsteps, his vision began to blur as he looked up to see the approaching hunter.
Marauder stared at the Sableye in silence for a few moments before his hand made its way to his belt. "You're a peculiar one, Sableye. I think you might actually be the only ghost left in the tower at this point. That determined to save the day, are we?" his lips stretched into a revolting smile. "Most Pokemon prefer to run away from me rather than towards me. Well, the ordinary ones anyway. But you know something?"
With tunnel vision, Ash watched Marauder pull… something off of his belt. It was clearly a ball, but it looked nothing like any other Poke Ball. It was a dark purple, with what looked to be a pattern of black plating covering it. As Marauder enlarged the device, the boy's heart stopped for the upteenth time that night.
"I've always liked dark and steel types the best."
"No, Yami run-"
Marauder chucked the ball. His aim was perfection as the ominous device soared through the air, striking Yami clean in the skull. The ball opened up and sucked the Sableye in without effort, before closing with just as much ease.
"YAMIIIIII!"
Glowing with a peculiar purple light, the capsule flew back the way it came, returning to Marauder's hand. He didn't even spare it a second glance as he reattached the device to his belt.
Yami was trapped in that ball. And the ball was secured on the hunter's belt.
Ash was on his bottom again. His fingers laid themselves out against the surface of the floor as he could see nothing but Marauder, standing tall in the middle of the carnage that he had created.
Just as the hunter was about to turn back to Scizor, his communicator went off. "Marauder! This is Petrel. Silver and I had to retreat, Agatha is heading for the tower right now!"
The masked man's face twisted in displeasure. "Did Domino make it?"
"Yes, she's with us, and she still has the target on her. You need to get out of there immediately."
'He sounds pretty worried.' Marauder thought to himself. 'The concern makes sense. He knows my role is only just beginning.' "Roger that, I'll see you back at camp." Quickly taking out Scizor's ball, he recalled the armored bug before turning to Tyranitar, just in time to grin with satisfaction as the behemoth bashed a broken piece of the floor across Smokey's head. The fiery dog rolled across the floor, struggling to return to his feat just before collapsing as Kris and Pikachu rushed towards him.
A few of the officers seemed to take note of Scizor's sudden absence as Marauder's eyes scanned the room. "Well everybody, it looks like the night's finally drawing to a close. All Rockets, fall back immediately!"
Gripping Smokey's fur, Kris glowered up at him. "You're not going anywhere!"
"I think you should be more focused on getting out yourselves than keeping us in." The Ace Trainer only had a split second to process his declaration before he turned to Tyranitar. "Alright Tyranitar, bring the tower to its knees!"
Every pair of ears in the room heard the order, and every party froze in shock as Tyranitar reared back and fired a Hyper Beam down into the floor.
The blast tore through the third floor… and the second, before hitting the foundation on the first floor. The monstrosity turned his body as the beam continued to carve through the bottom of the tower's left side, before angling his head upwards, allowing the blast to travel across and towards what remained of the ceiling leading to the other floors.
/
Agatha saw the blast from her position. A giant Hyper Beam protruded from the side of the tower, and she could almost feel the structure shaking in its place.
Her face wore an expression of horror that very few ghost Masters ever did. "No… they didn't!"
/
Marauder's cackle did not sound like a noise that a person would make. Tyranitar was camouflaged by the dust and debris as pieces of the tower above descended upon the third floor. The Hyper Beam was still leaving his mouth, as loud as the roar he had let out when firing it, continuing to rip into the structure above. In every occupied portion of the tower, police and Rockets alike were scrambling to secure themselves and each other to escape as the collapse threatened to bury all who were still present.
For Ash, the whole world had transformed. There were no Rockets or police officers in the vicinity. It was just him, Marauder, and that thing. He was in the cavern again, and the rocks were falling everywhere.
Falling Rocks.
FALLING ROCKS.
FALLING ROCKS.
His hands clawed at his head as he screamed aimlessly. His sense of touch was leaving him, and all he could hear was the roaring of the beast and the collapsing of his surroundings. But amongst it all, one thing did slip through the cracks. It was a cry for help, and the voice was…
Caleb was in the cavern, on his hands and knees as the rocks fell around him. The younger boy was still, not even attempting to get up as he cried out a second time. All Ash could do was stare at him, his muscles not allowing themselves to move, and his throat not allowing his voice to be heard.
The rocks continued to fall.
The monstrosity continued to roar.
The police continued to scramble.
The world continued to shake.
Whatever chains shackling Ash's legs crumbled into dust as he broke into a sloppy run. The cavern had grown darker, and Caleb was all that he could see. All except for the rocks above, that fell all around him. He felt the impact of every step as he ran across the stone floor, nearly falling on his face several times as every stride threatened to trip him down to his doom. A last second instinct had him ducking his head to the side, grazed by a particularly large piece of debris, before tiny pebbles stung his face. He paused for a moment, trying to regain his vision before remembering where he had to run too. He picked up speed, for fear of his body going stiff on him before he dove.
His arms wrapped around Caleb, pulling the younger boy close as another large piece of debris landed beside them. Yet another fell from the fifth floor, just above their heads…
"AAAASH!"
He couldn;t make out the voice. It was clearly female. Was it Kris? Looking up, he saw a small figure running towards them. He only had about one second to process who it was as the large piece of floor closed in on him and Caleb.
Now it was Valiant's turn to dive, body carrying him across the air separating him from his trainer. As he clung to Ash and Caleb with the tightest grip he could muster, he squeezed his eyes shut and focused as hard as he could. For a moment, nothing came, and he chewed his lip tight, growling and hissing in frustration just as the large piece of debris landed-
Ash did not feel the hard floor anymore. It took his body several seconds, and maybe even a full minute to process what was underneath him. It felt like grass, and dirt. He and Caleb were still on the ground, and the air had almost entirely changed. Opening his eyes… he could see vegetation, and angling his gaze upwards, he could some of the stars in the sky, although several clouds had covered some of them, as well as over half of the moon.
Valiant collapsed onto his back next to them, having a somewhat easier time catching his breath. The Kirlia did not move, simply looking upwards without a sound.
Caleb had finally registered at Ash was there again, burying his face into the older boy's chest, and it didn't take long for Ash to feel his tears. The younger boy's sobs were not quiet, and it was the only sound he could process as he rubbed his friend's back, allowing him to hug against him more tightly.
"I-It's… It's okay Caleb, we're fine now." He did his best to speak soothingly, trying to fight off the shaking in his voice as he pulled Caleb closer. "Valiant got us out. We're fine. We're gonna be okay."
But Ash was crying too.
/
On the other side of the Region, a muscular man with spiky pink hair sat in an office, fingers hastily drumming against the desk as he continuously shifted and squirmed in his seat, Finally giving up, he got to his feet and began pacing around the room, before hearing a dreaded knock on the door.
A woman with long, red hair wrapped in a ponytail entered the room. Her expression was the last thing Champion Lance wanted to see.
"Lorelei… what's the news?"
The ice Master's face was hollow, almost without life as she tried to look Indigo's greatest trainer in the eye. "Lance… the tower in Lavender, it's…"
/
"Who's accounted for?" Petrel asked. "What's the percentage?"
The Rockets were already hastily packing up their camp. Sooner rather than later, the League would be sweeping the entire area surrounding Lavender. They needed to make themselves scarce before that happened. Amidst the activity were Petrel, Silver, Domino, and a few reporting soldiers with Damian among them. The older executive's arms were crossed, thumb tapping against his elbow with impatient unease.
"We are still trying to figure that out, sir." the soldier standing closest to Damian replied. "We can confirm that not all of them made it out of the tower, but it does seem like the brunt of the losses took place against Elite Four Agatha and her League forces.
"No surprise," Silver asserted with some regret. "That was inevitable." as he turned to look at Domino, the blonde girl stiffened at the sudden attention. "Did you get a look at the stone?"
Feet shuffling, she fought back the stiff feeling in her face and nodded at the young executive. "I did… and was a bit surprised, to be honest. It's only about twice the size of a typical Moon Stone, and yet… we know that it's far from just that. I think the energy might be a lot more concentrated? Just looking at the thing hurt my eyes, and touching it made me feel kind of lightheaded…" her gaze shifted to Petrel. "How the hell was the Alpha able too…?"
"A question for another day," the purple haired executive answered honestly. "That is going to be Ariana's work, as usual."
Damian mustered up the courage to speak. "So," he almost flinched as the older Rockets all laid their eyes on him, but still managed to continue. "How long until we leave?"
"Tonight," Petrel answered firmly. "We cannot afford to stay anywhere near Lavender for more than an hour. Of course the League probably already expects that we'll be fleeing…"
"We'll be across the Region once it's time to leave," Domino spoke. "But I suppose we'll all have to be under the radar for a while."
"It's out of necessity, of course." Silver insisted. "Marauder will be reporting to Ariana, but the rest of us will be headed underground well off the beaten path. Speaking of which, where is-"
His question was answered by a call from above. "Reporting in!" all eyes looked up to see Marauder on Corviknight, descending from the air before touching down a couple meters away. "Mission officially complete."
Petrel looked like his hair was about to turn gray. "If you had taken about a second longer to show your face, I would have worried that Agatha's ghosts had devoured your soul and fed your carcass to the Champion's red Gyarados."
Dismounting the armored bird, Marauder returned Corviknight without a word before turning back to address the group. "I needed to ensure that no League fliers were on my tail before heading back here. The ghosts and dragons would have a whole buffet on their hands otherwise."
"You did the right thing," Silver confirmed. "But we still need to make haste. I'd prefer significantly less than an hour, if I'm being honest. The rest of our reports can wait." he turned to Domino. "Domino, round up Necro and the other psy-"
A moan from Damian caught their attention. The blue haired boy's hands were gripping his head as a strange, sickly sound came out of his throat.
Domino did not hide her alarm. "Damian, are you-"
The noise grew louder. It sounded like he was vomiting violently, but nothing was coming out of his mouth. Silver quickly moved as the young Rocket sank to his knees, the moans now sounding significantly pained as the teen executive gripped his shoulders.
"Damian, what's wrong? Why are you-" his voice left him as the child raised his head.
Damian's eyes were red. A deep, crimson, glowing red, pupils resembling the most ominous of gemstones. And then he spoke.
"You have brought everything on yourselves tonight."
Startled, Silver staggered back, releasing his grip on the boy and allowing Damian to rise to full height. Every Rocket present took a step back, confusion worn on all of their expressions.
The voice that left Damian's mouth did not belong to him. It was distorted, echoey, and rippling. But as he continued to talk, Silver was given more chances to piece together the… familiarity.
/
Agatha stood at the remains of the Pokemon Tower. As she leaned on her cane, her eyes glowed a deep, blood red crimson. Back to her side, was her giant Gengar, who's eyes looked exactly the same.
/
"You declared war on the Indigo League a long time ago. Ages before the fate that befell Wade. But now you have provoked me, and the consequences will all be from your despicable design. I will rain hellfire upon you and every man and woman you call comrade. What you've done will be felt and echoed unto you long after you have departed from this realm, and if I have to linger beyond my grave, it will be seen through. From this night forth, you will know the damnation of slighting one of my kind, and violating what you have. This is not a declaration of war, it is a sentencing."
Damian's eyes returned to normal. Blood leaked from his nose and eyes as he collapsed onto the grass, and Silver rushed to pick him up. The boy's body felt frail and cold, and the red haired teen did his best to be gentle as he wrapped the younger Rocket's arm around his shoulder to support him. As the rest of the Rocket's looked on in silence, he shook Damian lightly, paying no mind to the drops of blood that fell on his arm.
"Damian, how are you feeling?"
"What just…" Damian reached up to grab his forehead as his eyes squeezed shut. "I feel like I'm…"
"He's pale," Domino commented, managing to find her voice first. "He almost looks malnourished…"
"Can you walk?" Silver asked.
"...I… I don't know." The boy got the words out after a brief struggle.
"I'm taking you to the medical tent." Silver's eyes scanned through all of the present parties. "Twenty minutes. Not a second longer." Without another word, he led Damian away.
For a few moments, everyone was still. It was Marauder and a female soldier who started moving first, bringing the rest of the group back to the world.
Arms folded around her chest, Domino shivered for a moment. A long moment. For those few seconds, she felt as though she were standing in a blizzard near Mt. Silver's peak. "So…" breaking out of her trance, she unsteadily looked up at Petrel, who was still staring off in the direction that Silver and Damian had left in. "What now?"
Her superior was unresponsive for a moment, continuing to stare for just a few seconds longer, before his face contorted into a tight scowl.
"Now," he began, voice firm and blunt. "We move onto the next phase, and wipe the floor with that arrogant crone."
/
It was a night that never should have happened, and for all the years of the town's history, was never imagined. It was a night that the dim atmosphere of the town disappeared, giving way to a normalcy that was not normal for anyone there. It was a night that the chilly breeze of the town subsided, giving way to a normalcy completely abnormal for everyone who felt it. It was a night that nobody felt a presence beside them, or something watching them from the shadows, giving way to a normalcy that only brought loneliness. It was a night where countless specters departed through the skies and trees surrounding the town, aimless and without a goal, as lost as can be. It was a night that never should have happened, and would never be forgotten.
There were no ghosts in Lavender.