CHAPTER 29

Everybody in that stadium knew whose motto that was and what R stood for. Years ago, they had instilled terror into the hearts of Indigo's citizens.

Team Rocket.

Before I even finished that thought, the words quickly vanished into thin air.

In the next row over, Sabrina had one hand outstretched. Her pink eyes glowed faintly. It didn't take a genius to figure out the best psychic in all of Kanto-Johto had removed the ominous message with her powers, but it was too late.

People had already seen and read it. The stunned silence that had befallen the stadium shifted and warped into a sea of low murmurs. Voices rose up around us and grew louder and yet louder.

We exploded into action right as shouts and cries of fear filled the stadium.

"Koga! Agatha!" Lance barked.

They were gone before the second syllable even left his lips. Both Koga and his daughter had vanished in the blink of an eye, presumably off to scout the surroundings, and Agatha had been swallowed up by shadows that surged upwards from her own. Complicated movement via Shadow Sneak, but now was not the time to be amazed by Agatha's famed mode of transport.

All the Indigo Gym Leaders, including myself, had hands at the ready on our Pokeballs as Lance whipped around to look at us. His expression was one of utmost seriousness.

"Comms!" he yelled, and Ace Trainers standing nearby came running over with bags full of backup earpieces. Lance jabbed a finger at them and then at us. "Keep them on and secure the premises! GO!"

We ran forward even before he roared out the last word.

There was no time to think or chat. As soon as I snatched up one of the earpieces and attached it to my person, I dashed to the side and released multiple Pokemon in rapid succession.

All my fliers — Arya, Peri, Fizz, and Zuri — came out for obvious reasons. I also released my two Ghosts, Mem and Fia.

They had all heard Lance's words from inside their Pokeballs and stared at me with serious expressions. They may not have known what exactly was going on, but they understood this was a grave situation.

"Mem, Fia, you two stay here and help comb the stadium for suspicious individuals or objects," I said hurriedly. Mem and Fia instantly sank into the ground and disappeared. In my peripheral vision, I saw Morty commanding his small army of Ghosts to do much the same. More orders flew out of my mouth as I climbed on Zuri's back. "The rest of you, we're going to search the skies and grounds around the stadium!"

"Everyone, please remain calm…" Lance said into the microphone, but I didn't hear the rest.

My Pokemon all shot up into the sky. We weren't the only ones. The other Gym Leaders with flying mounts had taken off as well while the rest stayed in the stadium to help Ace Trainers secure stadium exits. Other League Trainers had moved further into the stands to help placate the panicked crowds.

We left behind the budding scene of chaos and flew through the air in a battle-ready formation. Zuri and I were in the middle with my other three fliers spread out evenly around us in a protective triangle. Each of them was ready to attack or defend at a moment's notice.

This was not our first rodeo. My team and I had encountered life-and-death situations throughout the years. Those included everything from Area Zero-related conflicts to small gangs and criminal organizations in other regions while we'd traveled through them, but this was a whole new danger level.

Team Rocket, the most notorious criminal organization to have ever appeared in the Kinjoh Area and possibly the entire world.

My earlier shock had faded. Now, I only had questions. Was Team Rocket actually back? Or was it an entirely new entity who was trying to shake up Indigo by pretending to be them? As horrifying as it was, I leaned towards the former. Nobody would recklessly try to imitate Team Rocket. It was just a surefire way to get the League on your ass faster than you could blink.

There was also the matter of how this had even happened in the first place. Security measures for national events like today's were supposed to be top of the line. The Indigo League pulled out all the stops. Human and Pokemon Psychics, roaming Dark, Ghost, and Fighting types, Ace Trainers patrolling the skies and grounds with their Pokemon… they had it all.

Yet somehow, someone had gotten the better of us.

And everything had to happen today of all days, Indigo National Day. This was going to stay in the news for a long time, and Lance and the League were about to get extremely busy.

I calmly detached myself from my fast-growing train of thoughts, lips pressed into a thin line. There would be time to think later.

Right now, I had a job to do.

My Pokemon all had eyes and ears peeled as we swooped through the skies and scanned our surroundings. There were League Trainers and their Pokemon spread out on the ground below like tiny Durants. So far, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

We actually ran into Falkner and his birds during our sweep of the stadium's perimeter. He was on the back of an absolutely massive Pidgeot, and his flight formation was much bigger and more elaborate than ours given that his entire team was made of Flying types. I made eye contact with him as we passed by each other. Not a word was spoken, but we both nodded ever so slightly. Then we continued on our respective ways. The whole time, I couldn't stop feeling tense.

Two minutes later, my comms crackled to life as a familiar voice filtered through it.

"This is Lance. Have any of you found anyone or anything?"

I answered with a negative, and so did all the other Gym Leaders on the line. Lance's reply was swift.

"Then report back to the stadium. We're Teleporting to Headquarters for a meeting."

When I returned, the spectators were in the process of being evacuated from the grounds. Koga, Janine, and Agatha had all come back, and so had my Ghosts. Everybody recalled their Pokemon. The instant the last Gym Leader met up with us, a group of League Kadabra on standby raised their spoons.

We suddenly found ourselves in a wide meeting room. There was a circular table in the middle with just the right number of seats to accommodate everyone, but no one sat down.

The tension in the room was nearly suffocating. Lance's voice cut through the air before grim silence could form.

"I have called another person to join us—" Lance began, but he stopped mid-sentence as someone Teleported into the room.

We all stiffened, but it was not an intruder.

It was Samuel Oak.

There was no trace of the kind and cheerful Professor who enjoyed spending time with Pokemon. From the tautness of his shoulders to the rigid way he carried himself, it was clear how deathly serious he was. His eyes, which were normally bright and full of enthusiasm, had darkened. They were brimming with a quiet and yet barely contained fury. His jaw was clenched so hard that his veins were clearly visible.

We were not staring at Professor Oak today. No, we were looking at the Hero of Wars and Indigo's Undefeated Champion.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Champion Oak," Lance said with a respectful bow of his head. I followed his example as did the rest of the room's occupants. I had not missed how Lance addressed Oak by his honorary title instead of Professor.

He didn't have to explain to us why he'd called in Oak. All of us already knew the history between the former Champion and Team Rocket. There was, quite simply, no one else in Indigo who could provide greater insight on the situation than the man who'd led the League to victory against Team Rocket years ago. It was reassuring to have the Hero of our nation in attendance.

Instead of replying verbally, Oak only gave a terse nod in return and stood off to the side. Lance took that as his cue to begin the meeting. He straightened, turned towards us, and swept his gaze across the room.

"Elite Four, reports?" he demanded. Now that he was no longer in front of cameras or spectators, Lance's calm visage slipped into one of agitation. He stood facing all of us with fists that rapidly clenched and unclenched.

Lorelei was the first to answer. "I reviewed the security footage and sensors. There was nothing amiss. No reports have come in about sudden attacks around the country, either."

"And I double checked with the Ace Trainers guarding the entry points," Bruno added gruffly. He folded his arms over his chest. "They didn't log any suspicious individuals."

Lance turned to his last two Elites, but Koga and Agatha were already shaking their heads.

"My subordinates and I did not find anything," Koga announced with a frown. Next to him, Agatha gripped her cane tightly. Her facial features were pinched into a severe scowl.

"The majority of my Ghosts were watching the stadium in the week leading up to the event," she said. "From then up until now, they didn't run into any issues."

Lance's brows furrowed. "So we have no leads?" he asked in an incredulous voice. He whipped around to face one of the Gym Leaders in our midst. "Sabrina, you were the one who took the message down. Thank you for taking such quick action. Were you able to glean anything from it?"

I wasn't sure if Sabrina was normally stoic or not, but she remained impassive even as everyone in the room turned to look at her.

"I apologize for not acting sooner," she said calmly. Dark bangs fell in front of Sabrina's eyes as she dipped her head. "I meant to remove it as soon as the first few words appeared, but I was caught off guard by what I sensed. The message was formed from some sort of condensed psychic energy, yet… I cannot say that in full confidence. It felt strange. Foreign. Not quite like the psychic energy I am normally used to."

Sabrina's words deeply unsettled me. Glancing around, I saw that I was not alone in my worries. The expressions of my fellow Gym Leaders only grew worse.

To think there was something that even a genius psychic like Sabrina Natsume was shaken by.

"Let us assume it was psychic energy for the moment since we have no better leads," Lance declared. He began to pace back and forth across the room. "But if we do, that shouldn't have been possible. We had a dedicated team of Dark types working in shifts to keep the stadium covered with a protective dome. No unauthorized psychics or Psychic Pokemon should have been able to breach it or Teleport inside."

"It had to be a damn powerful psychic," Lt. Surge grunted out. He gestured wildly with one hand. "Since our search results here turned up nothing but shit, I'm inclined to believe a psychic somehow pulled this stunt from a great distance."

"But could a psychic even pierce through such an extensive Dark type blockade from that far?" Chuck countered. "That's unheard of. Even for Sabrina and her Pokemon — please do not take offense — that would be a difficult feat against dozens of Elite-tier Dark types."

Lt. Surge clicked his tongue but nodded begrudgingly. Chuck had a point. Sabrina herself even closed her eyes and agreed with the slightest tilt of her head.

"What about what Sabrina said about how strange the energy felt?" Erika asked. I saw a pale hand trembling beneath her kimono sleeve.

"It could be the work of an artificial psychic," I suggested, finally contributing my own thoughts to the situation. Pairs of eyes came to rest on me, but I went on calmly and locked gazes with Oak across the room. "If… this message was truly from Team Rocket… there is a chance they succeeded in making an artificial psychic. They were known to kidnap innocent citizens for their experiments."

I remembered such information with vivid clarity because I'd turned on the TV once as a kid and heard an incident being talked about live. Dad had shut the TV off once he noticed what I'd unintentionally begun watching. Unfortunately, he'd been far too late. My eyes and ears had already been subject to disturbing details.

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Oak stared back at me with a somber expression, nodding.

"They did abduct many citizens," he readily agreed in a low voice. "We never came across any artificial psychics before, during, or after the war. But… what you suggested is still within the realm of possibilities. Perhaps they were in hiding."

"Or," a new voice spoke up, "today was the work of people already on the inside."

The room fell silent. All heads turned to the man who had spoken: Pryce Yanagi, our previous Champion of the Indigo League.

His cold brown eyes scanned the room unflinchingly. "I believe the most likely scenario is that we have rats in the League," he continued. "How else would they have been able to accomplish a display like that right in front of our noses?"

Pryce's eyes kept sweeping across the room. Eventually, his gaze landed pointedly on me and stayed there.

"In fact," Pryce said slowly, "I believe we may even have spies within the ranks of our Elites."

I stilled, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Pryce did not look away from me, so everybody followed his gaze to where — or who — he was looking at. Understanding dawned on their faces.

The room immediately exploded with outbursts of varying tempers and reactions.

"Hold your tongue!" Morty hissed, throwing an arm forward. "That's going too far, Pryce!"

"You have no grounds for that," Jasmine added furiously. She had taken a step forward to stand next to Morty, and her normally cheerful features were marred with anger.

Just a few feet away, Whitney blinked rapidly. "Are you seriously suggesting Arin is a member of Team Rocket?" she exclaimed in utter disbelief, slack-jawed.

Even some of the Kanto Gym Leaders came to my defense and shouted their confusion and shock at Pryce. The whole time, I stood there with a neutral expression.

"Pryce Yanagi!"

Both Lance and Oak spoke at the same time. Lance snapped his head to the side with a considering look before he chose to remain silent.

So, Oak spoke for him. His eyes were as hard as ice when he cast his judgmental stare upon Pryce, the successor he had chosen once upon a time.

"I never expected you of all people to so blatantly turn on your allies," Oak said harshly. Everyone held their breath because of the pressure Oak emanated. "You speak dangerous words. Explain yourself, Pryce."

The Mahogany Gym Leader at least had the conscience to lower his head from Oak's admonishment, but he did not shy away from his gaze.

"I did not speak those words lightly," Pryce began in a respectful tone. "And they were not spoken out of malice either. I apologize if I gave that impression. It was a thought I came to after considering many different factors, so please allow me to elaborate."

He raised his head and looked back at me now. I held his gaze. "A year ago, sightings of supposed Rockets came in before vanishing. Last month, Leader Arin suddenly appeared out of nowhere to join our ranks as a Leader of a major gym, and today, we got a message indicating Team Rocket's return," Pryce paused and let his words sink in. "No matter how I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that the timing of all these events is rather strange. What if Arin Watanuki became a Gym Leader on purpose to infiltrate the upper ranks of the League? If he was a member of Team Rocket, it would make more sense how they were able to bypass security. Either he gave information to the Rockets, or Arin himself was behind today's message. Is it not at least a bit suspicious?"

There were conflicted emotions across every person's face when Pryce finished speaking. Some people actually wore considering looks, and others were still not convinced.

"That's…" Bugsy hesitated, hands balling into tight fists at his sides.

Morty stepped forward and looked like he was about to say something to defend my honor again, but I interrupted.

"Pryce's words are reasonable," I calmly agreed. Jasmine, Morty, and the other Gym Leaders all turned to me with shocked expressions.

I'd been angry at first about Pryce's implication but kept silent to hear his reasoning first. I figured not even he would be so rash as to stir up needless discord at a time like this just because of some personal dislike. Now that I'd heard what he had to say…

I was still somewhat irritated, but I understood the logical angle Pryce was coming from. It was something I agreed with and would have suggested myself if I was another person.

"My recent return to Johto can be seen as rather suspicious given the timeline of events," I continued. "It is reasonable to think I could be linked to today's message or that I am a member of Team Rocket who came out of hiding to spy on the League. But," I paused, eyes blazing as I held up a hand. "I swear by Radiant Ho-Oh that I am not affiliated with Team Rocket in any way. If it would put everyone's minds at ease, particularly Pryce's, then have a psychic verify my innocence."

Jasmine raised her own hand as soon as I finished. "If Arin's integrity must be proven, then I would like a psychic to verify my mind as well," she said firmly. "It is only right."

"I do, too," Giovanni spoke up. He stepped forward with a frown. "If one person must be checked, then we should check everyone else just to be sure. We must be unified if we want to face Team Rocket or whatever threat this is."

One by one, the other Gym Leaders voiced their agreement. We all turned to Lance, Oak, and the Elite Four.

Lance took one look at all of our faces and nodded. "Very well," he said. "I can agree that doing so would alleviate some tension. With my authority as the Indigo League Champion, I hereby order a mandatory psychic check for everyone in this room."

Oak no longer looked displeased after Pryce had explained himself, but his expression was a stony one as he gave a nod of his own. "Then, since Sabrina will need to be checked too, I'll have my Alakazam do the honors."

The Pokemon popped out even before Oak spoke his last word. They communicated silently, and then Alakazam walked forward. Every single person in the room focused their attention on me as Oak's Pokemon stopped just a few feet away.

A telepathic voice went out to everyone currently in the room. Then I will begin, Alakazam spoke.

Without further ado, Oak's Alakazam raised its spoons. Almost immediately, I felt a distinct prickling sensation in my mind but bore with it. The Pokemon in front of me was rooting through my head for any possible connection to Team Rocket. To further show my cooperation, I tapped Silque's Pokeball on my belt in a rhythmic pattern.

The mental shields I usually had up in place fell temporarily. I felt surprise wash over me from the entity currently connected to my mind, and I merely nodded.

Take a further look. I'll even give you access to memories I have, anything that's remotely related to Team Rocket, I said silently.

I didn't wait for an answer. I let one such memory surge upwards unbidden.

"Everything's going to be okay, Arin, I promise," Dad whispered fervently. He crouched down and pulled me in for a brief yet tight hug. "I'll be back in a bit. Just wait for me at home."

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as dad got up and turned away to speak with his Exeggutor. Neil and his wife said something to me, but I didn't hear.

"Dad!" I cried. "Wait—"

Without even a sound, dad disappeared. He'd Teleported away. My eyes watered with tears.

Where are you going? That's what I wanted to scream.

"DAD!"

It was my memory of dad going off to fight at the frontlines of the Rocket War. More memories were presented to Alakazam one after another. The Pokemon remained silent as he skillfully filtered through all the thoughts and emotions I had to offer.

An eternity seemed to pass, but it was only thirty seconds later when Alakazam left my mind. Arin Watanuki is not a member of Team Rocket, and he has not aided them in any way, Alakazam confirmed.

Including Jasmine and Morty, I saw Gym Leaders around the room sagging with relief.

"Then I'll go next," Jasmine quickly said. Alakazam plodded off in her direction.

It didn't take long for the Psychic type to go around the room and investigate everyone. Lance and the Elite Four were no exceptions, and though we protested, Oak also insisted on going through the same procedure. Sabrina was the one who checked Oak's mind once she was cleared by Alakazam.

In the end, we were all proven innocent. Neither Lance nor Oak could hide relieved looks.

Pryce wore an inscrutable expression as he bent his head in apology to me. "I apologize for the trouble," he said.

"It was a reasonable speculation," I replied simply. My identity had been proven. That was all that mattered. There were more important matters at hand, so I directed my next words at Lance. "Even though those of us here are innocent, I do believe Pryce's earlier words still hold some weight. It will take time, but we should check the rest of the League's forces for the possibility of spies."

Lance offered me a curt nod. "Yes. I'll put out an order to have that done," he declared. "Since we have no actual leads right now, let us move past the incident itself and talk about the danger we are facing as a whole."

He paused, lips spread in a grim line.

"We will be operating under the assumption that Team Rocket has revived."

The tension in the room had dissipated slightly after the psychic check, but it returned now in full force with Lance's ominous words.

"It could be a new criminal organization, but until we get a lead to prove otherwise, we will assume Team Rocket has returned," Lance went on. "I invited Champion Oak here today so he could offer insight on the situation."

He waved a hand respectfully at Oak, and the former Champion stepped forward. The elderly man swept his gaze across the room.

"Many of you were too young at the time or not in office when the Rocket War occurred, so I will begin by talking about the war's end," Oak began.

Every single person in that room, including myself, focused on him. We were about to be privy to information only the League knew about.

"You are all well aware that I fought the leader of Team Rocket and that he is known as Boss to the public, but there is more to the story," Oak continued in a grave voice. "We did not release information about him to the people because we simply couldn't. Investigating his corpse yielded nothing. There were no birth records or other identification associated with him. He was essentially… a living ghost."

Chills ran down my spine. What?

Oak merely nodded somberly in response to the sea of shocked faces before him. "Yes… It's incredible, but he grew up in the shadows of Indigo as an unknown and unrecorded figure," he said with a heavy sigh. "What circumstances he was born in or how he managed to avoid the League's oversight for so long can only be speculated, but we did confirm his death and that he was the leader of Team Rocket from grunts we interrogated."

"Then has a new leader risen?" Janine questioned politely.

Oak's eyes glazed over momentarily. "I believe so. We raided many bases," he murmured. "We thought we found them all and apprehended any remaining Rockets, but… either the Rockets hid too well and we missed some, which would be a failure on my and the League's part, or there is a new entity pretending to be Team Rocket. I am of the personal belief that remnants of Team Rocket survived with a new leader to guide them."

"What… What about their motto?" One of the Waterflower sisters asked timidly. "What is that supposed to mean? What does Team Rocket want?"

Team Rocket's motto had been a subject of intense debate for the last fifteen years. It had been banned from some history books and online forums, but people still talked about it. What was their cause, and who were the traitors? Everyone wanted to know that even now. They wanted to know what had driven such a notorious criminal organization into eventually declaring a whole war.

I was no different, and I stared at Oak with much anticipation.

"We interrogated many grunts, but they always repeated that motto. It was imprinted in their very beings and minds," Oak said bitterly. "They killed many innocent people of all backgrounds. How did that make them traitors? We can't say for sure, but I will share the Rocket leader's last words to me."

He took a deep breath. With some difficulty, he recited a sentence. "'For a true and better future. We don't need Indigo.'"

Silence befell the room as we processed those words. Judging by the shocked look on Lance's face, I don't think he'd been privy to such information before either.

"His words have since led me to believe that Team Rocket wished to destroy the government and rule over it on their own," Oak continued. "That they believed they could do better than Indigo, which is a ludicrous thought, but if we take that into consideration… then perhaps the 'traitors' they wished and still wish to kill encompass all of Indigo."

He stared at us with a somber expression. "They're dangerous criminals with no morals. They don't see us as people but as things to be removed in their mad quest for domination. If they are willing to kill thousands of people just for the sake of establishing their rule over the country, they will be willing to do even more."

We stewed in grim silence. Being told all of this straight from the legendary Samuel Oak was enough to let horror bleed into our hearts.

Team Rocket was a bigger evil than any of us could have imagined.

"…Thank you, Champion Oak," Lance finally said. Oak silently stepped back and allowed Lance to take over once again. He looked at us with his head held high. "There is not much we can do for the time being with no leads. The League will look into what happened today, so I will now give out orders."

We stood at full attention as Lance threw a hand forward.

"I'll need you all to stay for a statement to the public, but after that, go back to your respective cities and towns and reassure your people. Stay on high alert over the next week. We don't know if or when they'll strike, but I don't want any of us to be caught off guard. Understood?"

Our answers came swiftly and in total unison.

"Understood."

"Good." That was all Lance said before marching out of the room. Oak Teleported away now that his job was done, but we stayed and followed Lance to a broadcasting room down the hall.

There were people and equipment already fully set up in there as if they had expected us to arrive soon. As soon as Lance sat down at a desk and everyone stood behind him in a show of solidarity, the camera turned on.

"People of Indigo," Lance proclaimed loudly. Everything he said was being relayed in an emergency broadcast across the nation. "Today's National Day celebrations at the Plateau were interrupted by an outside force. A full investigation has been launched. We cannot confirm at this time if Team Rocket has truly returned, however…"

Lance paused to stare at the camera with a serious expression. Behind him, our faces were mirrors of his own.

"No matter what or who threatens the safety of Indigo, know this: the League WILL take action, and we WILL stop them," Lance said fiercely. "Dear citizens, please trust in us and do not be afraid. Go on with your daily lives knowing that we will protect you. The moment we give into fear is the moment when we truly lose against evil."

The broadcast ended there. Lance had made his and the League's stance clear, and now we all had respective work to do.

I only exchanged fleeting farewells with my fellow Gym Leaders before departing. We were all anxious to get back home and safeguard our communities. I headed straight for Cherrygrove City Hall, and I didn't have to wait to see Arthur. The receptionist let me through to the back right away.

As soon as the mayor laid eyes on me stepping into his office, he rose from his desk and hurried towards me.

"Arin, we all saw the proceedings, a-and then the emergency broadcast—" Arthur stumbled over his words from stress, but I held up a hand with a grim expression.

"Everything will be fine," I promised. "I have orders from the Champion. I need to make a quick message to the people of Cherrygrove."

Arthur didn't even hesitate. "I'll get it ready for you."

True to his word, they had everything set up for me within five minutes. I stood in front of a camera with a serious expression. The moment it turned on, I opened my mouth.

"Citizens of Cherrygrove," I began. "As Champion Lance already stated, the League is conducting an extensive investigation into the events of today. I would like to reiterate his words: please trust in us and do not be afraid."

Cold determination filled every ounce of my voice and body as I went on.

"I made an oath at my swearing-in ceremony, and I will swear it once more: my strength will be for our nation's protection," I said firmly. "And as the Gym Leader of Cherrygrove City, I will be the shield and spear for our city's safety. I promise to protect everyone and the peaceful times we hold dear. Should someone threaten my community, I WILL stop them."

I went on with words of reassurance. The whole time, I felt my insides curling further and further with everything from anger to anxiety to resolve.

Arceus forbid that anything terrible happened, but even if something did… I would be here to stop whatever or whoever tried to harm my people. They would have to get past me first.

I was Arin Watanuki, Fairy Specialist and Cherrygrove Gym Leader.

My enemies would learn an age-old lesson the hard way.

Never mess with Fairies.