“Oh, hey there boys… Don't mind me. Just coming by to take out the trash.”

  Whitney sneered as she expanded the Pokeballs in her hands, sweating ever so slightly at the horde of Rocket goons barring her way.

  “Gosh, where's Millie when you need her.” A single Rollout from her darling Miltank would have been enough to take out these scoundrels like a day in the bowling alley.

  But instead, what appeared in front of her were a Delcatty, Clefable and Lopunny, alongside an unfamiliar looking Hypno who, to their credit, picked up on the situation right away and locked right in for battle.

  “Cle~?” With a beautiful song from Clefable, a veil of stars fell onto Whitney’s Lopunny to empower her, boosting her defenses — Cosmic Power.

  “Puuu~”

  Then, Lopunny launched, bouncing around in the narrow hallway like a pinball and slammed into the Rocket grunts one by one, further aided by a Telekinetic coat of Psychic Energy from Hypno to boost her momentum.

  “Nyaa…”

  Meanwhile Delcatty purred and brushed her fluffy tail against Clefable, using Assist to pull from the Fairy Pokemon’s moveset and combining it with Clefable’s own Fire Blast to manifest a massive ball of flames to fill the hallway.

  “Heh.” Whitney snorted in disdain. None of the shoddy Rocket Pokemon were any match for her darlings. As expected of her glorious, majestic self.

  Her gloating did not last however, when another stream of Rocket grunts emerged from the corner behind her, surrounding her on all sides.

  “My… Let’s settle down now. There ain’t enough of lil’ old me to share between all of y’all.”

  A stream of attacks launched straight towards the Gym Leader’s back, forcing Hypno to abandon his support and raise a Psychic barrier. And Lopunny who found herself in a sudden dearth of power slowed, allowing just enough leeway for the initial batch of Rocket goons to recover and organise a shoddy defense against the burning flames.

  “Like pa always said… When it rains, it pours. Ain’t nothin’ seems to be goin’ right for poor Whitney today huh?”

  ***

  “It seems we will have to rebuild the village again…”

  That was the first thought that came to mind when Sabrina Summers beheld the scene of ruin surrounding her. “Suicide bombers. How quaint…”

  The Psychic Pokemon Master's face was as impassive as ever, not betraying the excruciating pain permeating her entire being. “Second degree burns, broken arm and fractured ribs…”

  “Zam.”

  A mental tug and the calm voice of her stalwart partner brought her back into focus, prompting Sabrina to seal off her pain receptors with her mind and encompass her dangling left arm with strands of Psychic Aura to reanimate it.

  Once the pain cleared, she extended a tendril of concern towards the cadre of Gym and Ace Trainers guarding her back, each surrounding the detached figure of the ever-smirking Giovanni. Sabrina had shielded them at her own expense when the Explosion occurred.

  “Wary but resolute. Good.” As expected of her Gym's finest.

  “Release him,” demanded the scoundrel before her, his tone commanding while a fierce looking Persian bristled by his side. It was clear to Sabrina that the man did not hold her, a member of the Elite Four, in any regard. His manic gaze locked solely onto the Rocket leader behind her.

  Accompanying the man was a veritable army of black clad individuals, surrounding them on all sides. The scarlet red Rocket logos on their chests gleaming in the flames.

  Sabrina did not respond, opting to extend her mind to the lesser Rockets instead, hoping to find a weak link she could exploit. But there was none. Their minds were completely shrouded in Darkness. And for a fleeting moment, Sabrina felt like feeble candlelight flickering in an abyssal sea.

  “I said! Release our glorious leader, wench! You are beneath him! We are ALL beneath him. For he is the guiding light who will shepherd us onto freedom!”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Sabrina returned her attention to the man with a sigh. Blue, short-cropped hair, white uniform standard among Team Rocket’s executives and a stoic, militant demeanor. Archer — one of Giovanni’s most fanatical supporters, if her memory served.

  “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Mr Archer. In fact, I would like to urge you to surrender instead. Yours is a misguided cause. The man before you is undeserving of your loyalty. Surrender and the League may consider leniency.”

  Archer scowled. “Do not patronize me, wench! Your forces are scattered. The Blackthorns are tied. Indigo Village is but an empty fortress at the moment. Help is not coming. And if you refuse to step aside then I shall step over your lifeless corpse!”

  With a flash of light, Archer unleashed the towering figure of a Gyarados onto the field. One that looked disturbingly sedate with a black crystal antenna protruding from its skull.

  At the same time, the Rocket executive also crowned a sleek metallic headgear onto his brow — a device housing sinister black crystals that looked a lot more refined than the damaged sample the League procured from the now-defunct Yamaguchi Group, absent of any immolating spikes or protruding wires.

  Sabrina furrowed her delicate features and rolled up her sleeve in response. To reveal a delicate silver bracelet housing a prismatic Key Stone.

  Equally, the Mega Stone secured to her Alakazam’s anklet gleamed as their minds became one — the familiar sensation of unity requisite to trigger a Mega Evolution.

  Then, the world exploded in light. The sagely figure of a Mega Alakazam emerged, levitating casually above the rabble, a glowing halo of silver spoons adorning his back and dominating the battlefield with an Aura that exuded serenity and calm.

  “Miracle Eye.” A pair of slits emerged above the battlefield, steadily prying open as Alakazam’s own eyes shuddered close. The powerful Psychic’s all-seeing gaze piercing right through the very fabrics of reality.

  Meanwhile, the Gyarados roared, its serpentine figure writhed and scrunched in an unnatural manner. Sharp, jagged fins protruded from its back, torso bulging in abominable fury as portions of its radiant cerulean scales turned black and red from blood.

  “RAAAAA!!!”

  A wave of pain and hatred washed over the field, forcefully disrupting Alakazam’s budding domain in favour of resisting the tide of corruption.

  The Psychic trainers supporting Sabrina each cried out in grief, their minds reeling from the sheer vitriol projecting from the tortured soul of the Mega Gyarados.

  “Shut your minds!” Sabrina commanded. “Do not allow yourselves to be taken by that abomination!”

  The Elite Gym Leader was barely suppressing her discomfort as well. If not for the fact that she had experience with Koga’s Mega Crobat, she too would have been overwhelmed.

  The woman hardened her gaze, fuelling her Alakazam’s resolve as he struggled to hold back the roiling storm of Darkness encroaching upon his domain.

  Even without her Sight, Sabrina could already tell that this upcoming battle would be a struggle to remember.

  ***

  Clair Blackthorn couldn’t help but weep silently at the destruction wrought by her clan’s hubris.

  Evacuations in Mahogany Town had already begun the moment that Team Rocket made their announcement, so minimal lives were lost. But the memories and history contained within those buildings blown away by Hyper Beam’s light could never be recovered.

  “If only that stubborn old fool had relocated the town when we told him to last time…”

  The woman’s musings were soon interrupted by a sinister pulse of power emanating from the direction of Mount Silver.

  Clair frowned and turned her gaze towards the distant source. “I knew it. This was all just a flimsy distraction.” But it was too late now, she could only pray that whoever’s fighting up there could hold their ground until she was able to reach them.

  “That accursed cousin of mine… Of all the times to wander unfettered.” Ever since the reemergence of Red, Lance’s obsession was sparked anew. The callous Champion had spent the past month or so relentlessly chasing after his rival’s mirage and whipping his Pokemon into a frenzy.

  “Lady Clair, everyone is in position. But, are you sure about this?”

  The senior Blackthorn sighed as she turned back to address the clansman that came up to her. “Yes, once my Mega Altaria clears the weather, have everyone contain the lesser Gyarados while I contend with the master of the lake.”

  “But milady… If we lose the red Gyarados, our clan’s Gyarados—”

  “Will be handled appropriately herein. Evolution through ascension. No more shortcuts. We have reaped the benefits of that monster for long enough. The time has come to pay the price. It is unfortunate that no ordinary Pokeball can contain the beast, this is our only option.”

  The younger Blackthorn sputtered, wanting to argue further, but ultimately settled with a stern glare from Clair.

  “W-We await your orders, milady…”

  “Very well.” Clair nodded in approval and flicked at her half cape with a grand gesture. “Then let the operation commence. It is time to slay us a beast!”

  ***

  Lily Mizuhana looked down upon the pack of decrepit, human-shaped Rattata’s scurrying about the ground. Here, atop the back of the Legendary Lugia, she felt invincible, an endless well of power and might surging within her grasp.

  It was quite the struggle for the red-haired Cerulean Sister to maintain her sense of self amidst the bottomless abyss of Lugia’s ancient mind. She could feel her mind drowning in swirling rage towards the puny humans who dared to trap her for their selfish gains.

  “Urgh. Misty’s the one who should have been here, not me.” But alas, Lily’s youngest sister was not in any condition to bear the strain of communing with Lugia at the moment. And it was ultimately her who drew the short straw for this mission.

  “Insolent wretches! Dare you attempt to usurp the noble Guardian of the Seas? Foolish cretins. Know your place!”

  The haughty rebuke came from Falkner who stood hovering atop his Pidgeot, a Master Ball in his hand and Key Stone gleaming, ready to be unleashed. Team Rocket’s half baked plans had fallen apart quite spectacularly.

  Lily would be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit tickled by her colleague’s prudish demeanour. She always did have a weak spot for the domineering type — all the more fun to break in bed.

  Proton, the spiky, aqua-haired Rocket executive, scoffed at Falkner’s one-sided declaration, opting to address the incandescent Lily instead.

  “Are you sure you should be wasting your time here, Lady Mizuhana?” The man sneered. “Ariana should be torturing your precious little niece in Goldenrod as we speak. Hehe… Lemme tell ya, that sadistic woman is a real nasty piece of work.”

  The image of a sunny, dark haired girl flickered through Lily’s mind, but was just as quickly subsumed by a wave of assurance from Lugia.

  “You need not worry. Mew will not allow anyone to harm their chosen. Have faith in the girl.”

  Lily chuckled in amusement. “Since when did that twerp get hitched with a Mythical Pokemon? But oh well, it is Nina we’re talking about here.” She pitied the grunts who had to contend with that belligerent brat.

  With a dismissive wave, the radiant figure of the Cerulean mermaid summoned towering vortices of Water to surround the island. All the while, the seas churned with the ferocity of a wrathful mistress, instilling terror into the hearts of the pale faced Rocket members.

  “Time to flush the toilet…”