[New Fanfic: Arcane: Welcome To Zaun]
Inside the Valley Windworks, Jupiter's sense of unease was growing stronger by the minute. She could not sit still by the electrical equipment any longer, so she decided to go out for some air and check on the kidnapped Windworks employees, the manager, and his daughter.
But the moment she reached the holding room and saw the iron door, its shape visibly caved in, her heart dropped.
She strode forward and yanked the handle. The iron door came open with ridiculous ease.
The room was empty. Everyone was gone.
"Where are they?!"
At last, Jupiter understood where that restless feeling had been coming from. It was not just the possibility of a strong Trainer appearing. It was also how strangely quiet the hostages had been.
In the hallway, Team Galactic grunts were sprawled all over the floor, unable to move from paralysis, with clear signs of poisoning all over them.
"Poison Jab. And every hit landed in the exact same place. Badly poisoned, paralyzed... a direct attack carried out without a sound. This method, this venom... dilute it and it can even be turned into medicine. That Pokémon was a Croagunk!"
"How would there be a Croagunk at the Valley Windworks? Croagunk are Team Galactic Pokémon! Who slipped in here with another Croagunk?"
Jupiter immediately activated her communicator.
"The Windworks doors are locked. No one can get in without a key. All personnel still capable of moving are to conduct a full sweep of the power plant immediately!"
"Someone rescued the hostages. Damn it... this was a trap. Our plan has already leaked. Wait. That Trainer..."
"Sunyshore City is Cyrus's hometown."
Those words echoed in Jupiter's mind like a curse. For some reason, maybe pure feminine intuition, she was suddenly sure this had something to do with that young Trainer.
Because he knew Cyrus was Team Galactic's boss.
People had pointed fingers before, sure, but as long as Cyrus himself kept denying it, no one would ever be able to trace anything back to him.
But then...
Boom!
A violent tremor blasted up from the lower levels of the power plant, like a localized earthquake. The shockwave drew both Mars's and Charon's attention at once.
"The hostages escaped? Someone snuck in ahead of us? Charon, what is this? This was your plan. How did it leak?"
Mars dropped her usual lively tone and glared coldly at Charon.
She had thought from the start that this creepy old man was up to something.
But Charon, Team Galactic's fourth externally recruited commander and a newcomer to the organization, looked just as baffled.
"Yes! I made the plan, yes! But what exactly are you implying right now?"
"You're not trying to say I also planned Team Galactic's destruction, are you?"
"What a joke. I may have my own reasons for joining Team Galactic, but I'm not stupid enough to pull something like that now. You really don't trust me at all."
"No matter what's happening below, one fact is certain: we have intruders. Mars, you need to go stop them. Don't let them interfere with the energy siphoning. The Valley Windworks is Sinnoh's most important electrical facility. If we can seize all of its power, we can build that thing, and half of Sinnoh will be thrown into rolling blackouts."
Mars said nothing. She immediately rushed toward the lower floor.
The moment Charon saw her leave, he started packing his things.
Build that thing?
What a joke. Things were already going sideways. Better to cut and run while he still could.
Charon's instincts were screaming at him, and he left the room at once.
Mars, meanwhile, reached the first floor and barked orders to the anxious grunts standing guard nearby.
"The moment the energy siphoning is complete, activate the bombs and blow the Valley Windworks sky-high! There's nobody left inside anyway..."
She had barely finished the sentence when she suddenly felt a rush of air slam into her back. She whipped around toward the source.
"Oh my. So you're going to destroy the whole place too? Team Galactic's gotten a little extreme. Is that because the pressure's been getting to you?"
"First time meeting you... Mars. Descendant of the Celestica people."
"I was wondering whether I'd run into you here. And sure enough, you showed up exactly where I expected. Fitting, for a war herald."
Hikaru stood in the power plant corridor, looking at the red-haired girl with wide eyes.
Then he let out a helpless sigh.
"A descendant of the Diamond Clan. To think the people of Celestica and the Diamond Clan would meet again in a way like this."
Mars felt a strange pressure pressing in on her.
"Who the hell are you? Were you the one who took the hostages?"
"It wasn't me personally," Hikaru said, "but you can count it as my doing. Though really, shouldn't this be the part where you say, 'If I lose, Team Galactic withdraws'?"
Mars's eyes gradually lit up. She was still on guard, but her interest in Hikaru was clearly growing.
At the first floor entrance near the main gate, Jupiter arrived at almost the same moment.
The doors had already been broken open. Looker had successfully evacuated the kidnapped employees, and standing in the doorway to block the exit were a woman in a gray suit and a girl in pink winter clothes.
"Jupiter," Cynthia said. "That's your codename, right? Remember me?"
The moment Jupiter saw the blonde woman, her pupils contracted sharply.
"Sinnoh... Champion?!"
"Cynthia!"
"That's right." Cynthia gave a small nod.
Only then did Dawn look genuinely startled.
She had spent all this time fighting without realizing that the older woman beside her... was Sinnoh's Champion.
Dawn gaped.
"Miss Cynthia, you're...?!"
Cynthia smiled.
"Dawn, don't worry about who I am right now. Focus on the battle in front of you."
Jupiter clenched her teeth.
"What is with that little girl..."
Cynthia was standing in the doorway, but the one preparing to battle was that young girl in winter clothes. That infuriated Jupiter.
They were looking down on her.
Who was that girl? A rookie Trainer?
"Jupiter," Cynthia said, "someone predicted your plans long ago. You came here to seize the Valley Windworks' power because you intended to create a Galactic Bomb, didn't you?"
"There are only two places in Sinnoh where you could get this much energy. The Valley Windworks and Sunyshore City."
"This is the birthplace of wind, a place blessed by breezes and rolling currents over grasslands. You have no right to destroy it."
"The moment I received information from an informant, I came here at once. That's why I was able to intercept you. I just didn't expect you to have already gone so far as planting bombs. With that, the crackdown on Team Galactic will only intensify."
"You are absolutely connected to Galactic Energy, the Universal Development Corporation, and the Galactic Group. If we capture commanders like you, we can force the truth about Team Galactic's real objective out into the open."
"Do you really think you're still leaving this place? And don't even think about using Dig. You know what type I specialize in, and what my ace Pokémon is."
By now, Jupiter was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Their plan had been known all along?
But at first, it had only been an idea. Even the strike on the Valley Windworks was never supposed to happen this soon. It had only been pushed forward because her operation in Jubilife City had failed.
But how had they learned the specific details? Even something like the Galactic Bomb?
"There's a mole. It's Charon!"
Jupiter ground the words out through clenched teeth. He was the first one she suspected.
That man had only recently been specially recruited by Cyrus himself, supposedly because he was essential to Team Galactic's development and operations. But whether it was the plan to kidnap Professor Rowan or the operation to seize the Valley Windworks' electricity, Charon had been the one designing and issuing the orders.
Only he knew every detail of the plan.
So who else could the mole be?
"He's with the Sinnoh League!"
That was Jupiter's conclusion, and through her communicator she sent out a warning: Watch Charon.
Facing Sinnoh's Champion, she still felt that if she fought desperately enough, she might have some chance of escaping alive.
Maybe.
Cynthia, on the other hand, looked completely certain of victory. But smile too much and you risk getting Overconfident, so Cynthia let her smile fade and her expression turned serious.
"The plan to destroy Team Galactic was designed by a certain person. And you, Jupiter... you are only serving as..."
As a stepping stone for the growth of a hero.
She had intended to say it.
But in the end, Cynthia held the words back, leaving Jupiter to spiral off into suspicious overthinking instead.
And in that very instant...
Dawn sent out her Pokémon.
Bathed in brilliant light, Buizel was the first to undergo a magnificent evolution.
"A Pokémon that only just evolved can't possibly be that strong."
"Skuntank! Night Slash!"
That had been Jupiter's assumption.
The very next second, her Pokémon was smashed head-on by Floatzel's vicious counterattack.
Outside the power plant, rain had already begun to pour.
Jupiter stared upward and then outside in disbelief. The storm was raging in full force, with no sign of letting up. Wind and rain slammed against the shattered iron doors, and sheets of water came pouring into the first-floor hall.
Under that torrential rain and favorable wind, Water-type Pokémon were in soaring spirits.
"Piplup, Floatzel, use Helping Hand on each other!"
Dawn's order was precise. The instant Floatzel evolved, it and Piplup immediately supported one another.
Helping Hand increased the power of the next move by one and a half times.
"Piplup, Hydro Pump!"
"Floatzel, Wave Crash!"
Two devastating Water-type attacks roared forward and blasted Skuntank clean off its feet.
Rainwater soaked Dawn's clothes, but all she could feel was her Pokémon rejoicing.
"So this is the power of weather!"
"Hikaru-san gave me this incredible strength, and I'm going to use these moves to beat you!"
In rain, Water-type attacks gained another fifty percent boost. With STAB, rain, and Helping Hand all stacked together, Dawn's Pokémon had already gained enormous experience mowing through the grunts, and now even Jupiter's Pokémon could not withstand them.
"Gah. So strong. You're not cute at all!"
Jupiter had never imagined she would be suppressed by a young Trainer's Pokémon like this.
Mars, above, caught sight of Jupiter's battle below.
A young Trainer this strong? She instantly understood that getting away today would not be easy. But still...
"To keep striving for a better world than the one we have now... Cyrus's dream isn't finished yet!"
"You must be that strange Trainer Jupiter mentioned! Interesting. You've caught my interest. I challenge you!"
Mars's eyes flickered with fury, excitement, and curiosity all at once.
"What Celestica people, what Diamond Clan? Stop talking about nonsense I can't understand! I am Team Galactic's strong and beautiful commander, Mars!"
"And you even know our internal codenames. Charon must have sold you that information, that rotten old man. He's with the League!"
Hikaru's expression turned odd.
"If that's how you want to see it, then sure. Charon is my man. I'll tell you plainly: the plan to destroy Team Galactic was designed by Charon."
Mars's face twisted with anger.
"So it really was him. I won't forgive you. I won't forgive Charon either! Either way, I'm taking you down!"
Hikaru thought to himself that Mars's personality really did lean closer to her game version. She was still lively, but her emotions were written all over her face, and she was startlingly direct.
Defeat him?
It almost sounded like one of those students at the academy challenging him.
Hikaru made a taunting gesture at Mars.
"That's some spirit. Come on, girl of my own people."
Mars snapped open a Poké Ball.
A blue Bronzong emerged with a thunderous metallic clang, whipping up a sandstorm that engulfed the entire corridor.
The sandstorm had only just begun when the blazing sun immediately burned it away. The scorching wind sent the grit flying to the far end of the hall, and before Mars's eyes, a rising radiance bloomed.
Harsh sunlight.
"Overheat."
Volcarona's massive inferno swallowed Bronzong whole and broke it in an instant.
The roaring flames and the ancient steel bell. A lament from a far-off age trembled through the corridor and then fell silent as the bell collapsed.
Mars's arm froze in midair.
She had not even finished giving her command before the battle was already over.
"To deal with Steel-types, you use fire. Your Bronzong has Levitate, which makes it immune to Ground attacks. But what do you do about Fire?"
"I'm a Steel specialist. No one knows a Steel-type's weaknesses better than I do. I like Bronzong very much too. So now then, what's your second Pokémon?"
The blazing sun held the battlefield under clear weather. Hikaru's control device recalled the fiery moth, and Volcarona let out a pleased, musical cry as it hummed an ancient tune on its way back into its Poké Ball.
The next ancient partner had only just woken naturally and was stretching, ready to test its strength a little.
Though for Hikaru, despite being very familiar with this partner, there was one problem: it spent half its life sleeping, so there was not much time for actual interaction. And if you woke it up forcefully, it got extremely cranky.
"Still, if it gets angry when it's woken up, but wants to battle anyway when it wakes up naturally in a good mood... then doesn't that mean the result is the same either way? What do you think?"
Hikaru muttered to the control device on his wrist.
Mars looked rattled.
"How is this happening? It got taken out instantly...! And you call yourself a Steel expert, but you're using Fire-type Pokémon?"
"But I'm not helpless against Fire!"
She recalled the burning Bronzong and immediately sent out her second Pokémon instead.
Her stubborn nature would not let her believe she could lose so easily.
"Purugly! Shadow Claw!"
"Ah," Hikaru said, "the chubby Eeveelution with Thick Fat."
That Ability halved the damage from Fire- and Ice-type attacks.
"But its offensive pressure is a little lacking."
"Dragon Claw."
Red light flashed from the Poké Ball, and a gigantic ancient dragon of flame emerged, wreathed in blazing fire. It swung its massive claw and slapped Purugly straight into the floor.
The corridor cracked apart under the impact. The colossal Gouging Fire let out a deafening draconic roar of flame.
Ability: Protosynthesis.
Under sun, the Pokémon's highest stat received a major boost. And Gouging Fire's best stats were Attack and Defense.
But if you gave up on Defense, then naturally the stat getting boosted was Attack.
The fire dragon nearly filled Mars's entire field of vision. It was as huge as Volcarona had been, perhaps even bigger.
Mars's expression changed violently. She hurled out a third Poké Ball at once, her heart jumping into her throat.
"What is that Pokémon? Dragon Claw?! That thing's a Dragon-type?"
"Golbat!"
"Having Golbat hold the line isn't really enough," Hikaru said. "You should come back after it evolves into Crobat."
"Don't look down on me! Confuse Ray!"
"Rest."
Gouging Fire narrowed its eyes. Watching the swirling strange light approach, the ancient fire dragon simply shut its eyes and dropped straight into sleep.
Other status effects might stack or overlap in odd ways. But if you were asleep, then Confuse Ray could not do much. Its consciousness was already sunk in dreams. There was no mind left awake enough to be confused.
"Rest...?" Mars blanked for a moment, then realized this was a direct counter to confusion.
Which meant next...
"Golbat, Uproar!"
She intended to wake that dangerous dragon up, because surely the opponent would have to use...
"Sleep Talk."
Hikaru's order came faster than hers.
A low, rumbling dragon growl rolled from Gouging Fire's sleeping throat. Sleep Talk would randomly call one of its learned moves.
However...
Gouging Fire slept often. It had even once been summoned into the dreams of the Paradox Entei. Because of that, while in a dream state, Gouging Fire had mastered a little trick that no ordinary Pokémon could imitate.
Gouging Fire: little trick, huge power.
While using Sleep Talk, it could choose almost exactly which move it wanted.
Sleep Talk: Stone Edge.
The sleeping arhat fist.
Roaring in its sleep, Gouging Fire's enormous horned crown erupted with Rock-type power.
Jagged stone spikes materialized from nowhere in vast numbers, spiraling forward like a storm and bombarding everything in their path.
Golbat was swallowed by the barrage in an instant and immediately lost the ability to battle. But because of Uproar's effect, Gouging Fire woke up.
And this time, its mood was not good at all.
Dissatisfaction and anger slowly surfaced in Gouging Fire's eyes. The fire in its heart was rising fast.
Mars had not even thrown out her remaining Poké Balls yet when the enraged fire dragon roared at her.
"Uproar," Hikaru said, "can wake sleeping Pokémon, yes. But a Pokémon using Uproar is also forced to keep attacking with Uproar. It cannot be ordered to use other moves, use items, switch out, or flee."
"This move ignores Substitute, and while a Pokémon in Uproar is on the field, no Pokémon can fall asleep."
"But my ancient fire dragon loves sleeping. If it's forced awake in the middle of its sleep, then its waking temper gets very bad. Very bad, in fact."
Mars unwillingly threw her last two Poké Balls, releasing two Yanmega.
Gouging Fire threw its head back and roared. Scorching flames hot enough to melt steel exploded across its body.
You dare disturb my sleep?
It had only just woken up, but having its sleep process interrupted was infuriating.
What it hated most in this world was anyone who would not let others sleep.
[Gouging Fire's anger reached its peak! It shifted from Good Mood into an Angry state!]
"Burning Bulwark," Hikaru said, then corrected himself with a grin. "No. Great Wrath."
The name Gouging Fire came from flame, piercing, carving.
A battering ram.
Great Wrath was essentially a Fire-type Outrage. The user entered a 2-3 turn state of Great Wrath, during which it would continue attacking with that move and be unable to use other moves, items, switch out, or flee.
However, if it was called through Sleep Talk, then it would not actually enter that locked state.
It unleashed violent fire and attacked in a crazed frenzy. Once the move ended, the user would become confused.
But in the distant past, the side effect of this move had not been confusion.
It had been obsession.
The two Yanmega were seized like chicks and mauled by Gouging Fire. The explosive burst of blazing heat left them horribly burned and badly wounded in an instant.
Any attempt at high-speed strikes was meaningless here. The ancient dragon was utterly furious from being dragged awake by Uproar.
Then it seized Mars herself. As she screamed, the ancient dragon slammed her down to the ground with a thunderous crash.
"Y-you...! I can't believe I lost like this!"
Mars screamed, her hands shaking so badly she could not move. Her entire body felt like her bones had been crushed, and yet she still shouted at the top of her lungs.
"But you're not getting out either! I won't let someone like you interfere with the boss! The power plant is packed with bombs now, and our armed helicopter is still outside in the valley. The moment they trigger the remote detonator, this place is finished!"
"Half of Sinnoh's power grid will collapse! And you and I will both die in the explosion. Neither of us is making it out alive!"
"That's right. Even if I have to die with you, I won't let a powerful Trainer like you walk away!"
"You're certainly loyal to Mr. Cyrus," Hikaru said. "Is there something about him that fascinates you? Strange. Akari and Mai didn't have much overlap at all..."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Of all the commanders, Mars did seem the most emotionally obsessed with Cyrus. Compared to her, Jupiter and Saturn were much calmer.
As for Charon, he was just plain born to rebel. Nothing more needed to be said there.
In the Stark Mountain plotline, after being defeated by Dawn, Mars claimed she would go search for Cyrus, live as an ordinary girl, and somehow find her way into the Distortion World. Then she vanished. And then there was the whole "Do you hate me?" line.
Still, being a female villain opposing the protagonist was perfectly normal. Yes, she was pretty, and yes, she had a great ancestor in Mai, but that was hardly a legal defense for trying to flirt her way out of crimes.
"You think the explosion is still going to happen?" Hikaru asked.
"But I suppose I should be at least a little relieved. At minimum, you chose to blow the place up only after people had already left. Human life is always worth more than machinery. At least you understand that much."
Bombings.
Hikaru immediately thought of the anime, where Team Galactic had also bombed the Ironworks and planted explosives on Iron Island.
So yes, randomly using bombs everywhere really was just part of Team Galactic's basic setup. In that regard, they were even more unhinged than Team Rocket.
Compared like that, Team Galactic sometimes felt almost absurdly vicious.
And yet when it came to actually stealing Pokémon, they could be weirdly lazy and incompetent. The contradiction was striking.
Then again, Cyrus himself was a contradiction, so perhaps it was only natural that his subordinates were too.
As for stopping the explosion, Hikaru had immediately thought of another scene.
In Pokémon Adventures FireRed and LeafGreen, one of Team Rocket's Beast Warriors, Chakra, had planted ten Forretress on an airship and used them as the triggers for a massive detonation. Red tried persuading the Forretress not to self-destruct, but out of loyalty to their Trainer, they used Explosion anyway.
However...
Red's Poliwrath had the Ability Damp.
And the Deoxys clone traveling with Red used Skill Swap to obtain that Ability and suppress the explosion entirely.
"What do you mean the explosion won't happen?" Mars demanded.
"There's a river near the Valley Windworks. The Fuego Ironworks is nearby too. There are wild Shinx and Luxio all over this area. Do you know the ecological traits of these common Sinnoh Pokémon?"
"Luxray has eyes that can see through anything. The effect is similar to X-rays. With their help, every bomb location can be found."
"And nearby, there's another Pokémon that's practically everywhere."
"Psy?"
Behind Hikaru, and throughout the power plant, yellow ducks had appeared at the entrances of hallways and rooms without anyone noticing.
They waddled around with vacant eyes, swaying their heads as though they had been given some sort of order.
Or...
Sometimes they just stood there doing absolutely nothing except staring blankly into space.
Pinned to the ground, Mars looked at those wobbling little ducks and ended up wearing almost the same vacant look herself.
"Psyduck!"
"The Psyduck flocking along the waterways around here, standing around dazed all day. Their Ability is Damp."
"Do you know what that means? While a Pokémon with Damp is present on the field, Self-Destruct, Explosion, and similar explosive moves all fail. It even prevents certain detonation-style effects from activating. Even bombs themselves become unusable."
"If a bomb remains soaked in water for a long time or gets exposed to extreme humidity, the internal explosives become damp. Of course, damp explosive material is not exactly safe either. But one thing is certain: right now, they are not going off."
"That's impossible," Mars snapped. "Why would wild Pokémon listen to you? And Water-type Pokémon wouldn't walk willingly into an electric facility. What trick did you use?"
Hikaru only smiled and raised the Capture Styler in his other hand.
Even if he showed it to Mars, she would not understand it anyway. So instead, he tapped her lightly on the forehead.
It was not flirtation.
Because in that instant, Mars felt a massive psychic power gathering itself.
"The power of communication has already been disrupted," Hikaru said. "Psychic power can interfere with electromagnetic signals. I also have a very powerful Psychic-type Pokémon nearby. You just can't see it. So whether you're relying on radio detonation or manual detonation, it won't work."
"Why can psychic power interfere with communication devices? Want a little science lesson?"
"Do you know Kadabra? Saturn should have one."
"Kadabra's body emits a special alpha wave. Just getting near it can cause headaches. It possesses tremendous psychic power, and the greater the danger it faces, the stronger that power becomes. Every time it uses its abilities, the special alpha waves emitted from its body cause machines to malfunction."
"That's why psychic power can make machinery stop working."
Mars stared wide-eyed.
"Y-you... this power... you're not human!"
Hikaru laughed.
"Of course I'm human. This is only a kind of soul-cleansing psychic power. If you won't behave, I can make you turn over a new leaf right now. But for the sake of our shared ancestry, I'll let you experience just a little of it."
"It won't hurt, Mars. Just one second."
"N-no! Stop!"
Now Mars was genuinely terrified.
A powerful sense of danger surged through her. She realized that if she took that psychic hit, her heart and thoughts themselves might change.
But if that happened, would she still be herself?
"Haha. You really are scared. Nice expression. So there is something you're afraid of after all."
Hikaru withdrew his hand. It was rare to see such a lively girl as Mars make a face like that.
Still, another idea came to him.
"As for machinery, even if I explained it all to you, you wouldn't understand. But if Saturn or Mr. Cyrus saw it, they'd get it very quickly."
"So now... where should I send you?"
"In theory, criminals should serve time. But as a descendant of Celestica, I think it might actually be better to let Cynthia straighten you out."
"Of course, I have another option here. Want to hear it?"
"Cyrus... if you don't mind, I can tell you what Cyrus is really thinking. You've probably never felt his heart directly before, have you?"
"Do you want to get closer to him?"
It was safe to say Mars did harbor some kind of special feelings for Cyrus. Whether that feeling was love or worship was harder to say, but either way...
Well, yes, Cyrus looked older than he really was, but he was only twenty-seven. Still a man in his prime. It was not that strange for a girl to be drawn to him.
"A girl carrying unusual feelings is blind and intense. If you do exactly as I say, you'll get much closer to Cyrus's heart. So you're going undercover. It's your only way to make up for your crimes, and the only way you can save Cyrus."
"I can tell you Cyrus's real goal, and what his likely ending will be. You wouldn't want anything to happen to Cyrus in the end, right, Miss Mars?"
The line sounded a little strange, admittedly.
But for a female villain like Mars...
It worked disturbingly well.
"Oh, and by the way, your helicopter has probably already been shot down."
Outside the Valley Windworks, on Team Galactic's helicopter, a purple steel bug was crouched over the fuselage, alongside a very large Togekiss.
The two Pokémon exchanged a glance.
Genesect found a perfect firing position first.
The cannon on its back blazed with gathering light.
Sabotage?
This was exactly its field.
Team Plasma had created it for this very purpose. As a weapon, its power needed no explanation.
"Techno Blast."
The beam punched straight through Team Galactic's helicopter.
Togekiss moved immediately after, power surging around its body.
"Psychic."
That strike finished the helicopter off. Amid the terrified screams of the Team Galactic grunts inside, the burning aircraft wobbled through the air and crashed neatly into the nearby lake.
"It fell into the lake," Hikaru said. "No one should die, so you can relax. We're always very measured about how we do things."
"Of course, Jupiter will have to be dealt with by us. But you and she never got along anyway, so that's no great loss, right?"
Mars lay there in a daze. Hearing the explosion outside, she stared blankly up at the ceiling, pressed her lips together, spread her hands, and finally gave up struggling.
(End of Chapter)[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"][Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop][Thanks for Reading!]