The Eon Academy [S.S. Wishmaker Side-Story]

[[Desolate Divine]]

Spiritwater Episode 12: Rise

Spoiler:

Chris slowed the motorbike to a stop, putting it into neutral, before turning the key back in the ignition, and stopping the engine. Before him, a few kilometres outside of the Goldenrod City boundary, was the Johto Regional Medium Security Prison. The area surrounding it was dry, with little plant life outside of some short, stiff grass, and the occasional sounds of Pokemon in the distance.

Chris considered bringing his motorbike helmet in with him, however quickly dismissed the idea. Whilst he didn’t want it stolen from the bike, the prison was not on any main road, and the only people coming here would be people who worked at the prison, or other people visiting. Even if one of them did steal it, there were enough security cameras around to dissuade any potential thieves.

He removed his riding jacket, knowing he’d be asked to remove it for a search anyway, as well as his backpack, leaving them sitting on the seat of the motorbike, though didn’t do the same with his Pokeballs. Whilst he didn’t think his belongings would be stolen, everything he had left on the bike was something he, as much of an inconvenience as it would be, could replace. His Pokemon however, were irreplaceable.

Before he left however, he grabbed a piece of paper from his bag, carrying it with him to the visitors entrance. He stood by the door, before pressing the button for the doorbell. A loud buzz could be heard, and after a minute, a uniformed prison guard arrived, before speaking to him through the perspex window of the door.

“How can I help you?” the guard asked, slightly surprised to see someone as young as Chris at a prison, which whilst wasn’t maximum security, housed people who were still considered dangerous criminals.

“Visiting,” Chris said, before holding the piece of paper up to the window. The guard glossed over his visitation application, and once he believed it was legitimate, opened the door, inviting Chris into a small locked room.

“Before we go any further, I will need to confiscate any Pokemon, before performing a search on you. Then you will be escorted by another guard to the visitors room,” the guard explained. “The Pokemon will be stored in a secure place…”

Chris grimaced a little. The last thing he wanted was to risk his Pokeballs being locked in a safe, and the lock jamming, or electronic lock failing. Though he had another reason for not wanting the Pokeballs placed where they would be under standard protocol.

“I’m fine with handing them over, I get it,” Chris explained. “But could you potentially just hold on to the Pokemon? One of my Pokemon is a Lugia, and I’d feel much more comfortable if it were in reach of someone trustworthy at all times…”

The guard thought this over, as Chris asked another question.

“Is your entire shift in here?” Chris asked, as the guard nodded. “What time does it end?”

“It ends in three hours,” the guard answered and Chris nodded.

“So you won’t have any reason to leave this room,” Chris stated. “There is no risk of them falling into the hands of one of the inmates…”

The guard remained silent, considering it.

“Please, you’d be doing me a massive favour,” Chris pleaded.

Finally, the guard relented, nodding. Chris handed him his belt, which the guard donned.

“If anyone else arrives, I’ll place it in my desk draw in the office,” the guard explained. “But I won’t lock them up.”

“That’s fine,” Chris said, as he outstretched his arms, submitting to a search. Once that was out of the way, and the guard processed Chris’ application, the guard called for another, who entered via a locked door at the end of the room, and escorted Chris through a corridor towards the visitors room.

The voices of prisoners, despite none being in view, were echoing through the halls, as well as the shouts and whistles of the guards in whatever rooms they were in. Finally, Chris found himself in an empty room, with a television on the wall, showing news of what was happening in Alola, consisting of footage from the attack on the Heahea Hospital the day before. Round, metal tables were bolted to the floor, with bench seats mounted to the central leg of their respective tables, and Chris, at his escort's prompting, found a seat at a table, before waiting.

A few minutes later, the door at the end of the room opposite where Chris had entered opened, as a guard walked in followed by Lance. Unlike when Jon visited Lance, he wore no handcuffs or chains. Despite his concerning statement at the hearing for the Eon Academy, Lance had behaved himself the last three years, and as such, was allowed to accept a visit from a family member without any restraints. However, both guards remained at their respective ends of the visiting room.

Lance sat down opposite Chris, and looked at his younger cousin evenly. Despite technically being the same generation in their family, Lance was almost twenty years older than Chris, being the oldest of the cousins, and Chris being the youngest. As such, Lance had much more experience battling, albeit Chris’ abilities had increased dramatically over the last four years, whilst Lance had not been able to battle with any Pokemon in that time. Chris now wondered, given his own growth, and having Lugia in his corner, whether he’d beat Lance in a battle…

“I watched your matches yesterday,” Lance said evenly. “I’m not sure why you settled for a draw. It’s the first match you hadn’t won since you got beaten at Christmas.”

“Well considering I tied against the person who beat me at Christmas, I’d still say it’s an improvement,” Chris retorted.

“Maybe you would have beaten her if you didn’t fall victim to the theatrics…”

Chris couldn’t help but laugh at that statement.

“Fall victim?” Chris asked. “That was the most fun I’d had in months, and I didn’t lose to Charlotte again, so I’d hardly say that makes me a victim.”

Lance went silent, and Chris, despite his laughter at Lance’s comment, was on edge about this whole situation he was in. He had never seen Lance at his worst, prior to his arrest, and at the same time, wasn’t sure how different four years in prison had made him. He decided, with guards at either end of the room, he’d test the former Indigo Champion. However, part of this was a test for himself. Despite butting heads with Jon, he still felt like he couldn’t do that with Lance.

“I mean, Charlotte was forcing ties with Jon at the start of our second year at the Academy, and as of last summer, was able to beat him easiest out of all of us,” Chris said. “Honestly, I think you’d even struggle to beat her…”

Lance’s eyes narrowed on Chris for a moment.

“If you’re not trying to win, don’t waste your time, your opponents time, and your audience's time. Doesn’t matter how much fun you’re having,” Lance answered, his tone matter-of-fact. “That’s why I had Dragonite sent to you. Because it doesn’t deserve to be spending its days in a Pokeball because I’m stuck in here, and having seen your battles this last year, I thought you actually were going to be a trainer worthy of battling alongside it…”

“You mean the same Dragonite that you gave to those thugs to attack the Eon Academy?” Chris asked, as Lance’s expression darkened. “S**t, did you know I was there when you sent them?”

Lance remained silent, so Chris asked another question.

“Hell, why would you want me to take it, considering in the wake of your humiliation, I sought out the person who stopped your plans from happening, and got him to teach me? And then, when his reputation grew, I helped him teach his style of battling to other people, helping his fame grow while you remained here, slowly becoming forgotten…” Chris asked. “Because you think you can manipulate me or something? I know for sure Clair would have sent Dragonite right back if you sent it to her…”

Chris’ own eyes narrowed, as he said what was truly on his mind. The reason he didn’t want the guard to put his Pokemon into the standard storage location, but hold the Pokemon himself.

“Or did you do it, hoping I’d be stupid enough to bring Dragonite here, and you’d be able to get a hold of it, and break out?”

Lance locked eyes with Chris, speaking with a dangerous calm.

“Dragonite belongs with me, first and foremost. Nobody can argue that. I captured it as a Dratini. I spent months trying to find one, and I raised it to be one of the strongest Pokemon in Kanto. Stronger than even Legendary Pokemon. Dragonite belongs with me…” Lance answered. “But I’ve spent four years here, and have another eight before I’d even be considered for parole. I’m not that damn proud that I’d make Dragonite wait that long to actually have a life…”

This surprised Chris, having known Lance’s downfall was in his pride.

“What about your other Pokemon? Aerodactyl, Charizard, Gyarados and your other Dragonite?”

“They’re with other associates. I split them up. I didn’t want to give more than one to a given person, and have them benefit from the work I put in to raising the Pokemon,” Lance answered. “And I reserved Dragonite for you, because you’re already strong enough that taking on Dragonite isn’t going to get you recognition you haven’t earnt…”

“You really think that?” Chris asked, shocked at Lance’s praise. Lance looked at Chris evenly.

“As much as I hate the guy, Jon’s taught you well. All of you. I got permission to see the recordings of your battles last year, against the College of the North Wind,” Lance explained. “I’m not that blinded by my opinions of him that I’d deny any skill you have…”

Before Chris could answer, his attention was pulled to the TV, where on screen, Giratina was battling what looked like a Lugia, albeit far larger than his with black hide and purple scales.

”6pm local time: Giratina battles Lugia shadow monster.”

“S**t…” Chris muttered to himself as he watched Giratina slowly get the upper hand.

“Typical,” Lance muttered. “Rayquaza doesn’t show when I’m recruited to battle it, but Jon happens to be there and catches it when it appears to fight Giratina…”

Chris said nothing, not wanting to risk giving away the fact Jon had captured Rayquaza three and a half years earlier, as Lance continued.

“I’d bet anything that he’s there working for the League,” Lance continued. “He of all people happens to be there when there is some group of witches attacking everyone. Coincidence, my a**...”

“He is,” Chris said quietly. “And I’ll be going there to help him tonight…”

Lance smirked, and Chris couldn’t help but see the patronising gleam in Lance’s eyes.

“Your Lugia is strong,” Lance said. “But against that, Lugia would come off second best…”

“I’m not going alone,” Chris answered. “And between the three of us, we might be able to help shift this.”

Lance smirked, however Chris couldn’t help but notice the guard standing by the door where Lance had entered from, jolt upright, seeing something at the door at the other end of the room.

“Well, this is convenient…” said a voice from behind him. “You can’t bring your Pokemon here, which makes our job easy.”

”We have a 2319-,” the guard Chris had noticed tried to say into his radio, before being hit by a spectral projectile, causing him to convulse on the ground. Lance was already looking up at the figure entering the room, and Chris turned to face the new arrivals. By the door where he, and they had entered, the other guard lay face down on the ground, with a blade sticking from his neck. Chris went to stand, however the person who spoke muttered an incantation, as another spell appeared ready at his hands.

“We need to take you alive, but if it’s easier to just knock you out, we will,” he said, as he entered the room properly, being followed by three more people. All of them wore hooded cloaks, which despite looking ridiculous in twenty first century Johto summer, concealed most identifying features of their face. He turned to one of his companions, and nodded to the door by the convulsing guard. “Seal it…”

One of the witches walked past Chris and Lance, muttering an incantation, and placing a hand on the door, locking it with Shadowcraft.

“Now this actually works out quite well…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

Dylan and Abbee stepped inside the shack, which was dark, with no windows, and the only natural light coming in from the door behind them. Victini, who sat on Abbee’s shoulder, hopped down, and walked around on his own feet, as Abbee and Dylan turned on the torches of their phones.

The shack itself seemed to be from a previous era. In two corners were a pair of cots, though both had their mattresses and blankets rotted through and eaten by bugs. There was a small fireplace, though given Alola still had relatively warm winters, Dylan wondered who would actually light it, though realised when he saw the pot hanging on a beam over it that it was likely for cooking. The floor itself wasn’t surfaced, instead consisting of hard stone, with various small rocks scattered across it.

“I think it’s an old rest stop,” Abbee explained. “For people travelling across the island, before Royal Avenue and Heahea City were developed.”

Dylan nodded, and began looking around.

“We’re looking for a diamond, and it’ll be a big one,” Dylan explained. “We start in the obvious places, then start getting creative. Tapping on wall panels and stuff. Looking for cavities in the furniture…”

Abbee nodded, and the trio began to search the cabin, however considering how simple and bare it was, the few viable hiding places were found, searched, and exhausted quickly. They spent more than the five minutes Dylan had asked for searching, and when it reached ten, Abbee finally spoke up.

“Dylan, I think we might be wasting time here,” Abbee said. Dylan shook his head.

“Why would Brianna go to the lengths she has to lock this place up if she hasn’t hidden anything here?” Dylan asked, and Abbee nodded.

“I agree, she probably has,” Abbee answered. “But think about it. She knows just as much about Shadowcraft as Agatha, potentially more. If she were going to hide something, don’t you think she’d hide it with Shadowcraft so that we have a snowflake’s chance in hell of finding it?”

“Then we keep searching,” Dylan said, refusing to let this be the end. He knew they were close, and didn’t want to beat Agatha, only to have Brianna become a bigger problem, because he gave up too quickly. “She’s a witch, sure, but she isn’t omniscient. The best she could do is make it invisible, which means it's still here…”

Abbee grimaced at Dylan’s obsession with beating Brianna, and knew she had to snap him out of this.

“Who’re Eon Squad’s strongest battlers?” Abbee asked.

“Jon,” Dylan answered simply, not looking up. “Then us…”

“Eon Squad are forming the front line, with Jon likely putting himself in a heap of danger,” Abbee said. “And while he’s doing that, we’re wasting time searching an empty cabin…”

“Abbee-”

“What if one of our squadmates is killed?” Abbee asked Dylan, her tone intensifying. “Do you want that on your conscience? Or on Jon’s? Or what if Jon is killed, because we weren’t there to have his back? Do you want to be the one to tell Alyssa her husband died because we were chasing another lead? Or tell Lili that her dad is gone? I can tell you first hand, nothing is worse than hearing that…”

Dylan faced Abbee, though remained silent.

“We don’t know that Brianna is an immediate threat. We do know that Agatha is,” Abbee said, calming down slightly. “And we know that we have an opportunity to stop Agatha, and we aren’t there making the most of it. We need to go…”

Dylan sighed, and at this point Abbee knew she had broken through to him. However, the victory was lost, when she saw a shadow cross Dylan, as someone stepped into the doorway behind her, blocking the sunlight from outside.

Dylan looked up, and saw over Abbee’s shoulder, standing in the doorway of the shack, Brianna Levine.

“You really should have just listened to her, Dylan,” Brianna said coldly. “You were right though. Agatha might be close to her goals, but I’m closer to mine. And you had no chance of stopping me, but now I can’t let you escape. So you really should have just listened to her…”

Victini moved between Abbee and Brianna and growled, however Brianna simply grinned, flicking her wrist towards Victini as a pale blue light launched from it, striking the ground a matter of inches from his feet, and causing it to freeze. Victini looked up at Brianna, then to Abbee and Dylan.

Dylan held eye contact with Victini for a moment, and Victini understood what he was wanting. He began listening in to Dylan’s thoughts.

”Tell Darkrai to wait for my signal…”

“Lucky for you, right now, I just want to talk,” Brianna said. “I’ve had to keep this plan a secret for a long time, and it is so liberating to finally be able to share it with someone, without worrying about them getting in the way…”

Dylan scowled as Brianna with a mocking grin, gestured to Abbee and Victini to step back. Silently, she raised her hand, and beneath Abbee’s feet, eight pebbles that had been scattered randomly on the floor began to rise.

“Are these the diamonds?” Dylan asked. Brianna shook her head.

“The diamonds are scattered all over the island,” she said, before snapping her fingers, and causing each of the eight stones to float in its respective place, glowing based on the amount of energy stored in each of their corresponding diamonds. “These just allow me to see how much energy each of them has stored. And thanks to your little war with that old hag, I only need two of them…”

Abbee looked to see two diamonds glowing much brighter. The one corresponding to the diamond in the vicinity of the Megamart, and the one close to Heahea City. All the others seemed dim in comparison.

“And the one from Heahea City, I already have collected,” Brianna said, before withdrawing a small stone from her pocket. She held it up to the sunlight that was pouring through the open door, which reflected off and refracted through the large diamond. “Now all I need to do is collect the one from near the Megamart when it isn’t crawling with creeps and your people, and I can perform the spell…”

“What spell?” Abbee asked, as Brianna grinned.

“Opening a gateway to another world, and bringing a being into this one, under the control of myself, and myself only…” Brianna answered. “Necrozma, devourer of all light…”

Brianna ended the spell, causing the pebbles to drop to the ground, and Abbee to jump in alarm at the sudden movement. Brianna giggled at the sight, before walking outside.

“Come, I have something I want to show you…”

Brianna exited the cabin, and giving Abbee a nod, Dylan followed her, Abbee and Victini behind him. As he walked out, and knew Brianna couldn’t see him, he quickly slipped a Pokeball off his belt, holding it in his curled fist, and doing everything he could to not draw attention to it.

“What do you want to show us?” Dylan asked, although not in the mood for Brianna’s monologuing, curious to know more of her plans, and thankful for the time it bought, since it was becoming obvious that she would dispose of them when she grew bored.

Brianna grinned before gesturing to Giratina and its opponent, who it had taken the upper hand over during their fight, though still battled ferociously to maintain that.

“After devouring enough light, Necrozma would end this battle with no hesitation, and no struggle,” Brianna explained. “Beyond that, our world can’t function without light. The plants that provide oxygen need it to grow. Even our own bodies use it as a source for vitamins. Then there are all the other things we use light for. Imagine a road at night, with no headlights, streetlights, or even moonlight. Pitch black darkness…”

“You want to take away the light of the world?” Abbee asked shocked.

“I don’t want to take it away. I want to control it,” Brianna answered. “If one being could control the light the world has access to, the way people control access to food, water, medicine, they’d be the most powerful person to ever live. And with the energy stored in this diamond, and the one I’ve hidden near that geriatric b***h’s hovel, I’ll have enough to summon Necrozma, end this battle, and control all…”

“See, I don’t like that idea…”

The voice was a new one, that seemed to have Brianna taken by surprise. All three turned around to find twelve hooded figures emerging from either side of the shack.

“S**t…” Dylan muttered to himself, as he realised just how dangerous of a situation they were actually in.

Brianna looked across the group of newcomers for a second, before regaining her composure.

“I should have known she’d still have underlings in Heahea City…” Brianna muttered. The leader of the group of witches grinned.

“We came back not expecting to see our base of operations half destroyed, and Giratina trying to kill whatever the hell that thing is,” the witch said, as his smile widened. “And as we came back, wondering whether there was anything we could do to even help at this point, we overhear some cocky b***h monologuing, and basically handing us our golden ticket on a silver platter…”

The twelve witches began to move around their prey, surrounding them. Dylan looked down at Victini, who, once he had noticed Dylan’s gaze, tuned in to his thoughts again.

”When I move, tell Darkrai to hit the one closest to me, and Abbee to follow me…”

“So here’s what’s going to happen,” the leader of the returning raid party said to Brianna, before walking up to her. “I’m going to kill whatever the hell that thing fighting Giratina is. And I’m going to use the energy in that little diamond of yours to do it. Whether you hand it over now, or I take it from your lifeless corpse…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

“You idiot!” Agatha screeched at Nicodemus, as the ground rumbled from another stray attack hitting the Megamart. “The Netherlink is on the cusp of completion, and now we have a demon trying to collapse this place on it!”

Agatha struck Nicodemus across the head, hitting with the palm of her hand across his head, and staggering him.

“I’m sorry! He offered to transform himself to lure Latios and Jon Drake out!” Nicodemus apologised. “How was I supposed to know that he’d lose his senses?”

“Did you honestly think that he’d keep them if he held nothing else of his previous form?!” Agatha yelled, hitting Nicodemus again. “I should smite you here and now for disobeying orders!”

“Please forgive me!” Nicodemus pleaded, falling to his knees. “I’ll do whatever you ask, to the letter! Just let me make this up to you.”

Agatha sneed before kicking the kneeling figure.

“You’re lucky you have a use to me…” Agatha said, before looking in the direction where Giratina and Hellshriek were battling. “I need to protect the Netherlink, and I can’t have Giratina getting maimed or killed in this battle. You go and help it dispose of your mistake…”

Nicodemus’ eyes widened at the thought of getting close enough to either of the rampaging Pokemon to help. He looked up at Agatha, who thankfully had stopped hitting him.

“Surely you’d be more effective supporting Giratina?” Nicodemus suggested. “You stopped Rayquaza yesterday and-”

“We risk losing the Netherlink because of your mistake!” Agatha screeched. “Do you expect me to trust someone else to maintain it when the building is falling down around us?”

“No…” Nicodemus replied quietly.

“Then stop wasting my time and go,” Agatha said coldly, as Nicodemus rushed to his feet, before Agatha could change her mind about being so gracious with him.

The pair stood in an office at the front of the building, which in its previous life, was an employee break room. Nicodemus had ran for the front door of the Megamart, as Agatha made her way through the massive store itself to the large doors at the back which led to the warehouse, which housed the various offices on the outskirts. The large room was relatively empty, with most people who had been on the premises now outside, watching the battle between Hellshriek and Giratina.

As she walked through the large aisle between two racks, Agatha saw three hooded figures walk past the end of the aisle, before noticing her, and stopping.

“Get out of my way,” Agatha said coldly. “I’m not in the mood to have my time wasted…”

To Agatha’s surprise, none of the hooded figures spoke, and instead, a Buneary and Furret stepped out from behind them, staring Agatha down directly. Confused, Agatha didn’t have time to speak, before hearing the cry of a Pokemon from the other end of the aisle, behind her. An Eevee.

Shocked, she watched in disbelief, as in a flash of light, the three Pokemon shifted forms, turning human, and staring her down as they had her trapped. However, after the initial shock at what she saw wore off, she realised there was something familiar about the three Pokemon turned human. It wasn’t until she thought about their Pokemon forms that she realised.

“The Diamond Ladies…” Agatha muttered in disbelief. “As far as the world is concerned, you three are dead…”

“We know. We kinda planned that,” Jarena said casually. “Actually really liked it too…”

“Until some old hag started rallying people here…” Violet added. “Had to come out of retirement, which sucked…”

Cassandra looked at Agatha from where she stood blocking her escape via the route she came, and looked past Avery, Abital and Jimmy where they stood wearing their cloaks, to see a door at the end of the warehouse.

“She was heading for that door,” Cassandra called out. “You guys go see what’s there. We’ll take care of her…”

Cassandra forced the confidence into her voice, for Violet and Jarena’s sake, but also her own. Honestly, she didn’t know that they could beat Agatha, but wasn’t going to admit defeat just yet.

“Agatha,” Cassandra called out, and the woman who appeared to be at least five years younger than her, but she knew was old enough to be her great grandmother. “We’ve got a score to settle…”

Jimmy, Avery, Abital and Luneth, made their way towards the door Cassandra had referenced.

“Do we know for sure she was going this way?” Jimmy asked, however Jirachi answered the question.

“I don’t know what it is, but something bad is down here, Jimmy…” Jirachi answered. “I don’t think she’d be going anywhere else…”

“Whatever is in there, Luneth and Jirachi are the best bet at dealing with it, right?” Avery asked, and Jimmy nodded in agreement. “Then in that case, we find whatever this is, and make sure it’s safe to leave Luneth and Jirachi with. Then the three of us go back out there…”

Luneth looked up at Avery, who noticed the questioning look and explained.

“Most of the witches are outside watching the fight, but Giratina is getting the upper hand, and if things get hairy between the Diamond Ladies and Agatha, the moment they hear a fight starting, they will have them surrounded, and you two as well,” Avery explained. “So once we know you’re safe enough working on undoing whatever it is Agatha has been working towards, we’re going out there and forming a defensive line…”

Abital nodded in agreement, remaining silent. Whilst he wanted to verbalise his agreement, he knew that the only person who could likely understand sign language was his spouse, and right now, didn’t want to occupy them as interpreter for, relatively speaking, small dialogue. Avery would have enough on their mind when things got more intense, without interpreting for Abital.

They reached what looked to be a large meeting room, with various doors on all the walls.

“Right,” Jirachi said. “I can feel it coming from the right…”

Following Jirachi’s instructions, they entered a large office, where a middle aged witch had her back turned to them, staring at what appeared to be a huge vortex of swirling grey clouds that sat above the desk.

“My Lady!” Gail called out, not having turned around, and knowing Agatha and a select few were the only ones allowed in here. “What’s going on out there?”

Abital grabbed Meir’s Pokeball, quickly activating it, as the Raichu materialised on the ground in front of him. Hearing the noise, Gail turned, realising it wasn’t Agatha who had entered the room, and began an incantation.

Abital tapped his foot on the floor twice in quick succession, and Meir, well trained for non-verbal commands, leapt forward, crying out as its large tail gleamed a steely silver, before striking at Gail in the stomach.

Having battled against humans before, when Abital had dealt with poachers on the job, the attack was not hard enough to do any lasting damage, but simply knock the wind out of Gail, which for a witch relying on verbal incantations, was devastating mid spell. She gasped for breath, as Abital leapt forward, slamming his shoulder into her, knocking her to the ground. Before she could regain her footing, he rolled her onto her stomach, using one knee to hold down one hand, and one of his own hands to hold her own behind his back. Using one hand, he attempted to sign rope, which Avery understood.

“Lucky,” Avery said, having heard the codename during their trip here. “I could use some rope. And some tape too.”

Jimmy was thankful that despite being abandoned, the shelves in the warehouse of the Megamart still seemed to contain various products, and as such, instead of producing the items, Jirachi should be able to teleport them from somewhere nearby.

A coil of rope appeared in front of Avery, floating in the air, as well as some tape, which they grabbed, helping to bind Gail, placing her against the far wall where they tied her to a pipe for the small heating unit on the wall.

With Gail out of the way, all present stood around the growing vortex, which already extended to the high ceiling, and seemed to be wanting to grow further. On the table were various items, which Luneth deduced to be reagents for the spell.

“What the hell is this thing?” Jimmy asked.

“It’s called the Netherlink…”

Jimmy turned, readying Pikachu’s Pokeball, and was surprised to see someone standing in the doorway, short of breath, that he vaguely recognised. It wasn’t until Luneth cried out that he remembered.

“Glimmer!” Luneth said. “Thank God you’re here! But what’s the Netherlink?”

“The portal to the plane that is the source of all Shadowcraft,” Glimmer explained, catching her breath. “That Agatha means to use to control the energy of the void, and saturate all in this world with it, making her effectively a god…”

Avery looked between Luneth and Glimmer, and Jimmy.

“We can’t do anymore here,” Avery said to Jimmy, as Jirachi floated out of Jimmy’s hood. “Let’s go keep the Diamond Ladies’ backs clear…”

Not comfortable with leaving Jirachi with this Netherlink though knowing Avery was right, Jimmy nodded. He looked to Jirachi.

“Keep me in the loop with everything that happens,” Jimmy said to Jirachi, who despite their circumstances, grinned.

“Do I ever not?”

Jimmy nodded, before following Avery and Abital out the way they came. They exited through the door Cassandra had pointed out initially, and in the distance, could see that the Diamond Ladies were still talking to Agatha.

“There are three entrances to this warehouse,” Jimmy said, having looked over the plans that morning with Triad and Luneth. “The entrance from the actual store, the roller door which was closed when we got here, and now, the hole in the side of the building from the two Pokemon fighting out there…”

The entrance to the store was to the south, with the freshly made entrance to the warehouse to the north west, and the closed roller door to the north, near the hole in the wall. Avery nodded in agreement.

“There’s a line where there aren’t too many shelves, probably where the trucks could park and be unloaded, lined up with the roller door,” Avery explained, as Jimmy and Abital remembered seeing it as they walked in the warehouse. “That’s our defensive line. I’ll handle the southern part of that, and stop anyone sneaking in through the store itself. Jimmy, you stay in the northern part, and cover anyone using that hole to get in. That way you’re near Jirachi if you need to go. And Abital, you handle the centre, and give hell to anyone who tries to slip past the two of us…”

Jimmy looked at Abital, noticing he only carried one Pokeball, that of Meir, who was currently beside him.

“Can Abital handle the centre part with just one Pokemon?” Jimmy asked. Abital grinned, before signing a quick response, which Avery translated with a grin.

“He says you aren’t the only one with tricks up your sleeve...”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

“Of all people to betray their own kind, I didn’t think it would be you three…” Agatha sneered. “I knew the League had traitors working amongst them, but why would you three side with them?”

Agatha, now that she realised just who had betrayed her cause from the very beginning, grew furious, even forgetting about the Netherlink she had been so intent on protecting a few moments earlier.

“Why would you side with the League, when their poster-boy tried to kill you? When they took away all that you had worked so hard to earn?!” Agatha yelled bitterly. “Why risk your own necks for a world that rejected you, to the point where your only option was faking your own deaths?!”

“To show them they were wrong about us,” Cassandra said firmly, though surprising herself with that statement, and even surprising Violet and Jarena as well. Whilst she didn’t necessarily hold a deep grudge against the world that rejected them like Agatha expected them to, she had simply grown to not care about that anymore. She had been content being separated from the world, living a peaceful life away from it all in the Starglade. Yet, when asked, and answered the way she had, she had only just realised maybe she did want to be a part of it all again.

“And to keep you from turning those who practise Shadowcraft without hurting people into the enemy!” Violet accused. “You ask these questions like you have some sort of sympathy for us? All of this is about yourself! It always has been! And you’d happily demonise every Shadowcraft user, after we’ve already given them a bad reputation, just for your own twisted means…”

“We’ve seen what Shadowcraft does to people. What it did to us. We were willing to trample whoever we had to to keep our fame and fortune. And looking back, it was all worthless,” Jarena added. “So what, when we hear of some old bag promising power to any Shadowcraft wielders who help her, you think we’d just do nothing? You're losing your senses Agatha!”

Agatha glared at the three of them, looking between Cassandra on one side, and Violet and Jarena on the other, finally settling her gaze on Cassandra, seeing her on her own and judging her to be the weakest link.

“When we lost it all, somebody had faith in us that we could own our mistakes, grow from them, and rise above them,” Cassandra said, her gaze locked with Agatha. “I didn’t believe him completely, and until now, I still didn’t. Own them, sure, grow from them, definitely. But actually rise above them?”

Cassandra couldn’t help but smirk. If a time traveller had gone back to when she was at her lowest, on the S.S. Wishmaker, and told her back then about this last week; saving people from various curses, fighting off evil witches who tried to hurt people for the fun of it, and now going toe to toe with the one at the head of it all, with the fate of the world resting on this, she’d have never believed it in a million years…

She knew she was getting ahead of herself, however, couldn’t deny the faith in herself and her two dearest friends that was growing as she said this.

“Today, the Diamond Ladies rise above their past! Nobody will be able to condemn us and have a leg to stand on,” Cassandra shouted. “And we do that by stopping you!”

Agatha grinned menacingly at Cassandra, despite her passionate words.

“It’s your funeral…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

“S**t…” Justin muttered, as he unclipped a Pokeball from his belt. The pair had found Chris’ motorbike parked out the front of Johto Regional Medium Security Prison, and gone to the visitors entrance, to find the door slightly ajar. Upon closer inspection, it was held open by a security guard, who lay dead on the ground.

“They probably pretended to be visiting, and once he opened the door…” Charlotte said, trying not to look at the mutilated corpse. It was unrecognisable of ever being human, appearing charred and melted. It still seemed to sizzle, indicating whatever spell they had used, it was only used recently. She had never seen a cadaver before, nor had Justin. Though Jon had killed the leader of the poachers that attacked them at the Whirl Islands, it was inside the boat, and he had made sure none of them saw it, though knew exactly how he had died, and the state he was in.

“Should we call the police?” Justin asked, though Charlotte grimaced.

“Even if we do, they’ll take too long,” Charlotte said, looking at the footsteps in the dusty path towards the door. “People have entered but they haven’t exited. There are no recent footprints leaving this door…”

“And they want Chris alive,” Justin added, to which Charlotte nodded in agreement.

“So they’re still in there,” Charlotte answered. “Though they’ll have no issue hurting him if he doesn’t come willingly. And he won’t…”

The pair stepped over the mutilated security guard, walking into the front room. To their left was a small office, and the main room itself had various posters on the wall.

’All visitors must surrender any Pokemon and personal belongings, before submitting to a body search, before visiting.’

“He won’t be putting up much of a fight…” Justin said morbidly, nodding to the poster. Charlotte saw it, before realising something.

“They wouldn’t have taken his Pokemon out of this room,” Charlotte said, looking to the small office on the side. She turned the handle on the door, and thanked whatever deity was watching over her that it hadn’t been locked. She didn’t particularly want to pat down the corpse of the prison guard.

“In here,” she said, walking through the door, and seeing a large, old looking safe at the other end of the room, which she determined would be where they store the Pokeballs of visitors. However, the safe didn’t seem to be closed. Justin entered the room, as she walked over to it, opening it and revealing it was empty.

“You don’t think they got his Pokemon do you?” Justin asked, however Charlotte looked once again at the safe.

“It doesn’t seem to have been broken into,” she said, before attempting to turn the dial on the front. It was hard to move, though it began to spin freely after a few attempts. “And the dial was stiff, which means it hasn’t been turned recently, because once I got it turning, it came loose…”

“So either, he took them with him, which is almost impossible,” Justin deduced. “Or the guard didn’t lock them up, which means they’re either here, or with them…”

Charlotte nodded, before looking to the desk, where a small TV sat on it. She approached it, before turning it on, and realising she was watching the CCTV feed from the visiting room. Chris and Lance sat at a table, with two hooded figures on either side of them.

“Look,” Charlotte said, calling Justin over, who quickly realised what they were watching.

After a moment, Charlotte began searching the room, whilst Justin grabbed the phone on the desk, dialling emergency services and asking for the police. Whilst they would take their time, it meant that he and Charlotte simply had to stall until they arrived.

“We’re at the Johto Regional Prison, just outside of Goldenrod,” Justin explained. “There has been a break in, and the visitation guard is dead. The attackers are holding those in the visitors room hostage, and will be attempting to abduct them. Send help immediately!”

Knowing that the operator would be telling them not to get involved, Justin left the phone hanging from its cradle, before helping Charlotte search the office, despite the protests of the operator calling out from the hanging handset.

Opening a drawer in a filing cabinet on the side of the room containing various pieces of paper, Charlotte heard a rolling sound, and quickly lifted some of the stacks of paper aside, revealing a familiar belt with six Pokeballs.

“Found it!” Charlotte said. “Come on…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

The sun was close to starting to set, as Jon and Willow arrived on Jon’s motorbike, having broken every single speed limit in place crossing the island. Latios and Latias had flown above the pair, as they sped through Heahea City, though with Eon Squad HQ being on the northern edge of Heahea City, with no direct route out of the city except down Main Street, it had taken them over an hour and a half to arrive. What they saw however, was shocking.

Both bloodied, Giratina and Hellshriek continued to fight, having decimated the landscape in their battle, as some of Agatha’s braver followers attempted to support Giratina in the battle.

“I don’t see Marshadow,” Willow noted, as she glanced over the battle. Jon nodded.

“She doesn’t know for sure we know about Marshadow yet,” Jon answered. “And it looks like Giratina is handling whatever the hell that thing is…”

Jon’s first thought was that it was some sort of Lugia, but the size and colour of it quickly dispelled that theory.

“It’s nothing natural,” Willow answered. “Some sort of sick creation of Shadowcraft…”

Jon nodded, before turning off the bike’s engine, and dismounting. Willow looked at him in some shock.

“Why are we stopping here?” Willow asked. “Every second we waste, is time that Agatha has to complete the Netherlink?”

“You said yourself that without Latios and Latias, she’d need two days. Even with them, still a day,” Jon answered. “Meanwhile, that Lugia thing is wearing down Giratina before I even step in the ring…”

“So you’re waiting for Giratina to beat it?”

“Not just that,” Jon answered, as he looked around. “I need to communicate with my allies who I believe are close to the Megamart, if not inside already. Last time I sent Rayquaza, it almost beat Giratina until Agatha got involved. I need to know that Agatha is preoccupied before we send in Rayquaza, otherwise she’ll just rock up and tip the scales…”

Willow nodded in understanding, as she dismounted the bike, removing her helmet. She was also all for this idea. If Agatha was preoccupied in whatever fight she found herself in, Willow fighting on the front lines became significantly less, albeit still, dangerous. Whilst she had no doubt she could handle Nicodemus herself, Agatha was on a whole other level.

“So how do we communicate with them?”

“They left something here,” Jon explained. “Something that I can use to communicate with them. If you can find it, I’ll tell you what it is…”

Jon knew Triad’s plan was to hide the star pieces, using markers only visible to those working directly against Agatha to reveal their location to any allies. If Willow could see the marker, Jon could say for sure she was safe, and reveal more.

“I got a message from one of my scouts before, who is currently getting into position closer to the Megamart to attack when the rest of the force arrived, with a photo of these allies at this very place,” Jon explained. “They were here, and they would have hidden them nearby…”

Understanding why Jon was being vague, but wishing he didn’t have to be, Willow nodded.

“You take the north side of the path, I’ll take the south,” Willow said, as Jon nodded in agreement, shocked that his partner in this final battle was none other than one of Agatha’s former lieutenants.

The sun lowered in the sky, as both trainers scoured their areas, Jon knowing what to look for, and telling Willow she will know for sure when she sees it. He honestly hoped she’d be the one to find it. Even if he did, and was able to communicate with the others, he’d still have that nagging suspicion about Willow, and didn’t want that sort of distraction, especially given his plan.

“I have no clue what we’re looking for…” Willow said to Latias after forty-five minutes of searching. “He talks about it like it's some sort of radio…”

“I doubt it is something that simple,” Latias responded telepathically, as she floated invisibly above Willow. “Maybe Shadowcraft you didn’t think possible? They have people who were removing curses all week at the hospital?”

Before Willow could respond however, she heard a familiar voice that sent chills down her spine.

“So the traitor returns…”

Willow turned to see the Gengar that had pestered her the evening before when she attempted to leave the Megamart. She glared at the Pokemon, who continued to hold its unnerving grin.

”I’ll deal with it…” Latias said.

”Don’t,” Willow answered. ”It doesn’t know for sure you’re here, and Gengar will be too difficult for you to stop…”

“I didn’t realise I had such a dedicated fan,” Willow said to Gengar with a patronising tone. Despite being annoyed by the comment, Gengar’s smile only widened.

“I’d say quite the opposite. Agatha was furious when she found out about what you did to Boris…” Gengar answered. “Fooling her, and wasting her time like that just added to the fury of your betrayal…”

“And you’re here to bring me back?” Willow asked, with audible contempt.

“Alive or dead, it doesn’t matter, as long as I bring back Latias…” Gengar answered. “And I think killing you would be enough to get her out of hiding…”

Willow responded by grabbing one of her Pokeballs, and sending out her Sableye. The Pokemon materialised, and sneered at Gengar.

“You really think that your Sableye would beat a Championship Pokemon?” Gengar asked.

“Agatha was a Championship trainer,” Willow retorted. “That doesn’t make you a Championship Pokemon…”

For the first time, Gengar’s grin turned to a scowl, and knowing she had rattled it, Willow gave her first command.

“Sableye, Imprison!”

Ever since considering leaving Agatha, Willow had been planning how she’d fight if she got caught. Not wanting to risk Latias in a situation like this, she’d come up with a quick plan that would give her an edge, and hoped her taunts to Gengar were right. She knew Agatha too well to believe she’d have let Gengar battle any way but exactly what she ordered. Now, Gengar would pay for it, battling without Agatha by it’s side.

Gengar had attempted to use Shadow Ball, however given Sableye’s Prankster Ability, Imprison had activated first, allowing Sableye to prevent Gengar using any moves that both Pokemon knew. And considering they were both Ghost Type Pokemon, that overlap was substantial.

“Now Sucker Punch!” Willow ordered, as Sableye rushed forward in a heartbeat, striking Gengar with its claws, before Gengar retaliated, this time with Sludge Bomb, as few of its Ghost Type attacks were working. Sableye took the hit, though shook the brunt of it off, as Gengar leapt forward, striking Sableye with Shadow Punch. However, this was exactly what Willow had planned. She had intentionally had Sableye get in first, to put Gengar on the offensive, and discourage it from using any status moves such as Spite.

“Payback!” Willow called out, as Sableye, now shaky on its feet, leapt forward, striking Gengar even harder considering the damage it had taken from Gengar immediately prior. The attack struck home, as Gengar was thrown back, and knocked unconscious.

”Nice work…” Latias noted.

”No time for that now,” Willow replied. ”If Gengar is here, others won’t be far away…”

Willow called Sableye back, before continuing her search, growing frustrated at what she couldn’t find.

”Willow, what’s that?” Latias called out telepathically. ”To the right…”

To the right, the trees became a little more dense, however in the fading daylight, Latias had seen a white streak of light contrasting with the darkening trees. Willow turned, seeing it, and knowing whatever it was, wasn’t natural.

“He said we’d know it when we saw it…” Willow said, albeit in a tone that anyone overhearing could assume meant she was talking to herself. She walked towards the streak of light, and as she got past the obstacles blocking her direct view of it, realised that it was an arrow and writing, written in white light that floated in the air.

”For our allies…”

Willow followed the arrow, looking at a small, messy pile of rocks that looked to have been placed naturally, and began pulling it apart, finding inside a red star piece. The moment she touched it, she felt a sensation in her mind, which immediately disappeared, like a phone being hung up.

“I think this is it…” Willow said. “Let’s get it back to Jon…”

It was after 7pm when Willow returned to the motorbike, where Jon had returned a few minutes earlier. The battle between Hellshriek and Giratina was slowing down, though Giratina seemed to have been restored by those present, using Shadowcraft to replenish its energy, and Hellshriek being on the fringe of collapse, and as such, battling more desperately and ferociously.

“I had no luck,” Jon said, his tone evident that he wasn’t thrilled about it. “What about you?”

Willow opened her palm, revealing the red stone.

“What is this?”

“Without going into secrets that aren’t mine to share, this stone was imbued with the power of an extremely powerful Pokemon, and allows some of its power to be used by the person holding it,” Jon explained. “Including telepathic contact with this Pokemon…”

“I felt something when I picked it up, but it got cut off…” Willow answered and Jon nodded.

“It probably didn’t know who you were,” Jon answered, taking the stone. “But it’ll know me, and I need its help…”

Jon held the stone in his palm, and felt a similar sensation to Latios’ own telepathy, albeit slightly different. Despite having not heard Jirachi, the sensation was almost like a different voice.

”Jirachi, it’s me,” Jon said. ”We’re here to fight, but we need your help…”


Justin Collins as drawn by johnrielduana