The Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp, the headquarters of the Indigo Rangers. It is a place where only the best Rangers from both the Kanto and Johto Rangers will ever have a chance to visit and strictly out of bounds to outsiders. There's no way I could even venture inside the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp under normal circumstances.
But clearly, the situation this time isn't normal by any means. Case in point, Looker and I are right outside the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp right now, waiting for Jacky and Amy to bring us in.
Yup, that's right, Jacky and Amy, two of the strongest opponents that I had the chance to battle against during my participation in the Ever Grande Conference. It was only some time after the conference did I know that they are both part of Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment. Not only that, they are both in the same squadron too, and they both didn't tell me about it until I happened to find out by accident.
The Rangers that could possibly help the interpol in finding out more about this mysterious Executive Plague of Team Rocket just so coincidentally happened to also be a part of Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment and also members of the same squadron in which Jacky and Amy are a part of. Thus, after knowing about this, I have asked Jacky and Amy to help Looker and I arrange a meeting with them.
Of course, Looker and Lance had made some arrangements on their end such that a meeting with those two Rangers within the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp is possible in the first place, but the Ranger Camp is impossibly huge. Furthermore, even if Looker and I are part of the International Police, a Ranger Camp like the one at Indigo Plateau will no doubt be filled with national secrets that Indigo wouldn't be willing to let know to the world. On our end, it will be reassuring to have Jacky and Amy to guide us around so that we will not get lost and waste time needlessly. On Indigo's end, they do not want us to go around snooping on things that we have no business knowing and might possibly jeopardise their national safety, accident or not.
"Skye Bale and Pyral Furnes." Looker mused as he went through the details of the two Rangers which we are supposed to find once more using his personal electronic tablet. "Both are capable trainers, no doubt. Skye is a Flying Specialist and Falkner's little sister, Pyral is the commander of the Black Squadron of Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment, a place where only the best of the best are accepted into their ranks. To think that the unknown Rocket who is quite possibly the Executive Plague that we are searching for could take them head on with such ease scares even me a little."
"But if anyone could share with us more details about that unknown Rocket, it's them." I pointed out. "Any bit of information that they could provide might end up being useful in taking him down."
"Let's just hope that's the case." Looker said with a sigh. It was then my eyes caught sight of two familiar figures walking up to us from behind the large gates of the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp.
"Vel!"
Amy was the first to greet me with an enthusiastic wave from behind the large gates and was waving Looker and I over. Jacky is speaking to the gate guards on duty in the guards office. Looker and I got close to Amy and she gestured for us to walk through the visitor gate and signed our entry with the guard commander.
"Hey Vel, miss us?"
"Maybe." I replied Jacky with a cheeky grin. Jacky let out a good natured laugh before turning to face Looker.
"And good day to you, Mr…"
"Looker. That's the codename I go by."
"Right, Looker." Jacky used a tablet at the guard office to check through what I assume was some sort of digital document that detailed our particulars as visitors in such a highly guarded Ranger Camp, alternating between reading whatever's on it and looking back at Looker's face, possibly confirming Looker's identity.
"First thing, welcome to Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp!" Jacky said with a jovial clap the moment we were done with the signing in procedures and verifying our identities. "Alright, I know the both of you are here for some top secret stuff, but regardless, there are some ground rules for the both of you to follow while you guys are in here. Strictly no photography and no recording and sending of any information regarding what you see or hear in this camp unless authorised. Both of you are to be accompanied by a Ranger of the 1st Ranger Regiment at all times during your time here. While you guys are in here, both of you are only allowed to have one pokemon outside to accompany you at all times and it must not be anything bigger than human size. Other than that, enjoy your stay here!"
Naturally, Looker and I agreed to the rules we were subjected to while in this place.
"This place is huge." I cannot help but state in awe while Jacky and Amy walked us to wherever we were supposed to find Skye and Pyral.
"I know, right!" Amy whined as she walked by my side. "I nearly got lost when I first came here too!"
"Actually, Vel, you and Mr Looker are in luck. You came here just at the right time." Jacky said with a grin. "Right now, Rangers from the 1st Ranger Regiment are both temporarily stationed here to practice for the upcoming Indigo's National Day parade. Our squadron is involved this year and that's why you are told to come here. Most of the time, our squadron is stationed at the camp at Violet City. Even we usually don't have the chance to visit this place, and we are members of the most elite Ranger Forces in Johto."
"Someone's ego is a little inflated, I see." I commented wryly, to which Jacky laughed it off. Truth to be told, Jacky is already plenty strong even for the standards of an Elite Trainer. The only reason that I beat him during our match in the Ever Grande Conference was through the sneaky usage of Baton Pass. I still doubt that I could beat him in a head on fight even till now, it's just that hard to visualise a trainer that is even stronger than him that is not at the level close to those of a Pillar.
"I heard that you are here to look for Boss and Skye, right?" Amy chattered excitedly. "Boss is really boring, but Skye is fun! She's a lot like you too!"
"A lot like me?" I asked, the puzzlement clear in my voice. In what ways am I alike to a person that I had never met before?
"You are Hoenn's Ghost Mistress-" Jacky started and his words immediately sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine that I'm sure is not the handiwork of the ghost types hiding my shadows.
"Please stop calling me that."
"And here in Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment, we have the Bird Whisperer!" Amy completed Jacky's sentence with a cheer. "Honestly, I swear you and Skye are the world's greatest mysteries. And don't think I forgot about what you did with your banette!"
"... What did Dolly do?" I asked in bafflement.
"The both of you tricked me!" Amy accused comically as she pointed at me with an equally accusing finger. "Nobody is supposed to be able to physically touch a ghost, but you managed to hug a banette! I thought that it was just another normal doll until I realised that it WASN'T!"
"Uh… sorry? Was that such a big deal?"
"OF COURSE IT IS!" Amy shrieked, causing everyone to cover their ears with their hands. "I thought that the banette you were carrying in your arms all along was a doll! Until Jacky said that you hugged a gengar! Which is not supposed to be possible! Which means that the banette doll was a REAL banette all along and I happened to look at it in the eyes which means that I am now CURSED and- mmph!"
"Alright, that's quite enough out of you, Amy." Jacky slapped a hand over Amy's mouth with practiced ease, as if something like this had happened too many times for him to keep count. "Don't mind her, she's just overly superstitious when it comes to ghost types, which is probably why she chose to be a Normal Specialist now that I think about it. Still, Amy does have a point. You and Skye are really alike in some ways."
"How so?" I asked in curiosity. "Skye is a Flying Specialist, right? I'm not one."
"Remember how we call her the Bird Whisperer earlier?" Jacky waved a finger at me with a knowing smirk as he said that. "Skye here has a very weird ability to talk to birds. Well, we say birds, but that's just because Bird Whisperer sounds a lot nicer than calling her Flying Whisperer. Skye just has a super strong affinity with flying types in general, not unlike how ghosts like you enough to allow you to physically touch them. Not only that, she can understand them so well to the point that she sometimes can hold lengthy conversations with them."
"She tamed an aerodactyl within… what? Only one or two hours?" Amy looked to Jacky for confirmation to which he replied with a shrug.
"No clue, but definitely within a single day. It's not supposed to be possible no matter how you look at it. It's a bloodthirsty aerodactyl we are talking about here."
My jaws dropped upon hearing that. Unnatural affinity towards flying types, isn't that one of the two remaining people the five of us were searching for? Our Johto counterpart, the Flier.
I have to meet Skye and have a talk with her in private. She has to be the Flier.
"In any case, here we are!" Jacky said in an upbeat manner the moment he brought us to a room which he said is a lounge specially reserved for Rangers above a certain rank. He opened the door to let Looker and I enter, and the moment we entered the room we spotted a bunch of Rangers lazing about in the room doing their own things. Some are playing billiards, some are playing foosball, some are playing video games on a large TV screen, some are simply reading a book or using their phones while lying on the bean bags haphazardly scattered around.
"SCORE!"
A loud cheer drew our attention immediately. Gathering right at the foosball table are a small group of Rangers, of which a female Ranger is having an intense foosball match with two other male Rangers. From the looks of it, she is doing quite well on her own against the two other Rangers.
"SHOW EM SKYE! SHOW EM WHAT WE BLACK SQUADRON IS FUCKING MADE OF!"
"Don't shout in my ear, Adam!" The female Ranger who has to be Skye hollered back while her hands were moving at a rapid speed in her intense foosball match against the two other Rangers. The sound of plastic hitting plastic resounded a few times almost every second and it didn't take long before another loud cheer was heard. Skye had scored another goal.
"SKYEEE! WE HAVE BROUGHT THE GHOST WHISPERER HERE TO MEET THE BIRD WHISPE-"
A cushion was thrown at Jacky's face at the speed of light. I have to admit it was impressive, I didn't even see Skye pick up the cushion and throw it at Jacky while she is still having a go at the foosball table. That was some really impressive reaction time.
"I told you many times to not call me by that damn nickname!"
And in just another second, she scored another goal.
"Hah! Told you guys that I wasn't joking when I said that I am undefeatable at foosball!" Skye declared with a trumphiant tone. "Who else is next?"
"Alright, alright, the Yellow Squadron will admit that the Black Squadron reigns supreme in the foosball department." A male Ranger admitted his loss graciously with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
"All hail Skye, the undefeatable foosball queen of Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment!" Another guy said with a loud cheer before bowing at her in a dramatic and old-fashioned manner. "How about the both of us go out on a date to celebrate your victory, Skye?"
A cacophony of whistles and shouts rang within the lounge upon the Ranger's sudden declaration. Suddenly, almost everyone in the room now had their attention trained towards the foosball table. The female Ranger looks pretty much unfazed, as though something like this is a daily occurrence.
"Sorry Rufus, but nope."
Another chorus of "Oooooh" followed. The Ranger named Rufus dramatically clutched at the area near his heart and fell down in an exaggerated fashion.
"Argh, my heart! Not another heartbreak!"
"Sorry you had to see that." Jacky apologised with a sigh. "That's just how Rufus is. He's a nice guy, but any lady that caught his fancy, he will ask them out, and Skye is pretty damn attractive in the Ranger corps for both her looks, personality, and skill."
"And even more so in a male-dominated organisation, I take it?" Looker commented with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Definitely. Just this morning we spotted her clearing out a bunch of confession letters that some Kanto Rangers gave to her in secret. Not sure if she burned them up in a blaze of fire or simply returned them to where they came from."
"Vel, you have to be careful when you are near Rufus, especially if you end up being with him alone somehow." Amy stressed as she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked at me in the eyes very seriously. "He had watched your battles with Jacky and I online and you had caught his attention too. There is also no age restriction in his eyes, so you better be careful."
"He's a lolicon?" I cannot help but ask with an uncontrollable shudder.
"When we asked he did say he doesn't mind waiting until you are of age. We are just not sure if he's joking or not." Jacky replied with a nonchalant shrug before hollering for Skye again. "SKYE! OVER HERE!"
Jacky's shout had now turned whatever attention that was on Skye and Rufus previously onto us, which is a little uncomfortable when so many seasoned Rangers are now looking our way.
"Oh, Jacky? Amy too? And who's that?"
"Looker and Velda, the ones that Amy and I had told you about before. They are here on official business as members of the interpol." Jacky introduced me and Looker to Skye before turning to face us. "Looker, Vel, this is Skye. I know you are supposed to meet my boss too but he's not here at the moment. I will go get him. Skye, you mind leading the both of them to Meeting Room Three while I'm at it?"
"Sure." Skye replied with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Looker, Velda. I'm Skye."
"Nice to meet you." I replied on behalf of Looker and I. "And please call me Vel."
"See you later, Vel!" Amy waved us goodbye as Skye led us out of the lounge. Before long, Looker and I were being led to another room on a floor above the one we were previously at, which I presume is the Meeting Room Three Jacky was talking about. I decided to keep the conversation going because if my suspicions are true, then I might have just found one of the remaining two holders of the seven titles.
"So, I heard from Jacky that you have a very strong affinity towards flying types?"
"Huh? Oh, that. It's not that big of a deal actually. If you have been living alongside flying types for as long as I have you would naturally be able to understand them and get them to listen to you." Skye dismissed my words with a casual wave of her hand. "Honestly, they are just exaggerating things and making a big fuss out of it. My family has been working with flying types for as long as I can remember and we are very accomplished in this field. Anything I did with flying types that my fellow Rangers viewed as impossible, I bet that my father and older brother could do it too."
"Oh." I replied in slight disappointment. So Jacky was exaggerating? Skye's affinity with flying types is more of an acquired skill rather than innate ability? If that is the case then it is really a downer on our end.
"Well, I've heard a little about you from Jacky and Amy. Pretty sure we had a brief conversation some time back when you called Jacky and asked him for tips about poison types but I don't think you remembered any of that. What did they call you again? The Ghost Mistress? Nice job beating Jacky and Amy, by the way. I saw the matches, you are skilled."
"Thanks." I thanked Skye for her sincere praise as Looker and I watched her unlock and led us into the meeting room. There's nothing much of note in this room, not like I would know what to expect in a meeting room used by Rangers in their own military camp.
As it turns out, Skye's commander, Pyral, is somehow a step ahead of us and is already in the meeting room. Looker and I got straight into business fairly quickly, asking them if they know anything more about the unknown Rocket which they had faced that is not written down in the reports.
"If there was one thing I did find a little odd, it's that it was a little too… easy to evacuate the people out of there."
"Can you elaborate?" Looker inquired when Skye spoke out with a hesitant tone when we asked if there was anything that they felt out of place when they were there during the attack on the Johto National Park. Skye simply pondered over the issue with a visible frown on her face before speaking again.
"The first explosion took place at the plaza where the prize giving ceremony took place, which was where I was at before disaster struck. People died due to the explosion, yes, but it's honestly not as many as I thought it to be. Many of us actually survived, like the bombs were not properly placed in the correct locations to maximise the casualty count. We were boxed in at the plaza, but it is also where the exit out of the park is the nearest and it was fairly easy to form a defensive perimeter given the geography of the area. It feels almost like… Almost like Team Rocket was feeling generous that day, as wrong as this sound because the death toll was still pretty high, but I personally felt that it could have gone a lot more higher."
Looker and Volkner are right. This is definitely not something you will find in reports. It was the right choice coming over here to find out more about the Executive Plague.
"And then the Rocket you are asking about, we met on more than one occasion. I had met him twice and he was out to kill me both times, and he was serious about it. Like, duh, cos Team Rocket, but he… He simply defied all logic, you know? His houndoom is so powerful that it's not even funny. That kind of firepower is something you can only find from a Gym Leader, and then it can use Reflect and Light Screen. It's impossible for the houndoom species to do such a thing."
"Illegal experimentation, perhaps?" Looker wondered out loud. "If Team Rocket had experimented on pokemon to give them abilities that they otherwise could not naturally possess…"
"That Rocket had a zoroark." Pyral added. "It was hiding out of sight the entire time until we caught it. Unfortunately for us, it escaped our grasp in the end, and although it does not explain how the houndoom could use Light Screen and Reflect, it is something to watch out for and it might explain all the inconsistencies we observed. That zoroark played Falkner and I for fools, resulting in… You should know if you read the reports."
The loss of two Mega Stones. I remembered very clearly that it was stated in the reports that the zoroark used Thief to steal two Mega Stones, one from Pyral and one from Falkner. If Pyral is speaking in such a roundabout way in front of us it must mean that Skye is not privy to the secrets of Mega Evolution, so we will have to watch our words when it comes to this topic.
"I really would like to help in your investigations, but this is about all I can tell you outside of the reports." Skye said with a sigh before perking up again, as if hitting upon an idea.
"But I have an aerodactyl that most probably had prior contact with that Rocket before I came into possession of her. Do you have a psychic pokemon with you?"
"I do. I have an espeon." I nodded.
"Great!" Skye said with a delighted clap of her hands. "I don't know why I never thought of this before, but we can ask Aria questions and your psychic pokemon can translate for you what she is talking about! Maybe Aria would know things that I didn't!"
"That… is a good idea. Taking testimonies from pokemon who were witnesses for a crime scene are rare occurrences and are not usually considered solid evidence, but such arrangements are not unheard of because some pokemon are indeed smart enough to be considered valid witnesses if you get past the language barrier through psychic types. At this point, beggars can't be choosers, we will take whatever clues we can get." Looker admitted after some thought. After giving Pyral a silent look, Pyral nodded, giving us his silent permission.
"This meeting room should be big enough for your aerodactyl. Just tell it to not accidentally break anything here."
"Got it, boss." Skye replied to her superior before unclipping a pokeball from the belt around her waist. A second later, a majestic specimen of an aerodactyl manifested in a spacious corner of the meeting room. This is my first time seeing a live one in person and I have to say, seeing it up close like this does scare me a little. The fangs, talons, wings, jaws. Every part of the aerodactyl's anatomy screams predator to me. No wonder pokemon experts gave the aerodactyl species the title of 'Kings of the Ancient Skies'.
The aerodactyl looked around warily the moment it was released from its pokeball, eyes shifting around as if on a hunt and tail lazily swishing about. Its wings are tucked in and it would have opened them up if it wasn't for Skye going up to it immediately and held a finger in front of its eyes, catching its attention and transferring all of its focus to her.
"Ah, ah, Aria, focus on me. Please do me a favour and not break anything here. We are not on a mission so relax. Keep your wings tucked and tail movements to a minimum. We just have a few questions to ask you and then you can go back to sleeping in your pokeball."
The aerodactyl gave a low growl in return, immediately doing as it was told. Skye rewarded the aerodactyl by scratching the underneath of its jaws with her hands and the aerodactyl playfully nudged its trainer with its head, actually enjoying the moment. Looker and I looked on, a little stupefied that this docile pokemon here is actually an aerodactyl.
Aerodactyl, docile? How did Skye manage to tame such an infamously vicious pokemon and make it act like a little puppy in front of her? Even Kratos gave me a lot of trouble as a larvitar until we finally humbled it enough to take orders from me.
"Don't look at me. Skye has always been like this when it comes to flying types. She's a bit of an anomaly." Pyral shrugged when he spotted the discreet glances Looker and I sent his way.
"Hey Vel, don't worry, Aria's not gonna bite. Release your espeon."
Upon Skye's reminder, I released Rena out of her pokeball. Soon, we began to ask the aerodactyl questions with Rena's help in translating the aerodactyl's words, as weird as it sounds and looks like. We weren't really privy to the exact conversation between Rena and the aerodactyl for obvious reasons, but the aerodactyl got agitated all of a sudden and its tail almost broke something when it suddenly swung about violently. If it wasn't for Skye the meeting room might have been utterly trashed.
"Aria! Calm down!" Skye said as her hands clamped down on the aerodactyl's jaws in a shutting motion, reminding the prehistoric predator to not destroy the place we are in. The aerodactyl calmed down quickly enough, although that does not stop it from making angry noises. It is huffing mad about something.
'Rena? What happened?'
'It took awhile for the predator to understand what I was trying to ask, but she confirmed that the three Rockets that you had identified at the Blackthorn facility, Cherrygrove Reserve, and Johto National Park are indeed one and the same person. The aerodactyl is very certain about this, saying that she will never forget how that Rocket looked, smelled, and even how he sounds like. He not only captured her brethren, but he also manipulated her with Hypnosis. The predator is very mad about that and made sure to remember everything she could about the Rocket so that she can tear him apart the next time they meet.'
'Anything else?'
'He has an exeggutor, gengar, and ninetales from what she remembered back at the facility before she was brainwashed. That part of her memories when she was brainwashed are still a little foggy so she wasn't of much help in that regard. However…'
'However?'
'The predator said something about overhearing the conversation the Rocket had with something he strapped around his wrist. I'm guessing it is something similar to the xtransceiver you wear, Mistress. In any case, she very clearly heard the Rocket addressing someone by the name of Rainer.'
Another Rocket to investigate. Rainer, this must be a codename. Doesn't matter if this can help us in the investigation of the mysterious Executive Plague, this is a new lead that we never had until now. Rainer definitely has to be high up on the Rocket's command chain. If we can apprehend him, things will go a lot easier on our end.
'Is that all?'
'The predator overheard the conversation between the Rocket's pokemon as well while he was distracted with his conversation with whoever he was talking to. His pokemon called him Jayce. That should be the name of the Rocket you are searching for. This is the extent the predator could help us regarding this issue.'
My eyes widened in excitement. This is it! This is a huge clue for us to track down the mysterious Rocket that is most probably Plague! Even if he isn't, this Jayce is definitely a Level 10 threat that must be put down at all costs due to his expertise in Hypnosis and its illegal usage. He must be taken out as soon as possible.
'Thanks a lot, Rena.'
'You are welcomed, Mistress.'
"Vel?"
"We didn't exactly get what we are here for, but we still got more than we could possibly ask for. We now very possibly have a name to pin onto this Executive Plague." I told Looker while trying to contain my excitement. This is it. We now have something that can potentially help us unravel the true inner workings of the upper echelons of Team Rocket.
We are now one step closer to saving Indigo, and also the world.
Looker nodded with a satisfied grin on his face before asking Skye and Pyral another question.
"Do any of you happen to remember what he looks like?"
"Regrettably, Falkner and I were too far away from him to see his face clearly. The Rocket was wearing a breton cap and a high collar shirt, effectively blocking almost his entire face from view." Pyral replied. We then looked to Skye.
"I only got close enough to see his eyes. Like Boss said, this guy hides most of his face from view in both our encounters. Sorry, I have nothing else that might help you guys in piecing out a face to pin to his name."
"In that case, just the eyes will have to do." Looker decided. "Do you still remember clearly what his eyes looked like?"
"There's no way I will ever forget it, you do not simply forget the looks of the person who nearly killed you twice. I still see his eyes in my nightmares sometimes." Skye said with clenched fists. Her aerodactyl gently nudged her with its head as if comforting her.
"That should be enough for us to do a partial facial composite. Luckily, I am skilled enough to do one on my own and I did bring along the necessary tools, so we can just do the facial composite here. If you like, we can get started now."
Skye readily agreed, eager to bring the person who had nearly killed her twice to justice.
Looker went to have a private conversation with Pyral after we finished what we came here for, probably for some super duper League related stuff that I am not supposed to know about, leaving me alone with Skye until they got their things sorted out. Knowing that I was a little awed by her aerodactyl, she brought me out to an empty training field for me to interact with it.
"Scratch it here, yes, here. Underneath her jaw close to the joint area between her jaws and neck. See? Aria is not as scary as it looks, right?"
I beg to differ, seeing as how the aerodactyl only shows such a docile side when Skye is around, but I decide to just keep my mouth shut. Besides, aerodactyl. I'm touching an aerodactyl.
"I can see why they call you the Bird Whisperer. You are really good at what you are good at." I cannot help but speak my heartfelt thoughts as I continue to scratch the aerodactyl at the sweet spot Skye had told me it loves to be scratched at. The aerodactyl is actually purring. Purring.
"I really should go strangle Jacky and Amy later. At this rate the whole world will know me by that stupid nickname." Skye grumbled, which elicited a laugh out of me.
"I can understand. I was once stuck with the nickname of Ghost Mistress. Didn't like it all that much too."
"Oh, yeah. I remember about your banette because Amy kept talking on and on about it. It left quite an impression on me." Skye said with a large grin. I got a little lost in my thoughts again. Is Skye's ability to easily tame flying types really totally attributable to the fact that she is born into a family of Flying Specialists? No matter how I look at it, the fact that she can get the aerodactyl to be this docile within hours after obtaining it is a little crazy for anyone to believe.
Alright, the leap of faith. I hardly knew anyone in Johto but Skye is currently the most likely candidate that I know of who might be the holder of the Flier title. I just have to seemingly "accidentally" drop a hint of knowledge about something everyone who came from my previous world would know.
"Dolly's actually really friendly too." I kept up the conversation as my mind whirled at a mile a minute. "If Dolly's a male I would name her Casper. Casper the friendly ghost, got a nice ring to it."
I mentally facepalmed as I continue to help Skye's aerodactyl scratch its sweet spot. That is not something everyone would know. I need to try harder. I'm also really bad at this thing. Maybe I should just introduce Jarvis to Skye and see if she had the same reaction Volkner did.
"Casper the… friendly ghost?"
Skye's words got me to turn my head towards her, my inner expectations rising a little higher by the second.
"Uhm, yes?" I replied lamely. Crap, how should I continue this conversation? It will be so awkward if Skye isn't like one of us.
Skye's mouth opened and closed without any words coming out of her mouth, until she decided to just, quite literally, throw all caution to the wind.
"Do you… happen to… Oh fuck this. Are you reincarnated or something?"
This time, it is my jaws that dropped. What insane luck is this?
I have just found our Flier.
Character and pokemon list:
Velda Vera, Age: 13, Female, Pokemon Trainer, Runner-up in the 528th Ever Grande Conference
Pokemon on hand:
1) Rapidash (Flamel), male
2) Swampert (Bigblue), male
3) Banette (Dolly), female
4) Flygon (Snap), male
5) Absol (Kelsa), female
6) Charizard (Toothless), male
7) Cradily (Lily), female
8) Espeon (Rena), female
9) Pachirisu (Fuzzy), male
10) Tyranitar (Kratos), male
11) Cleffa (Joy), female
12) Nidoqueen (Ness), female
13) Pangoro (Hulk), male
14) Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless
15) Scizor (Archer), male
16) Lapras (Chill), female
17) Gengar (Wacky), male
18) Dusknoir
52
Skye is a fun person to be with. Pity that we don't have a lot of time to get to know our Flier better due to what is going on right now. Skye is busy with her Ranger duties while the rest of us are busy with interpol stuff. If we aren't, then we are busy preparing ourselves as best as we can be.
Volkner had taken it upon himself to train me up to snuff because in his words, I am still not good enough to be taking on international level threats like Team Rocket and I agree wholeheartedly.
However, he and his pokemon won't be free all the time and so when he isn't free, he gets his ex Head Gym Trainer, Kayla, to train me. According to Volkner, he will get Kayla and I to work together on the big day so it is also necessary for us and our pokemon to know each other better. To him, getting Kayla to train me in his absence is akin to killing two birds with one stone.
Today, both Volkner and Kayla aren't free, but Volkner's pokemon are around to help. So, Volkner had asked his pokemon to help train mine by letting them do things that he had his own pokemon do in their training regime.
Looking at the training regime Volkner had his pokemon go through, I will just say this.
It's insane.
Case in point, how long has it been since I last saw Kratos getting easily manhandled and beaten around as if he is still a helpless little larvitar? Like, sure, it was less than a year ago since he received the Fuzzy beatdown but to me it felt a lot longer than that, like it has been years since then.
However, seeing how Kratos, the strongest member of my team getting easily thrown around like a ragdoll by almost every member of Volkner's team (Yes, even his pachirisu) really showed us the difference between us and a team as expected from those of a Gym Leader. Scratch that, Volkner is definitely way more powerful than any ordinary Gym Leader, Flint and Lucian had told me that much. According to them, Volkner was already solidly Elite Four in strength even before his retirement and could only be stronger now. Is he already Champion level in strength? That, I do not know, but I won't be surprised if he really is.
Kratos does seem to enjoy the harsh training session Volkner's pokemon subjected them to, always getting up with a defiant roar no matter how many times he was beaten down into the ground. Most of my pokemon welcomed the extra training Volkner's pokemon had so readily offered on his orders. Volkner is still busy doing things that only he and a select few have the skills and capabilities to complete. Kayla is helping him in that regard even if I'm not certain how and what she is helping him with. Volkner trusts his pokemon to get the job of training my team done even in his absence, which goes a long way to show just how disciplined his team is and how much his pokemon respects him. This is something I never expected from someone as annoying and unlikeable as Volkner.
I am not alone. Akamu is also busy training his team whenever he is free. Volkner had said that Akamu does not need his team to help with their training since their combat styles are so fundamentally different, and also because despite the fact that Akamu's team is largely focused on support instead of direct combat, he is still a very powerful and skilled trainer in his own right. I never once doubted Volkner's words or Akamu's capabilities even Akamu and I had never battled or sparred with each other before. I have no doubts that Akamu's team of fairy types can easily beat the strongest powerhouses on my team even at their worst.
"Fairy types are not known for offense. In fact, fairy types have arguably the weakest physical offense among all pokemon typings but yet possess one of the strongest defenses against ranged attacks. From that alone it is not hard to see that playing offensive is not their strong suit, which leads us to one conclusion, that fairy types are at their strongest when fighting defensively."
Fairy Specialists are hard to meet, especially one as experienced as Akamu. He has been very helpful when offering me tips on how to better train Joy and specialise her in a more utility-based role rather than offensive.
"The cleffa line is a little bit of an outlier even among fairies due to its much more versatile movepool, but that is also what makes it so valuable as a fairy type. It is just too versatile for a fairy type and you can mould it to fit pretty much any role you want it to fit on your team. If you want my advice, I would say train it in the direction of a defensive battler that can support the team with a wide array of recovery and support based moves, because you already have a number of powerhouses on your team as far as I can see."
A loud crash followed by Kratos' defiant roar sounded out in the distance, further punctuating Akamu's point. I don't need to look at him to know that he was pummelled into the ground once again.
"You brought up a very good point." I replied as I held Joy in my arms, who like me, was attentively listening to Akamu's advice earlier. "I do already have a handful of powerhouses on my team and I even have a few saboteurs, but I lack pokemon that can really properly support and assist the team."
"I'd say your team is still quite well-balanced all things considered." Akamu said as he watched the ongoing training session with me. "I had wanted a clefable but the cleffa line is especially rare in any part of the world. You need more than just connections to get your hands on one. You are very lucky, Vel."
Akamu then examined Joy with a critical eye.
"I believe it won't take long for your cleffa to evolve into a clefairy, although nobody can say for sure because we know too little about their species as a whole. You might want to ask the experts like Professor Oak, Professor Elm, or Shannon when it comes to Pokemon Evolution. What I do know, is that if your cleffa does evolve into a clefairy, give it some time before evolving it into a clefable with a Moon Stone. Preferably a few months at the very least. Rapid evolution is not always healthy to a pokemon's well-being."
"That… is something I never considered." I admitted. "I will keep your words in mind."
Another ghostly shriek sounded out from somewhere near us, causing us to turn our heads in that direction. I cannot help but let out a frustrated sigh when I see dusknoir trying to bully the younger ghosts that are usually taking residence in my shadows, again.
'Rena, please call Archer over.'
Archer arrived almost immediately in a red blur, violently smacking dusknoir into a nearby tree and cutting its hands off as they dissolved into grey wisps of smoke. Dusknoir regenerated his body soon enough and answered Archer's actions with a bellow of challenge, ready for another deathmatch.
"You seem like you have problems trying to tame this particular dusknoir."
I cannot help but sigh.
"It just won't listen to me, and I thought I have a slight advantage when taming ghost types due to the whole reincarnation superpower thing. Guess it's not as effective as I thought."
"Not all pokemon and trainers are fated to be with each other. There are pokemon that I had wanted on my team but decided against in the end because our personalities and natures are just not compatible. It happens." Akamu reassured me before falling into deep thought.
"Dusknoir… If I recall correctly this species of pokemon has formidable defensive capabilities, especially so for a ghost type. It is the type of pokemon that I will want on my team. Its style of battling would fit right in here."
"Do you want it?" I asked, perhaps a little too eagerly. "If you do, I could just give dusknoir over to you. No trade needed."
"Let me give it a try first." Akamu answered as with a hand gesture, he quickly summoned his entire team over to his side. His team is largely made up of fairy types with a few exceptions. Carbink, shiinotic, comfey, klefki, sylveon, ditto, decidueye, dhelmise, delibird, smeargle, and an alakazam. Most of these pokemon are a rarity in the Hoenn region. I will be hard pressed to see any of them under normal circumstances.
Archer stepped back when Akamu walked up to take charge of the situation, more than willing to let the intimidating looking man take care of the troublesome dusknoir. Dusknoir eyed Akamu warily, smart enough to know that Akamu and his team of fairies is more of a threat to him than me and my team.
I have a feeling that Akamu taking ownership of the disagreeable dusknoir will only be good for all of us, including the dusknoir. After all, dusknoir's capabilities as a ghost type leans more heavily towards a more defensive style of battling, something that Akamu is an expert in. If all dusknoir wants is to grow stronger instead of travelling the world, then him being a part of Akamu's team will be more suitable than being a part of mine.
"I guess we just found dusknoir a new home, eh, Joy, Archer?"
Joy replied with a hum from where I am holding her in my arms. Archer is silent as per usual but there is no mistaking that amused gleam in his eyes.
Let's see how long it will take for dusknoir to be beaten into submission.
"So, yeah, I will need some help in this area because time is of the essence and I cannot possibly comb all three areas in such a short amount of time. I asked Looker for help and he pointed me to the both of you, saying that Lance had given him the green light too."
An obviously sleep deprived Nova approached us the moment Akamu and I were done training, saying that she needs some help in the task that she was given. Since Akamu and I are free, we agreed to help.
"Investigating Kanto's Legendary Birds? It's a little hard to imagine Lance would agree to having foreigners poke around with things regarding their legendaries."
"You are right." Nova agreed when Akamu voiced his concerns out loud. "But the situation now is unprecedented and there's no telling who is on which side because there's no real guarantee that the list of known spies the informant gave Lance is complete, as comprehensive as it is. The interpol members, aka us, are the rare few who are guaranteed to be clean and working for Indigo's interests while possessing the necessary skills to undertake such a mission."
Nova handed both of us a file of documents each for our perusal.
"To keep it short, our task is to reach the nests of the individual Legendary Birds. Once done, we will have to confirm that they are indeed safe and if they are in Kanto. If they are, good. If they aren't, then we will have to solve a puzzle to summon them back. The requirements to enter each nest are different, so please keep that in mind. Zapdos' would be the easiest to reach since it had shifted its nest from atop Rock Tunnel to the Power Plant about two hundred years ago, which means that its current nest is not subjected to the protection the ancient tribe provided it with, so it's very likely that whoever is going to find Zapdos would not need to solve the puzzle at all. The details of each bird and their nests are in the file, so look through them in your free time. My own investigations and what Indigo knows about these pokemon had led me to believe that their nests are located at Seafoam Islands, Victory Road, and the abandoned Kanto Power Plant, just like in the games from before. We will have to pick a place each and investigate them individually."
"Uhm, can I opt out from Seafoam Islands? My body really isn't suited to go to cold places."
"I can go to Seafoam Islands." Nova volunteered. "I'm a little curious about that place myself."
"So do you want to go to Victory Road or the Power Plant?" Akamu asked me and I took a few seconds to think about it.
"Power Plant." I decided. Victory Road is a place where absurdly strong pokemon reside in and I have no interest in going to a place like that while searching for a Legendary Pokemon. Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass. Power Plant it is for me.
"Then I will take Victory Road." Akamu confirmed our plan with those words.
"In that case, then we should set off as soon as possible, preferably today or tomorrow morning at the latest. We don't have much time." Nova reminded us once again about the urgency of this mission. "Eusine is handling the investigations of the Johto's Legendary Beasts and we are already a little behind schedule as it is. We really need to buckle up."
Thank god I brought along my goggles with me when I departed for Kanto.
That was the first thought in my mind after 15 minutes into flying across Kanto's skies on Snap's back. Volkner's gallade had very helpfully teleported us to Indigo Plateau, drastically cutting down on the travel time for Akamu, Nova, and I. From there, Akamu headed straight for Victory Road while Nova and I flew towards Seafoam Islands and the abandoned Power Plant respectively through flying on our pokemon's backs. As to why I'm glad I brought along my flying goggles?
Kanto's winds are crazily strong. Hoenn's winds felt so much tamer in comparison. Snap had no choice but to fly against the winds during our flight to reach the Power Plant and the cold harsh winds would have stung my eyes so badly if it wasn't for the goggles. Our flight is also a little slower because we are not used to flying against such a strong headwind.
It took us hours to finally reach the large mountain near Route 10 where Kanto's Rock Tunnel is located. From what I knew, just a little further down from here is the location of the abandoned Power Plant that I am supposed to investigate. Volkner had told me that he had been there before in his youth, but even he had never fully explored that place.
There is a somewhat interesting story behind the how and why Zapdos ended up making its nest here in an abandoned Power Plant according to Nova's investigations and the information provided to her through the Indigo League. In this world, modern electricity appeared around 200 years ago. As with all shifts in eras and modernisations, the initial appearance of something new would mean that people are still experimenting or fumbling around on how to properly manage and regulate it. The same goes for the appearance of modern electricity in this world.
The abandoned Kanto Power Plant that I am now heading to was built in such an era where the idea of modern electricity was just in its infancy stage. Kanto was the first region to build a power plant and back then, nobody had a clue on how building a power plant to supply electricity to an entire region would affect its surroundings and especially the ecosystem. Add that to the fact that this is a world of pokemon and electric types do run amok, in hindsight, it's not hard to see that something unexpected would occur.
To electric types, electricity is food. What would the emergence of a Power Plant at Route 10 mean to the wild electric types? To them, the Power Plant is practically a place where they can have their free buffet. It does not help that coincidentally, Zapdos' nest had always been located somewhere near Route 10 where the Rock Tunnel is also located. Even Zapdos itself views the large amount of electricity generated by the Power Plant as a free food source and decided to shift its nest here based on that factor alone, forgoing the protection the ancient tribe gave its original nest in favour of food.
Thus, just one month after the completion of building the Power Plant, the occupants within it were forced to abandon it when a large swarm of wild electric types flooded the area and took over the place, including Zapdos itself. According to Professor Oak, the presence of the Kanto Power Plant back then had severely disrupted the migratory patterns and wild pokemon distribution in Kanto as wild electric types from almost all over Kanto migrated to the Power Plant to make their new homes there. This is the reason why even till today, most electric types native to Kanto can all be found in the area around Route 10.
The failure to account for how the Power Plant would affect the ecosystem had also forced Indigo to draft up new laws, regulations, and countermeasures when building future Power Plants or similar infrastructures that are still in effect today. The other regions had also learnt from Indigo's mistake and put similar precautions in place when they finally started building their own Power Plants. Rumours have it that the generator of the abandoned Power Plant is still up and running, but nobody can verify that rumour because the route that leads inwards into the interior of the Power Plant where the generator is located is being zealously guarded by the electric types who have made their homes there. They are very protective of their food source.
I released Ness, Hulk, Archer, Joy and Rena out from their pokeballs the moment Snap touched down at the front of the abandoned Power Plant. For a building that had been built about two centuries ago and infested with wild pokemon since then, it is surprisingly intact. Sure, it looks rather run down and is in serious need of repair, but it is still standing and it doesn't seem that it will collapse anytime soon. That in itself is a miracle.
"Guys, I need your help to scout the place for us. Find us a way into the Power Plant where the generator is."
Like Nova had said, Zapdos' nest is no longer in its original location as stated in the ancient records. If I want to reach its nest and check on its status, all I have to do is to find where it has made its residence within the Power Plant. If it's obvious that it hadn't been around for a long time, then would I need to go where its original nest was and solve the damn puzzle in order to try and summon it back to Kanto.
My personal army of ghosts rose from my shadows with a resounding hollow cackle upon my words. They had gotten used to taking orders from me by now and like me, they love to explore new places. Not only that, the Power Plant is an abandoned building with plenty of dark and shadowy areas for them to hide in, an attractive place in the eyes of any ghost type.
The ghost types scattered and disappeared soon after I gave them their orders, eager to embark on their new expedition. It will take a while for them to return, so I decided to go explore the surrounding area with the rest of my team. The scenic view here is something to behold, maybe partly because of the fact that this area of Kanto is considerably further away from civilisation. Right beside the Power Plant is a river with running water so clear that you could almost see the riverbed if you peer into it. This is saying something considering that this river is definitely a very deep one. Then there are the surrounding mountains and the cloudless skies, giving the area a very rugged and untamed look, a stark contrast to how serene and peaceful it is at the moment.
If only the rest of the world is as peaceful as this place is now. Wouldn't that be great?
As always, my ghost types did not fail me. Through Rena, Dolly and Wacky had informed me that they had mostly explored the place except for one particular segment of the Power Plant where it is being heavily guarded by powerful electric types and causing them to be unable to proceed further in their exploration. I realised why Dolly and Wacky said that the moment they brought us into said area within the Power Plant through Shadow Sneak.
Electivires. This area is where electivires marked their territories.
Electivires are extremely powerful pokemon. However, they are rarely seen even among the hands of Elite trainers for very good reasons. For an electabuzz to evolve into an electivire, they need to fulfil two requirements. Firstly, the electabuzz has to absorb a tremendous amount of electrical energy in one go. Such an enormous source of electrical energy is something which is hardly available in the wild and even for electabuzzs in human captivity. Secondly, the electabuzz in question has to also be strong enough to withstand the sudden intake of electrical energy. If it isn't, then they will simply die from overloading themselves and result in a huge electrical explosion.
This problem had been mostly circumvented with the invention of the electirizer, an item created for the sole purpose of helping an electabuzz evolve by packing the huge amount of electrical energy needed into a single small box. Needless to say, such an item is also ridiculously expensive and hard to get your hands on due to how hard it is to produce such an item in the first place. Thus, this is why electivires are rarely seen in any parts of the wild, even in the hands of Elite trainers.
But, seeing as how this is a Power Plant that was initially created to generate electricity for the whole of Kanto, it made sense to have electivires prowling about here. The generator here has to be still up and running, that has to be the only explanation.
So now, we have a problem on our hands. If we want to continue with our investigation on Zapdos we will have to trespass on the wild electivires' territories and they are definitely no pushovers. Even experienced Elite trainers will have problems trying to deal with them and would most likely opt to turn around and leave instead of bringing the electivires' wraths down on their heads. That is not including the numerous other electabuzzs and elekids living in this area and the other species of electric types that marked their own respective territories in the adjacent segments within the Power Plant. Just one wrong move and every single electric type within the Power Plant will be out for my blood.
Urgh, Volkner should be the one taking this job.
There's no way that I can beat the entire electivire colony on my own when so many other trainers more skilled and experienced than me had failed, but my goal isn't to beat them. I just need to get past them to reach further into the Power Plant. I do have an idea in mind, but I am not too sure if Kel and the other ghost types with me are going to like it and I will have to recall the other members of my team for now.
"Kel, Perish Song."
That is the Plan A that I have in mind, making every single pokemon in the vicinity who heard Kel's Perish Song faint together with her. Thankfully, Kel isn't too fussy when it comes to the method used as long as we get the job done as a team. I really love her for her teamwork mentality.
Earth shattering bellows could be heard right after Kel had used her Perish Song and I knew that some of the wild pokemon here must have realised what was being used on them. I quickly released some of my pokemon out for battle. I cannot release my entire team because it is a little cramp within these dark corridors and I have no wish to bring down the entire Power Plant in our little spat. I am not going to be the one responsible who brings down the place where Zapdos is said to be roosting at. I am not suicidal.
Ness, Hulk, Archer, Lily and Bigblue appeared for battle and met the charge head on. Rena, Dolly, Joy, and Wacky stayed by my side as I recalled Kel back to her pokeball, cancelling the effects of Perish Song on her. With this, now the only ones affected by Perish Song are the wild electric types here and the various wild ghost types that were hiding in my shadows that I am unable to hide inside pokeballs.
"We just have to hang in there for about three minutes! Push them back but try not to wreck the place too much! This is Zapdos' nest!"
Bigblue took the lead and used his favourite Battering Ram combo, immediately creating distance between us and the angry horde of electivires and electabuzzs heading our way. Lily's tentacles whipped around as she quickly snared a few unlucky targets and sucked their energy dry within seconds. Like Bigblue, Ness put herself right at the frontlines thanks to her immunity to electricity as a ground type, easily smacking the electabuzzs about and holding her own against the electivires with help from Archer and Hulk. The five of them should be enough to hold the electivires back until the Perish Song takes effect.
As always, things never go according to plan. From right behind us are various other species of electric types converging onto our location. I'm not too sure if they are coming to the aid of the electivires or if they are simply here to fight. Either way, I have to make sure that they stay down until I leave the Power Plant.
"Alright, Plan B. Let's see what you guys can do."
The various wild ghost types gleefully emerged from my shadows and dashed on ahead to take down the voltorbs and electrodes heading our way. The ghost types had picked up quite a few things from my team when it comes to combat although they are not that strong individually. However, we are not aiming to win this battle. We are simply here to investigate the rumoured Zapdos nest.
And thus, when the voltorbs and electrodes unleashed an enormous blast of Discharge, my ghost types also very cheerfully used a Destiny Bond at the same time. It still weirds me out sometimes, how vengeful ghosts can be and the extent in which they are willing to win their battles at all costs, even if it means bringing their foes down with them using a suicidal attack.
The end result of the short fight with the wild voltorbs and electrodes is that the unconscious bodies of the various living pokeball lookalikes could be seen strewn about behind us while my team of wild ghost types could not be spotted at all, probably disintegrated into wisps of smoke from being in such close proximity with the earlier Discharge.
While I was formulating our battle plans before we sneaked in here, Dolly and Wacky had reassured me many times through Rena that even when they had dissipated, these ghosts will eventually find their way back to me no matter where I went after their bodies had regenerated. I know that my personal army of ghost types are definitely not dead, but still…
I focused my attention back to the front where my powerhouses are holding off the electivires and electabuzzs. They are doing well so far, which is a good thing. Three minutes are about to be up soon. It wouldn't be long before they succumb to the effects of Perish Song.
Like I had predicted, the wild electric types soon started to fall unconscious one after the other in a staccato of dull thuds, signalling the end of our battle.
"Sorry." I whispered to the numerous unconscious bodies of electivires and electabuzzs as I quickly made my way through them the moment they finally fell prey to Kel's Perish Song. I don't have a lot of time. The electivires are barely injured in the short fight so it wouldn't take them too long to regain consciousness and be back in action. If they do, this time they will really be out for our blood and I have no wish to tangle with them any longer than necessary.
"Dolly, Wacky, hurry."
Dolly and Wacky sped off ahead of us to scout out the route as the rest of us followed behind, with the rest of my pokemon surrounding me with me as the center. The abandoned Power Plant is a huge facility and even with the help from my ghost types, it still took us a fair bit of time to navigate this uncharted area of the Power Plant.
Wacky made his reappearance as he passed through a wall to reach us, gesturing wildly and talking in excited howls and cackles. It is times like this that I really wish I have the same 'mastery' of my gift that my fellow reincarnators also possess, to understand the language of the pokemon types that we are fated with.
For now, I will have to make do with Rena's translations.
'They found a room which fits your description of having a giant machine that produces electricity. Not only that, Dolly found many yellow feathers, which are most likely dropped from a flying type. That has to be where the thunderbird made its nest. Dolly is securing the perimeter for us right now.'
'I agree.' I nodded as we picked up our pace and let Wacky lead us to where he and Dolly had found what is most likely where Zapdos made its nest.
My eyes widened when we finally reached our destination. For some reason, something just does not seem right.
Dolly reappeared before me in a cheerful cackle. Right in her arms are a bunch of yellow feathers that she presented to me. They are short, in a glinting bright yellow that still have obvious traces of electricity sparking about. While they probably are not going to do Dolly any harm if she can easily pick all of them up without issues, I am not going to risk touching those with my bare hands. The human body is a lot more frail when compared to those of a pokemon. What may seem fine to Dolly may not be fine for me.
No, what had my full and undivided attention is the state of the large room where the generator is at. Like I had suspected, the generator is still up and running, but the state of the room…
It had been utterly trashed. Not only that, it has to be a recent affair. The holes in the walls, the destruction unleashed and had left their marks here on the floors, they are definitely recent. Maybe just a month or two ago at the latest and maybe a week or two at the earliest and no matter how I looked at it this doesn't seem like good news to me.
Someone, or someones, had reached here before I did. Not only that, if my fears are indeed true, then these people had not only bypassed the electivire colony -the strongest wild pokemon colony in this abandoned Power Plant- who zealously guarded this room, but also most likely fought Zapdos. It will explain why so many of Zapdos' feathers are lying about. The amount of feathers scattered about is too much for it to be normal shedding of feathers for flying types. These feathers have to be dropped during a huge battle. Zapdos has to have at least been injured, which will explain why so many of these feathers are lying about.
Shit. Now that I had calmed down a little, I could see a noticeable amount of splats of dried blood on the floor. I just don't know whose blood had been spilled. I also spotted a bunch of bloodstained yellow feathers lying around and I really hope that Zapdos is alright, because these feathers have to belong to Zapdos.
Looking at this, I am sure that even if Zapdos is alright and nursing its wounds somewhere out of reach of mortals, it won't be coming back to its nest anytime soon even if I solved the cryptic puzzle Nova had told us about. There is no way it will be heeding our summons anytime soon, at least not soon enough to lend Indigo its aid for the coming Rocket crisis.
"Jarvis, scan this entire room and record the scene here. Send it to Volkner and Looker immediately, now. Tell them that I suspect that it is very likely that Zapdos had done battle with someone or something here and that we should expect the worst to have happened. Dolly, help me store all the feathers you can find in this box, including those stained with blood. We are taking them back for investigation."
At this point, I can only pray that the worst I had feared had not happened, that Team Rocket had not captured Zapdos. If they really did that, then…
We are really in big trouble.