I really hope that this is the last time I have to do something like that.
I tried my best not to wheeze as my breathing turned ragged from how fast Flamel had been going earlier. Remembering the special function that Mary had made for this suit just for me, I tried to press on the yellow button, only for my shaky fingers to fumble and fail. Fuzzy gave a few squeaks of concern as he reached me in an instant and pressed the button for me. Immediately, the hidden breathing mask sprang up and covered the lower half of my face over my nose and mouth. Breathing suddenly became so much easier.
My eyes cannot help but wander to the spot where the glalie was at earlier while I was trying to catch my breath. Even now, I have problems believing that we actually succeeded.
Secret Power, Flamel had sent it away to another pocket dimension with Secret Power. At this moment I cannot be gladder that Dad actually taught Flamel and I how to use this move. I don't want to imagine what would befall Volkner if it wasn't for us knowing Secret Power.
My eyes wandered further and I spotted Proton lying down on the ground in a bloodied and crumpled heap. Even without going up to check, I know that he is dead. From what exactly, I do not know.
Truthfully, I'm not sure if I want to know.
"Never allow them to meet, never allow them to awaken. If they do, our world is doomed."
It was with clenched fists and gritted teeth that Looker observed the scene taking place overhead Olivine. It's too late. If it was before, there might be a chance to prevent this from happening but the past is in the past. Things are no longer the same, the times have changed.
News is starting to come in from each and every city. Battles had been won, foes had been vanquished, reinforcements were on the way but this is one situation that even someone like him is unsure if reinforcements will be of any use. After all, they are going up against the legends themselves. In front of their might, numbers are mere statistics. He would know, he had experienced it before.
"You are good at this."
"I was forced to become good at it. Power, politics, I wanted nothing to do with them. I just don't want to see the world in ruin."
"Why?"
"You know the answer, so why ask?"
His trip down memory lane was interrupted when the world screamed in pain as Zapmolcuno unleashed their attack. Sparkles immediately transported him to safety with a Shadow Sneak and when they finally emerged from the shadows he was surprised to see Olivine still intact.
How?
He got his answer when he saw the massive steelix falling from the sky together with a team of steel types. He grimaced at the sight upon realising who these pokemon belonged to. The only reason why Olivine remains unharmed can only be attributed to Jasmine's interference. It is a miracle in itself that she is able to allow Olivine to come out as unscathed as it is, but miracles do not happen twice.
Something has to be done. He has to make a move, now.
The discussion that he overheard taking place in the radio channel that he is tuned into helped him make his decision. Shannon had said something about the birds needing a catalyst to even merge to form the Zapmolcuno in the first place. Their transformation is not yet stable. Destroy the catalyst and the transformation will come undone, that is the conclusion the brightest minds the world has to offer had arrived at.
In that case, he will do all he can to see it done. In fact, if his suspicions are right, he has a good idea what the catalysts really are.
He sent a mental tug at the shadows and Sparkles helped to bring him to where Shannon and the researchers are, allowing him to appear before them.
"L-Looker." Shannon whispered with a tremble in her voice. He acknowledged her words with a slight dip of his head.
"The transformation is not stable. There is still hope that we might be able to break them up before it's too late." Fuji pointed out as he held up a handheld machine in his hand, the one which they refer to as HEAD. "This HEAD here is now specifically tuned to detect any possible energy readings that might be linked to the Birds' transformation from earlier. Bill made sure of it."
Bill tossed one of the machines to Shannon.
"Shannon, take yours. I tuned yours to detect when the bird would fire off another attack of that level. You keep an eye on the energy readings and warn the frontlines if it is going to happen again. Can you do it?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Do you mind if I have that?"
He pointed to the HEAD that Fuji is holding. The old man passed it to him without a second thought. He received the HEAD and took a moment to familiarise himself in its usage. Thankfully, it is not too complicated for him to use.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"Track the catalyst down before the transformation becomes permanent. All is not lost yet, reinforcements are on their way."
"That is a legend."
He looked at where Elm was pointing. Zapmolcuno are still in the skies, raining destruction and unleashing havoc on the level of a world disaster.
"Team Rocket is not the only one with legends on their side. Have faith, for that is the only thing we can do right now. Please monitor the state of the Winged Mirages and warn the frontlines if an attack of that scale is about to be fired again. We still need more time to evacuate the city."
He left the research team with those parting words as Sparkles took him away to search for the catalyst. He may be the only one left that is able to do this, to save Olivine and the entire Indigo before it is too late.
It's the only thing he can do now.
"Don't worry, she will be alright."
Those are the only words I could say to Kayla as we handed a badly wounded Jasmine over to the paramedics we found.
Volkner and us had arrived at Olivine after finishing up what we have to do at Goldenrod, only to find that Jasmine and her pokemon had taken the risk and used their bodies to block the full might of Zapmolcuno's attack in order to defend Olivine and her people. They managed to protect the city, but at a huge cost.
Several of Jasmine's pokemon definitely did not make it out alive. Jasmine herself is in critical condition and Volkner nearly lost it when he saw the state she was in until Kayla snapped him out of the shock with a slap. Volkner is now throwing himself into battle against the legendary chimera, trusting Kayla and I to get an unconscious Jasmine to safety while he tries his best to defend the city his wife had risked her life to protect.
"Volkner told me to get in touch with Eusine, so that's what I will be doing right now. You?"
I took a few seconds to ponder over Kayla's question. The battle of Olivine raged in the distance and we could all see it from where we are at Route 39 together with the increasing number of Indigo forces gathering at our location. It's not like we do not want to join the battle, but rather, we can't.
We are too puny in the face of legendaries. Only people like the Thirteen Pillars might stand a chance, while ordinary Joes like us heading into the thick of the battle recklessly will only do more harm than good.
"The research team said something about needing to search for a catalyst, didn't they? I will assist in the search. My ghosts are the perfect candidates for the job."
"Right, their immortality and the ability to sneak around practically everywhere." Kayla agreed. "Then I'm off now. Be careful, you hear me?"
With that, we parted. The Indigo forces who had convened here from wherever they had originally come from were all also informed of the situation by Mr Fuji. Since none of us are able to help the Pillars at the warfront, we will do what we can at the backend to try and relieve the load on their shoulders as best as we could.
"Dolly, Wacky."
Dolly and Wacky emerged before me, their expressions uncharacteristically serious due to the severity of the situation we are facing. They might love it when things get chaotic, but even they do not perceive going up against legendaries as a fun thing to do.
"You guys know what to do. Spread out, search for what may seem like a catalyst that caused the Legendary Birds to fuse into that monstrosity, then report back to me."
My ghosts scattered as wisps of shadows as I headed for a random direction where nobody had not yet searched. Flamel galloped with me riding on his back, Kel and Rena running by our side. Kel is acting especially twitchy today, something which I attribute to her nature as a disaster pokemon with the ability to foretell disasters. Just by being in the presence of the Legendary Birds must be causing her natural instincts to go haywire and it must be taking a considerable amount of willpower on her part to not just heed her instincts and flee immediately. Her loyalty is really something I am grateful and admire her for.
Wait a minute.
"Kel, can your ability to foretell disasters be used to point us towards the catalyst?"
Kel gave me a stumped look, as though she hadn't thought about using her abilities in this manner prior to my question. After a few seconds, she gave a hesitant nod.
'Kel said that she can try to guide us towards somewhere nearby where she senses something that might relate to a disaster. However, there is no guarantee that there is where the catalyst may be.'
'It's still worth a shot.'
Decision made, Kel took the lead as we followed after her. I can tell that Kel is not at all comfortable with the idea of leading me to an impending disaster, but she knows that now is not the time to err on the side of caution because if we don't do something about the situation soon, nowhere will be safe.
It's either we stop the disaster, or Johto is doomed.
Archer isn't sure if it was through sheer dumb luck or other reasons that Steven Stone was there to stop him.
He isn't that arrogant to think that taking Olivine down will be that easy. There's a reason why the appointed Gym Leader of Olivine is Jasmine and not anybody else. As meek looking as she is, she is no pushover. Even Giovanni will face problems tearing through her defences although he is sure his leader will emerge victorious eventually.
No, what's worrying was why Steven and Lorelei were there waiting for him at Olivine. It's like they knew all along that this is going to happen and were there specifically to stop him. If that is true, then that means that there has been an information leak and he doesn't want to think about what that would mean for the organisation.
At least, he doesn't want to ponder about it right now.
The situation he faced there left him no choice but to beat a strategic retreat. The combined might of a Gym Leader, an ex-Elite Four and a future Champion is too much even for someone like him. However, their plans cannot be stopped here. Hence, he had decided to finally call upon the power of Kanto's legends to come to their aid.
It worked. Kanto's legends have been reborn and are now raining havoc down on their Johto oppressors. Olivine would have been razed to the ground if it wasn't for Jasmine, an unbelievably powerful hound-like pokemon that he had never seen or heard before, and Mewtwo.
What is Mewtwo doing here helping their enemies instead of them? No, scratch that, why and how is Mewtwo freed from the M2 Bind? What happened back at Indigo Plateau?
His thoughts were interrupted when a nearby shadow swelled and took form. Archer's dragonite growled and placed itself between him and the unknown threat, ready to take their enemies down.
They were in for a brief surprise when the ground suddenly erupted and rock spikes sprung up from beneath them in an attempt to kill them in an ambush, but it's nothing he and his dragons cannot deal with. The shadows enlarged to form a huge shadowy blob before bursting into countless smaller dark blobs, homing on them as they let out a piercing screech in their demand for blood.
Archer frowned at the sight. Ghost types.
Will-O-Wisps rained on them from all directions. Mixed in it are an assortment of random moves whose powers are too weak to even damage his dragons' scales but are no less annoying to deal with. A tyranitar charged right in the moment it appeared from the shadows and sent his haxorus flying with a single punch from the sneak attack. The tyranitar drew all attention to it from that feat alone, only for more pokemon to emerge from the shadows to assist the tyranitar.
Charizard, swampert, cradily, flygon, absol, nidoqueen, pangoro, scizor, lapras. What a diverse assortment of pokemon, is he up against a Generalist?
He applauds whoever was brave enough to challenge him, because just a single look at those pokemon and he knows that they are clearly no match for his dragons. What foolish bravado. Maybe the tyranitar might prove to be a problem, but just it alone won't be enough.
"Just take down the tyranitar, ignore the rest!"
His plan to take down the largest threat was foiled when his dragons instead directed their attacks towards the swampert, who braved the entirety of the assault with a well-timed Protect. It was then he spotted the tiny pachirisu riding on the swampert's head waving its tiny arms.
Follow Me. Smart move.
The rest of the opposing pokemon capitalised on that brief opening and unleashed their attacks, the power packed into it so huge that even he and his dragons were temporarily pushed back. He was startled when he spotted the shadows underneath them swirling slightly and he finally realised that he's being herded towards a trap.
"From below us! FLY!"
He jumped onto his charizard's back just as his dragons either took flight or directed their attacks to the ground underneath them. An army of ghosts swarmed out from where they were just a second ago and began their never ending pursuit. To Archer's relief, these ghosts are mostly young ghosts with not much strength behind their attacks. It would be a totally different story if all of them were trained ghosts and had reached their final evolutionary forms.
"Kill them all! Dragon Pul-! HOLD IT! ABORT!"
Archer broke out in cold sweat, thankful that he had decided to change his commands at the very last second, and was equally thankful when his dragons did manage to halt their attacks in time as per his command. The army of young ghosts continue to hound after them, fearless of death. In fact, it's like they were begging for him and his dragons to kill them all.
Archer knew better, he recognised the telltale signs of Destiny Bond anywhere. These ghosts had no qualms on taking them down at the expense of having their physical bodies forcefully scattered into wisps of smoke. They were waiting to bring them all down with Destiny Bond.
Archer clenched his teeth. These ghosts may be weak, but they are a pain to deal with thanks to their numbers and the fact that he could not take them down directly or risk a total defeat thanks to Destiny Bond. Whoever is commanding these ghosts may not be a truly powerful trainer, but he or she definitely possesses a crafty mind.
However, in the face of true strength, all of these are mere annoyances. If he cannot do anything about those ghosts, he will clear a path through the team of non-ghost type pokemon who might be stronger in power, but less tricky to deal with in terms of ability.
"Dragon Rush!"
His garchomp charged right ahead as the cradily whipped its tentacles about to snare it in place, the two pokemon immediately tangled in a wrestling match. His other dragons rushed past garchomp to meet their own foes in battle as his charizard trapped the armada of ghosts in a Fire Spin, confining them in a fiery cage to prevent them from interfering.
"Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"
With the opposing tyranitar and charizard preoccupied, there is little left to stop his gyarados from outright massacring their foes. His gyarados gathered the needed energy in front of its opened jaws and fired the attack within a second, only for a banette to materialise from out of nowhere and prevented that move from hitting its mark with a Protect. Where did that banette come from?
No matter.
"Crunch!"
The banette moved, its body flickering with Double Team just as his gyarados descended upon it with a nasty Crunch. Gyarados roared as it chased after the banette in hot pursuit as banette pelted Will-O-Wisps at gyarados, only for it to fail due to dragonite's Safeguard. Banette screeched as it planted a Curse on gyarados, which had Archer worried for a short moment before he brushed it off. A Curse planted from a banette of that level is nothing to worry about. It is leagues behind the likes of his dragons in terms of power.
"Let's end this farce, Outrage."
His dragonite answered his command and charged right into the thick of the battle, easily sending every single opposing pokemon flying back from the impact. The army of ghosts that were trapped in the Fire Spin finally freed themselves and rushed to their aid, only to quickly scatter when his kingdra retaliated with a Scald.
Dragonite's Outrage had succeeded in taking down a number of the opposing team of pokemon. The shadows beneath the fallen pokemon had quickly swallowed them up and presumably brought them to safety. His kommo-o kept up the assault as it met the swampert in a fistfight, who expertly sent kommo-o stumbling back with an Endeavour before following up with an Ice Punch. That swampert is surprisingly well-trained.
A red blur sent his haxorus stumbling before a tiny white blur latched itself onto haxorus' back. The pachirisu sunk its front teeth into haxorus with a Super Fang, eliciting a roar of pain from it.
Dragonite is still on a rampage, however, as its Outrage continues to take effect. The scizor barely withstood the full might of the second wave of Outrage and only survived the attack because a heavily injured lapras had intervened with an Ice Beam. The lapras soon disappeared as the shadows beneath it swallowed it too. Whoever is directing those shadows must have realised that the lapras could not battle for any much longer, and speaking of which-
"Draco Meteor! Flush the trainer out!"
Salamence released its draconic fury from the heavens as the attack laid waste to a huge area in front of him, bombarding all of the opposing pokemon in one salvo while destroying any possible hiding spots his enemy might be hiding at. His dragonite easily cleared the resulting dust kicked up from it with a beat of its wings, finally revealing his opponent.
A little girl?
The girl is riding on the back of a rapidash, beside her is an espeon and cleffa. The dome of Protect defending her from harm flickered before disappearing as her tyranitar, charizard, swampert, cradily, and scizor repositioned themselves around her.
"And here I was, wondering who on earth I was fighting against. Had Indigo run out of trainers to send to fight me? Relying on a little girl now, are they?"
The little girl didn't bother to answer his question. If she fears him, she doesn't show it.
"You were the one who caused the Legendary Birds to fuse into Zapmolcuno, aren't you? Revert them back."
Archer's eyes narrowed into a taunt.
"And if I say no?"
The girl's answer was conveyed by the army of ghosts still hovering around the battlefield as they charged right in. An oddly coloured gengar suddenly appeared within them and nearly succeeded in punching a hole through him if it wasn't for the quick reaction of his kommo-o.
Resorting to assassination? Trying to end the battle by taking out the trainer? Two can play at the game.
"Let's see how fast you can run, shall we?" Archer snarled before pointing a finger at her, catching the attention of his dragons immediately.
"Get her."
The girl's rapidash leapt off just as gyarados headed in with a Waterfall. The banette from earlier reappeared and fired a Thunderbolt at gyarados but instead received an Aqua Tail for its efforts, slapping it out of the air. Archer's charizard unleashed a Heat Wave which was matched by the swampert's Muddy Water, the collision of the attacks resulted in a thick fog of steam being formed almost instantly.
"Hurricane!"
Dragonite commanded the forces of mother nature to unleash its might at the girl. The rapidash which she was riding on made moves to evade the attack, only to find its feet sinking into the ground thanks to garchomp's interference.
She's not getting away now.
The girl's espeon immediately casted an impressive mix of Light Screen and Reflect within a moment's notice. He admits that he only knows one other person whose pokemon is able to outmatch that espeon in both speed and durability when setting up protective barriers with Light Screen and Reflect. Jacob's exeggutor is the very definition of a walking fortress with the expertise it wields over these two moves.
No doubt the little girl is talented to be able to train her espeon to such a level at such a young age. Sadly, this will be the end of the line for her. She shouldn't have gone against Team Rocket.
The espeon's defensive barriers held as the rest of her pokemon tried to dispel the Hurricane. It was in vain, however, as the Hurricane broke through the barriers in a few seconds, destroying them as though they were made of paper.
His expectations were dashed when that Hurricane crashed upon another barrier. This time, an invisible and incredibly hard barrier that is not the work of that espeon. From the looks on the girl's face, none of her other pokemon created that barrier too. That leads Archer to only one other conclusion.
A third party has arrived.
The temperature seemingly fell a little as a slight shiver crawled up Archer's spine, and Archer is sure that the cause has to be an unnatural one. His suspicions proved to be right when right in front of the girl, a growing pool of shadow started to swirl before it coalesced to take the form of a man, someone who Archer recognised.
"Agent Looker. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You know of me." Looker stated as he emerged from the shadows with seemingly no pokemon with him, putting himself in front of the girl and her pokemon. Archer would be a fool to believe that he came alone without any pokemon. The way he made his appearance earlier has to be an application of Shadow Sneak.
Archer let out an audible scoff.
"We would be a fool not to. Team Rocket does keep track of people and things that might pose a threat to us, you know?" Archer replied coolly as his team of dragons coiled and circled around him, ready to be unleashed upon his command.
"Oh? Do tell, consider me intrigued." Looker replied before turning his head slightly towards the girl, whispering something to her. Archer saw the girl frowned as she glanced back at him and his dragons, before looking back at Looker. After a short moment, she gave a small nod before quickly calling her remaining pokemon back to her side. In the next second, they disappeared with a Shadow Sneak along with the horde of ghosts that she had brought along.
Good riddance to those pesky ghosts.
Archer held out six fingers as he made his next statement, ignoring the girl's departure. She's unimportant in the grand scheme of things. In comparison, Looker is by far the larger threat that demands his full and immediate attention.
"Just like how the League ranked their threats from Level 1 to 10, Team Rocket does the same too for any person who might be a threat to us within the whole of Indigo. Do you know who the Level 10 threats to Team Rocket are?"
Archer began to count off the fingers on his hand as he started to list out names
"Lance Wataru, Professor Samuel Oak, Agatha Kikuko, Blaine Katsura, Pryce Yanagi, and finally…"
Archer's final finger slowly turned to point at Looker.
"You."
To Looker's credit, he didn't so much as twitch a single muscle.
"Now, I have no idea why even the Boss himself deemed you to be a Level 10 threat. The only reason he gave was that he is sure that you are someone who is very familiar with how Indigo works even if he doesn't know why. The only thing that we know about you is that you are a trainer on the level of a Pillar and someone whose identity is shrouded with so much secrecy that you might as well be the very definition of the word secret. We have been keeping track of you ever since we knew that you arrived in Indigo for the PWL meeting."
"Ah, that explains the stalkers I wringed out the other day when I first arrived at Indigo." Looker drawled out in a flat voice, looking very unimpressed. "If stalking me is all you can do to keep an eye on me then you aren't doing a very good job at it."
"Oh, there's no longer a need to. I no longer care what secrets you hold as long as you are neutralised." Archer smirked as he raised a hand into the air and his dragons tensed.
"After all, a dead man tells no tales."
The silent signal was given with a flick of his wrist and his dragons lunged. Looker stood unmoving as his shadows pooling at his feet started to swirl at a rapid speed. Archer's kingdra shot a Dragon Pulse at Looker only for it to be blocked by seemingly nothing.
A harsh wind imbued with chaotic energy brewed and pushed his dragons back. Archer's eyes narrowed as he recognised the Ominous Wind being used. This Ominous Wind is exceptionally powerful, possibly the strongest Ominous Wind he had ever seen.
Giovanni is right, Looker is a very large threat.
A sableye clawed itself out from Looker's shadows and put itself between its trainer and Archer's dragons. Archer's haxorus charged ahead to cleave the ghost type down, only to run face first into a wall of solid air once more.
"There must be another pokemon nearby! Search for it!"
His dragons got into action immediately as they tried to sniff out the hidden pokemon that had been defending Looker from all attacks. Looker's reply was an audible scoff as he calmly reached for his pocket and took out a single pokeball.
"Run them down, toxicroak."
A toxicroak emerged for battle and sent Archer's haxorus flying with a single powerful blow, too fast and strong for the dragon to properly defend itself before it was hit. Archer's Kommo-o greeted the toxicroak with its fist but the toxicroak physically stopped it without needing to budge.
The bad feeling that is starting to pool within Archer's gut started to grow after seeing that. That toxicroak is no normal toxicroak. The scuffle he had with the little girl could barely be considered a warm-up, Looker is the real deal.
He has to get serious.
"Charizard!"
A Flamethrower was fired in toxicroak's direction only for a Shadow Ball to intercept it before the attack could find its mark. A mismagius materialised from thin air and began to indiscriminately unleash attacks at anything within its vicinity. Archer's garchomp retaliated with a Crunch, only for an invisible barrier to get in their way once again.
Just what is that barrier?
"You have the catalyst with you."
Looker's words got Archer's attention drawn back to the enigma. Archer smirked before taking out two items from his pocket.
"You mean catalysts with a capital S?"
Two small objects are held in his hand, a sapphire crystal and a ruby crystal, found from the Dotted Hole on Six Island and Mt Ember on One Island respectively. These are the missing keys to unlock the true potential of Kanto's legendary birds. It is a part of Kanto's history that had been purposefully erased by their ancestors, fearing that the Winged Mirages would one day awaken to bring chaos to their land once again and that is why they sealed these two items on the Sevii Islands, far away from Indigo mainland.
Team Rocket had not only pieced that missing history back together, they managed to gather the two items needed to allow the Winged Mirages to come into existence once again after centuries of having their true form being forgotten by the world. Now, this legendary power is in their hands and is enacting their rage on Johto on Kanto's behalf. This power has been entrusted to him by Giovanni and is now his to wield.
"Hand it over." Looker demanded. "That is not something you should be playing with."
"Make me."
The narrowing of Looker's eyes was the only warning before his toxicroak lunged at Archer with a burst of speed. Archer's gyarados crashed into the toxicroak with a Waterfall, stopping the toxicroak in its tracks. In response, Looker simply took out more pokeballs from his pocket and Archer knew that Looker was finally getting serious in their battle. They are done testing each other.
A golurk met Archer's dragonite in a contest of strength as a chandelure dealt with his charizard and salamence in an aerial battle on its lonesome. A gengar joined toxicroak and mismagius on the battle taking place below as Archer's dragons met their adversaries with savage roars.
Throughout it all, Archer never took a single step nor gave a single order to his pokemon. He is simply standing there with his hands in his pockets and his sableye standing in front of him.
"Let's speed things up. Missy, Psywave."
The mismagius unleashed a powerful Psywave that had Archer's dragons staggering backwards. Archer's sableye finally made a move as it distracted the dragons with a Confuse Ray, allowing gengar and toxicroak to successfully land their attacks.
"Snap out of it! Kingdra, Water Pulse!"
Looker's pokemon were forced to scatter when kingdra returned fire with a Water Pulse. Archer's charizard and salamence pulled away from Looker's chandelure as their aerial battle took a temporary pause in favour of aiding the battle taking place below. Looker's chandelure is in hot pursuit, not allowing them to ignore its presence.
"Hypnosis."
"Dragonite, Safeguard!"
Dragonite's Safeguard was used just in time before gengar's Hypnosis found its mark. The ghost type pokemon wasn't deterred and instead began to fire beams of Dazzling Gleam at them. Charizard met the attack with bursts of flames, barely managing to protect the team from harm.
The swirl of shadows behind him immediately prompted haxorus to move. The sneak attack from Looker's sableye would have succeeded if it wasn't for haxorus' intervention and somehow, that feeble looking ghost is able to match his haxorus blow for blow even when the sableye species is never known for its physical strength.
Nothing about Looker made any sense, period.
Deciding that he had seen enough, Archer began to switch battle tactics. He had been playing too defensively and it is obvious that doing so is not going to help him defeat Looker. They need to start going on the offensive. This battle needs to end soon because while they have the power of Kanto's legends on their side, he needs to be there to give Zapmolcuno directions or all that mindless beast will do is to senselessly lay waste to anything in its sights before flying off. They still need Zapmolcuno's powers to conquer the other cities of Johto.
With that in mind, Archer did not hesitate to call upon the forbidden power of Mega Evolution. He had wasted too much valuable time. Team Rocket and Giovanni still need him to bring victory to Kanto.
His charizard roared and emerged from the bright rainbow light as a Mega Charizard X. Its vengeful blue draconic flames torched the earth with a simple breath, pushing Looker's pokemon back with ease. Looker's facial expression didn't change in the face of Mega Evolution, not even when Archer gave the next command to his dragons.
"Draco Meteor!"
"This is your uncle Giovanni. From today onwards, he will be the one teaching you about pokemon."
"Hello, Arawn. My name is Giovanni and I am a good friend of your father. I heard you like pokemon?"
Gigantic boulders imbued with draconic energy fell from the skies. Looker and his pokemon huddled together as a barrier or sorts protected them from harm. Archer's eyes narrowed. He needs to find whatever pokemon that is constantly protecting Looker and his team with those annoying barriers. Defeating Looker would prove to be impossible otherwise.
That idea flew out of the window when Looker decided to fight fire with fire. A bigger threat had emerged.
"Sparkles, let's go."
Sableye howled before charging right into the fray with the rest of Looker's pokemon following right behind. Sableye began to glow with the same myriad of rainbow hues and Archer knew that Looker had finally decided to utilise the power of Mega Evolution as well.
"Push them back! Don't let them get close!"
"Your father and I are embarking on a project, a project to save Kanto."
"Save Kanto?"
"Yes, son. Save Kanto." Arawn listened attentively as his father patted him on the head with a warm smile on his face. "Kanto is sick. Someone has to nurse her back to health before it gets any worse."
"Sick?" Arawn asked with a slight tilt of his head, feeling a little confused. The charmander that Giovanni had given him on his last birthday cutely mimicked his action from where it is standing beside him. He wanted a charmander simply because he wanted to be like their Champion, Professor Samuel Oak. Their Champion is their idol, their hero. Every kid his age all wanted a charizard like their Champion's monster of a charizard.
He is sure his charmander will grow to be a powerhouse too, because he is Arawn Jaecar.
His father gently pushed him along with his hand on his back, bringing him down to a secret basement where Arawn knows his father's friends gather to do boring secret adult things.
"Come, Arawn. Let me introduce you to our big family, SKIP."
He can tell that even his uncle Giovanni was taken by surprise by his father's words.
"Hold up, Elias, isn't it a little too early for Arawn to be involved? He's only a child."
Archer remembered the smile on his father's face as he gave Giovanni his answer.
"He is my son. I have faith in him."
A Mega Sableye screeched as it placed itself at the forefront of Looker' team, using its gigantic crystal shield to defend itself from the Dragon Pulse that was collectively fired in its direction, defending the rest of Looker's pokemon from harm with a masterful application of Protect. Amidst the rain of hellfire, the Mega Sableye suddenly shot itself forward in a burst of speed while making its advance with Protect still active, acting very much like a battering ram fired with the speed of a missile. That sudden move had caught Archer and his dragons by surprise and that moment of hesitation was enough for Mega Sableye to forcefully open up a path for Looker's team to charge through.
What kind of crazy move was that?
"Kanto has nothing to fall back on other than our precious stones. We cannot rely on natural resources to build up our economy. If we want to build a sustainable economy for Kanto's future, we need to think of another way."
"There must be something Kanto has that other regions don't. We just have to think harder."
A brief silence fell upon the room, silent enough for Arawn to perk up from where he was playing in a corner with his charmander to see what had gotten the adults so quiet.
"Children."
His father's voice broke the silence like a shining meteor that cut through the dark night sky. He saw how his father smiled in his direction before turning back to face his colleagues.
"We do have something the other regions don't. Our children, Kanto's children, they are our future, Kanto's future. So, we will invest in our future."
Kommo-o attempted to stop Looker's Mega Sableye with pure physical strength only for Looker's golurk to get in the way. Mega Sableye continued its charge, blocking the collective attacks fired by Archer's dragons and taking the worst attacks on behalf of the team. Archer's toxicroak slipped past the assault and lunged at Archer's kingdra, wounding it in a series of rapid strikes.
SKIP is amazing.
Even when he is nothing but an ignorant child that doesn't understand half the things the adults are discussing, he is still able to tell that the adults in SKIP are awesome. Even their Champion, Professor Oak, is here too! Professor Oak!
Even if it were just for a few years, the change SKIP brought about for Kanto is obvious. People are happier. There are lesser people suffering on the streets with nowhere to go. People are starting to be able to find jobs, to be capable of affording to have a roof over their heads. Children his age that were born from the bottom of the social ladder are starting to be able to smile happily and laugh from the bottom of their hearts because life is not as hard anymore.
So this is SKIP. He still can't believe that his father is one of those who is leading such an incredible group. Will he be able to become a member of SKIP too when he grows up? Will he be able to be as cool as these adults?
One day, he got curious, so he asked.
"Hey Dad?"
"Yes, son?"
"What made you want to create SKIP in the first place?"
"Because it's the right thing to do."
"The right thing to do?"
"Yes, son." His father smiled at him in his usual warm smile. "There are times in life where it seems like the whole world might be going against you, but if you know that it is the right thing to do, then do it."
"And how would I know if what I'm doing is the right thing to do?"
His father let out a thoughtful hum that showed just how deep he was thinking into the question before giving his reply.
"You will naturally know if what you are doing is the right thing to do because if it is truly the right thing to do, you will see it done no matter the cost, using whatever it takes."
Looker's Mega Sableye barely slowed down in its charge despite the barrage of attacks it was on the receiving end of. That crystal shield is simply too tough for his dragons to break through and Looker's pokemon are steadily getting closer with barely a scratch on them, all thanks to Mega Sableye defending them from all dangers.
"When I grow up I will join SKIP too! I'll be someone great! Just like you!"
His father simply laughed and fondly ruffled his hair with his hand.
"I'm sure you will, because you are my son."
Archer frowned when the battle didn't seem to be progressing anywhere. Looker and him are both stuck at a stalemate, neither of them able to overpower the other and claim a victory. Is Looker's objective to stall him? It doesn't seem like it. If anything, Looker should be more anxious than him considering that his objective is to stop Zapmolcuno while on the other hand, he can afford to wait it out to achieve Team Rocket's goal.
So what is Looker waiting for?
"Take Looker down! Dragon Rush!"
Archer's dragonite blurred in a burst of speed, aiming to run Looker down and reduce him into nothing but a smear of blood on the ground. His dragonite was stopped with a painful crash as it collided into nothing but thin air, again.
A Dazzling Gleam burst out from behind Looker and shot past his side, hitting Archer's dragonite with a force so strong that it sent his dragonite flying back from the impact. Dragonite never got back up.
Finally, he found the missing pokemon that had been causing them so much trouble.
"Garchomp!"
Archer's garchomp commanded the earth where the Dazzling Gleam was last shot from and forced it to rupture. A Mr Mime teleported itself to stand beside looker, its large hands still miming away and creating barriers that blocked the worst that Archer's dragons could throw at Looker's pokemon at every turn.
A Mr Mime, now that explains things.
Archer was about to give further commands to his team, only to feel a sense of dread when he spotted the smirk on Looker's face.
"About time."
He could not comprehend what had happened when it finally happened.
They were on the run all of a sudden. He could not understand what is going on beyond SKIP is now being labelled as a terrorist organisation and that the Indigo is hunting them down. His father all but locked him within the safest bunker within the headquarters they were trapped in, it is the only thing he knows of that can keep him safe. The League forces were already banging on their doors and it is taking everything SKIP has to keep them out for as long as possible. He could hear the cries, the shouts, the sound of people and pokemon alike dying in their valiant attempt to fight for their beliefs.
The people and pokemon that he had known and befriended in this short period of time, all of the people and pokemon that are part of the SKIP family are all dead or dying, using the last of their breaths to defend their beliefs.
"D-Dad... Don't go." He pleaded as he grabbed onto his father's arms. He could see the myriad of conflicting emotions in his father's eyes. He remembered how his father hugged him tightly. It would be the last time they would do so, the last time they would see each other.
"I have to. Someone needs to protect the fruits of our hard work from falling into devious hands."
"W-We can just work all over again, right? So s-stay here with me! Charmander and I can protect you!"
His father merely smiled at him.
"It's not that simple, Arawn. Certain things in life just cannot be worked all over again. There are things that you only have one chance in doing right and failing is not an option. I'm SKIP's leader, it is my duty to see things to the very end. Besides, I have you, don't I? I'm sure if you ever wish to, you can continue where I last stopped and I know you will succeed. After all, you are my son, my future."
His father left and never came back, locking him down in the bunker to witness everything go up in flames and smoke, leaving nothing but ashes behind. That following day, his deceased father was labelled a traitor and terrorist to the entire world, even if he only found that out very much later after Giovanni managed to find and rescue him from the wreckage, desperately holding on to the last straw of hope the entire time that somebody might have survived the destruction.
Throughout those dark days where he was trapped in the bunker, Arawn had prayed. He had prayed that his father was somehow still alive, had prayed that someone would come to save him and charmander because going without food and water for days was a tortuous experience that he doesn't want to go through ever again. He prayed that someone, anyone, could save him. His father, his hero and Champion Professor Samuel Oak, Agatha, Blaine, just….
Someone, anyone, to save him from the growing despair.
But nobody came back to save him. Nobody until his uncle Giovanni came looking, his appearance so haggard that it is evident that he had been searching for him for days. He was the only person to have held onto hope that someone had survived the blast and the only person to have reached out a hand to save him in his darkest times.
From that day onwards, his hero is no longer Samuel Oak, it is his uncle Giovanni. Thanks to his uncle Giovanni, he had survived, but his father, the man with the biggest and kindest heart that wants nothing but to do the right thing, had died a criminal.
This just isn't right. His father had done nothing wrong. All he wanted is the best for their homeland.
Archer watched in disbelief as his pokemon suddenly began dropping one after the other in rapid succession for no discernible reason. The only pokemon left is his Mega Charizard X, but even it is barely managing to stand. It is obvious that his partner is in pain but from what exactly, Archer has no clue. Whatever it is, it definitely isn't caused by a status condition, the Safeguard dragonite had put up earlier is still in effect.
Just what on earth had Looker done?
"I will rebuild SKIP."
He remembered how Giovanni told him that news one fine night. Ever since he lost everything he knew Giovanni and Alice had taken him in and raised him as though he is their own. Everything that he is now, it was only made possible because of them.
"But I won't call it SKIP. Instead, our group will be known as Team Rocket. Like a rocket leaving the earth to search for better prospects in other planets, we will be the rocket that propels the separation of Kanto from Indigo."
"I want to join."
He remembered his answer very clearly. It was spoken without any hesitation, loud and clear.
"We will be building a criminal organisation, Arawn. Do you know what that means? Once you are involved there's no backing out."
He cannot help but let a bitter smile show. Criminal? Legal? He had learnt a long time ago when SKIP fell that what is criminal and what's not is something that is decided by the victors. Kill for the so-called side of justice and you will be labelled a hero, kill for the so-called dark side and you will be known as a criminal when in fact, both acts are simply cold-blooded murders.
The only difference is that the victors have the power to rewrite history to justify their acts. It is such a simple fact.
"I know. Even then, I want in, because it is simply the right thing to do. Father entrusted his dreams and future to me. I will finish his work, I won't let him down, I will see to it that Kanto will be free. I will never let anyone experience what I went through ever again. If creating a criminal organisation is crucial to bringing peace and prosperity back to our homeland, then I shall do it. I will do it no matter the cost, using whatever it takes."
He smiled as he looked back at the person who he regards as highly as his own father, the person who is now his Champion and hero. No, he will make him the future Champion and hero of Kanto. He's the only person worthy enough to do so.
"Because this is simply the right thing to do."
Mega Charizard X roared in defiance and unleashed a Blast Burn in a desperate attempt to allow them to retreat but Archer had made up his mind. He will stay and see things to the very end, just like how his father had chosen to do.
Certain things in life just cannot be worked all over again. There are things that you only have one chance in doing right and failing is not an option. This is simply the right thing to do and he knows it, because right now all he wants is to see it done no matter the cost.
Using whatever it takes.
Someone has to protect his fellow Kantonians. No longer will they be exploited by their Johtonian oppressors. No longer will they live in fear of prosecution for trying to do the right thing for their beloved motherland. No longer will children experience the loss of his entire family like what he went through. No longer will any child need to grow up to be a murderer like him for trying to right the wrongs with an even greater wrong.
No longer will Kanto be shackled to the cancerous Indigo. Kanto will be freed today, one way or another. His life is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things if it means that their dreams could be achieved.
Looker's Mega Sableye blocked the devastating attack without suffering so much as a scratch on its shining shield. Mega Charizard X gave a loud cry of pain as the transformation from Mega Evolution was forcefully receded, turning it back into a normal charizard. Charizard fell unconscious with a loud thump as it finally succumbed to whatever was bringing it so much pain.
They had lost.
A hollow laughter resounded from Looker's direction and that got Archer's head snapping up in attention. Looker's shadows swirled as a new pokemon made its appearance, a cofagrigus. Looker's mismagius that had been missing after the start of the battle rematerialised alongside the cofagrigus, its high-pitched laughter joining cofagrigus' own.
"In case you were wondering, your pokemon were inflicted with Curse. I daresay that in the entire world, very few ghosts could match mine in the usage of this move. Very few can pick up the trace of Curse being inflicted by my ghosts. It is a very potent and dangerous move but when mastered properly, it is a move that allows mortals the chance to slay even gods themselves."
Looker began to walk forward, his steps neither hurried nor slow.
"You lost, Archer. You never had a chance to begin with when I became your opponent. Now, hand over the ruby and sapphire crystals."
"You think I came unprepared in the event that I lost?" Archer sneered as he released a lopunny for battle. Lopunny quickly used a Healing Wish, fully reviving his dragonite before fainting, its purpose done. Dragonite will be fast enough to get them out of here. The two crystal relics cannot fall into the enemy's hands no matter what.
"You think getting your hands on these crystals is enough to stop Zapmolcuno? You will be a fool if you think you can use these to control them. Destroying the crystals won't do a damn thing either."
"I know. All I have to do is to get Ho-oh and Lugia to direct their powers into the crystals to separate Zapmolcuno once more, isn't it? That's not a problem."
Archer's heart skipped a beat. How did Looker know about that?
Archer's mouth moved before he realised he was asking that question.
"Who are you?"
How on earth did Looker come across such information? It took him more than a decade to piece everything together and this man revealed it like he was commenting about the weather.
"No one important." Looker replied as his pokemon moved. Dragonite quickly retaliated and Archer hopped onto its back, more than ready to get out of here. Now that he knows that Looker is aware about the secrets behind Zapmolcuno, he is certain that these artifacts absolutely cannot fall into his hands or decades of hard work will easily come undone.
Dragonite flew off, only to collide into an invisible wall once more. Archer gritted his teeth as he glared downwards, spotting Looker's Mr Mime who is still miming away and looking at their direction with an infuriatingly smug grin on its face.
If he cannot escape, if the ruby and sapphire crystals falling into Looker's hands is inevitable, then he will do all he can to ensure that Looker can never separate Zapmolcuno ever again.
He dropped the two crystals into dragonite's opened jaws, who knows what it has to do next.
"Draco Meteor!"
Dragonite released a shower of meteors, the sheer draconic power reducing everything below into a wasteland. The crystals will be reduced to ash from the attack, there will be nothing left to revert Zapmolcuno back into its separated forms. If Team Rocket cannot succeed in conquering Johto, then they will use Zapmolcuno to doom Johto for eternity by reducing the entire region into a wasteland that will never be able to support life ever again. With Johto obliterated, Kanto will still achieve her freedom, even if the method employed is a catastrophic one.
He is willing to pay any price as long as Johto can never oppress his beloved motherland again. If it means erasing Johto from the face of the earth, then he will gladly do so.
The smoke and dust cleared, revealing Looker to be untouched by the attack thanks to his Mega Sableye blocking the attack for him. Looker is facing him with a wry smile on his face, and a look of horror spread across Archer's face when he sees Looker slowly raising his right hand to display just what he is holding.
The ruby and sapphire crystals.
"Good job, Mr Mime. I guess dragon boy over there had never heard of Trick before, huh?"
Mr Mime gave a condescending laugh before firing another Dazzling Gleam. Dragonite tried to evade the attack in midair, only to find itself trapped in an invisible cage made by Mr Mime without them knowing when they were caged in. There is no room for it to dodge Mr Mime's attack and once again, his dragonite was shot down from the skies. Archer crashed onto the ground painfully with a loud crack, and he is sure that he is suffering from more than just broken legs and ribs as he crawled out from underneath his unconscious dragonite with much difficulty. He could see the amount of blood steadily pooling around him at an alarming rate. He can feel himself weakening, fast, and he knows that he won't survive past five minutes with how bad that fall was.
Even so, he needs to try and make a last stand. If there is even a chance, no matter how small, he will have to grab it and destroy those crystals before Looker takes them away to stop Zapmolcuno. If that happens then Team Rocket would have really lost, for good, and that cannot be allowed to happen.
Five hundred years. It's been more than five hundred years, Kanto has suffered for long enough. Kanto must be freed today, there wouldn't be another chance like this after today. Failure isn't an option. He has to stop Looker using whatever it takes. Like his father said, certain things in life just cannot be worked all over again. There are things that you only have one chance in doing right and failing is not an option. To him, to Team Rocket, to Kanto, this is that one and only chance to free their beloved motherland from Indigo's evil clutches and the vicious cycle of oppressive exploitation.
His father's sacrifice, the deaths of his SKIP family, and many other nameless heroes who had given up their lives all to make this possible, he cannot let them be in vain. For everything that they had believed in and fought for, for his family, friends, and comrades.
He must succeed.
A shadow loomed over him, prompting Archer to look up in his bloodied and weakened state. Looker stared back down at him, his facial expression in his usual neutral blank, and Archer cannot help but ask this enigma that same question once again.
"J-Just who… are you?"
This level of power, the amount of information he knew but shouldn't have known, there's no way anyone could keep such a low profile across the world with the kind of skills Looker possesses. Archer knows very clearly where he stands among the elites in the world. He is someone who is solidly Elite Four level in strength and yet he has lost so easily. The entire fight had left him with a thorough, utter, defeat. Looker had made him look like he is nothing but a rookie trainer just starting out on his journey and that really begs the question of the true identity of this enigmatic man.
"Does it really matter?" Looker replied rhetorically as he pocketed the two crystals. "Although if you really want to know, the very first name I went by was-"
Looker's mouth moved and Archer felt like he had been struck by a thunderclap when he heard the name coming out from Looker's mouth.
"H-How…? T-This is just…"
"Impossible?" Looker completed Archer's sentence without so much as a blink of his eyes. "If you have truly seen what this world has to offer then you should know that nothing is impossible, especially when there exist forces in this world who can freely alter the fabrics of reality. You did piece out the legend of Zapmolcuno after all, didn't you? Likewise, I am who I am, that is a fact that will never change."
"Why? You… You-!" Archer trembled in shock and anger as he struggled to point at Looker with his broken hand, the implications involved with the name Looker mentioned laid out clearly within his mind.
"If… If you are really who you said… How… Why… This… THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! If you didn't... back then… T-This… You..!"
"Perhaps." Looker admitted. "I never regretted my choice, but it's not like I would have known that my decision from long ago would lead to this. If everything that happened today is indeed my fault, then this time I will make things right."
"Too late. Certain things in life just cannot be worked all over again. There are things that you only have one chance in doing right and failing is not an option. You failed."
"Did I now? Like how you dream of a better Kanto, I believe and dream of a better world. We are simply two sides of the same coin, fighting for things that we both believe in and are willing to die for. You want to fight for a better future for Kanto, I just want to protect the world that she loves so much."
Looker's eyes narrowed a little and with a flick of his wrist, his mismagius appeared right in front of Archer, staring right down at his face just a few inches away. Archer tried to move back, only to find that he couldn't.
No, not right here. He still has to ensure that Kanto is freed! He still has to make sure that Kantonians will never be-
"I truly sympathise with you, but for the sake of the world I will have to end your dreams and future here. Goodbye, Arawn. May you find peace."
The scream that followed was the last thing to ever be heard from Team Rocket's Executive Archer.