6:30 P.M June 26, Friday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events: The Preliminaries for the Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League have concluded; 105 Trainers and their Pokemon have advanced from Bronze to Silver. The celebrations finish tomorrow when the Summer Round Robin Cup will begin, to crown the best of each Tier among those that advanced. Rhea started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 18 Days (17 Officially;18 since getting Maya and Nova).

Nigel cursed his luck while hiding in the brush from across the shimmering pond of Shellder; this wasn’t supposed to be how this went, and just after he’d sabotaged the communication’s tower and rid himself of the Ranger in the area.

If only he hadn’t lost nearly his entire team in the Kanto League ambush they’d run into, then this would have been easy, but Ian, his Pidgeot, managed to sweep him away while the others bought them time—they all fought against this corrupt system. The propaganda the Leagues employed didn’t sway his convictions in the least—they were heroes, hidden in darkness.

It was rough on both of them, destroying the bond they shared through the Ultra Balls he’d used to link with his former partners—but they understood the risks of this job. Now they were in the hands of the Kanto and Johto League and would likely go through their re-education camp.

He reached over to pat Ian’s neck, studying the three young Bronze-tier girls across the pond while remaining camouflaged behind the brush; it reminded him of his misguided little sister back in Unova. I know, buddy … This poisonous pain in our hearts is just another reason we need to make Lord Ghetsis’s dream a reality. They understood why we needed to sever the link—those blood-suckers—if they used their psychic Pokemon, they could have tracked us down via our bond.

Ian bent down to nuzzle his head with his beak, gently rubbing away his tears; he didn’t like it but knew this was just a part of the resistance.

Look at them, Ian. Nigel sighed, watching the girls fish. Lord Ghetsis, save me … They brainwash them so young … Rangers, the hypocrites work alongside Trainers … Indulge in their fantasies for the profit—it’s disgusting, but these girls. I don’t want to hurt them, Ian … We need guidance … We’re running out of time, though, and that Cloyster is so much stronger than we thought.

His partner made a soft chirp of acknowledgment; his keen eyes pierced the water to follow the Cloyster, resting at the bottom of the deepest section. He expressed his own thoughts on the eventual conflict, forcing Nigel’s stomach to tighten.

I know … I know, buddy. Teleport is not something we ever expected or were told about. We can’t fail this mission, though! Everyone’s eyes are pointed elsewhere … We have to obtain the package at all costs before it can be corrupted—we need it for the coming war.

Ian’s ruffled feathers resonated in Nigel’s chest.

Giovanni’s granddaughter, though … If she’s here, and with her GPS being blocked … How long do we have until someone shows up? What’s more, she’s friends with this Cloyster, too … He won’t budge on his convictions either … We have to go through him. Lord, help us.

It was rough enough having to deal with the bothersome Ranger and block his means to call for support; Ian was strong enough to handle the Gold-tier Ranger’s partner Pokemon while Nigel took care of the man himself with a well-aimed bullet, but Giovanni’s family was something else entirely.

Giovanni himself put a shiver down his spine; his methods and obsession were legendary. It didn’t matter if he completed this mission and got away because he wouldn’t get far if he knew any harm came to his granddaughter.

If only we could just tell her to go, but they might get suspicious—a Ranger wouldn’t talk like that to someone with influence like Giovanni’s granddaughter. She might be questioning why I left Drew to look after her … Should I have left you, Ian?

The Pidgeot grunted; he had no clue how they should have handled the unexpected visit—he was the muscle. Although, Ian was still somewhat leery about Drew, a Pidgey, and their newest recruit. He had called out all of the Ranger-affiliated Pokemon in the area, allowing them to systematically take out the ones that would be troublesome—a necessary sacrifice for their better world. So far, his performance was exemplary, though.

With the sentries down, it wouldn’t take more than six hours for the Operator in the area to conclude something was wrong when the Ranger didn’t check in for his nightly report. The issue was if there were any Rocket operatives nearby, looking after Amira.

He took out his personal transceiver, operating on the sole frequency his jammer didn’t block, and contacted his supervisor. The holographic display of a blue-eyed man with a black mask covering his face and a headband around his thick mane of silver hair appeared.

Not a word exited his superior’s mouth as he waited for the report.

“Shadow, we’ve encountered a problem—the Cloyster guarding the package has been given a Teleport TM, and has likely been given personal training lessons from Kanto’s former Champion, Lyra…”

A lump dropped down his throat, causing him to clear his airway. “Also, Giovanni’s granddaughter just came to camp in the location after I completed the preliminary tasks—she plans to stay the night, and I’m operating on a six-hour limit—Giovanni may have a unit in the area to look after his granddaughter, as well. Orders?”

The man’s placid irises shifted to the left for a moment, likely looking at one of his brothers; Nigel waited for his orders, knowing they’d make the best decision for the grand picture their lord had foreseen.

Shadow’s gaze soon returned to him, and his deep, buttery voice was like ice in Nigel’s veins. “Kill the team, secure the package, and deliver it to the drop location; no one has their eyes on you, and we’ve added a false beacon for his granddaughter’s location on the river—frame the Cloyster. Trust our Lord’s plan…”

He paused, glancing to his right, and suddenly he was on the move, showing the background of Viridian City; one of his brothers spoke clearly and distinctly. “Our location is compromised; Gladion is onto us.”

Shadow’s focus returned to him. “Radio silence for the next forty-eight hours; complete the mission.”

The image cut out, and cold waves crashed over Nigel’s head; he couldn’t breathe for a time, feeling Ian’s acceptance settle in far before he could stomach the response. It was the Pidgeot’s gentle nibble on his ear that allowed the frozen air in his lungs to be released.

So … This is it, Ian—killing hypocrites and terrible people is one thing, but these impressionable girls—I suppose this is what Lord Ghetsis meant when he said our convictions would be challenged in ways he couldn’t expect.

Rubbing away the sweat from his temple as his blood pressure shot up, Nigel puffed out the stress in his breast, patting Ian’s neck again. No … No, I’m not doubting, bud … You know I’m not … It’s just … I’m resolving myself. It doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad for these girls … They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A quake rippled through his bones, and he could feel his heart coming undone—when looking at the three laughing teenagers, he couldn’t help but see Anna, his little sister—especially the blonde. Anna was kind of the teaching type, helping her friends with how to do outdoor activities.

She’d caught her first fish long before he had—why was his last memory with her fishing? It played on his mind while watching the girls dig through their packs, searching for ingredients to eat their big catch, unaware it would be their last meal.

A well-buried hope surfaced. Ian … Surely, it would be a big victory for Plasma if we can get them to join the cause. If we give them a chance, maybe we could have someone inside Rocket; surely Lord Ghetsis would be thrilled at that…

Ian narrowed his eyes, expressing doubt through their bond.

No, I know! Not all of them will join … Hopefully, but we have to at least give it a shot.

The Pidgeot sighed, his vision returning to the pool.

Our orders were to kill them … I know … I know, but if they’re a part of Plasma, then surely there would be an exception. We have to give them a chance, and they could even talk the Cloyster into joining us! No … I’m not justifying … I’m not defying the Shadow Triad; it may just not be necessary … I know they’re not Anna!

Ian shook his head, feathers ruffling; he was convinced it was pointless, but it would get them close enough to the girls for him to make it swift on both them and their Pokemon. No one was supposed to know who did this job.

Okay, yeah! We’re just giving them the option to help us out; if they accept, we can have their brains wiped and added as sleeper agents to further the cause when needed. This is the best option if it works!

His friend rolled his eyes, saying ‘if it works’ is the point of the discussion, which he thought was less likely than coming out of this next battle without scars—he was committed, though.

Having convinced Ian to at least give the girls the chance to live, he took a deep breath. You know I can’t go through this and … If I don’t even provide them with that—I couldn’t look at Julia in the face again.

Ian’s head lowered, thinking about his previous bond. Ian’s wife had given her all for the organization—for them—she and her Liepard had taken the brunt of an attack by N’s traitor group that had cost them their lives. He wanted to carry on her dream of making the radiant, holy world of genuinely free Pokemon a reality.

The shame of being unable to protect his love swept through his mind; he suffered the blame for not being strong enough, but if there was something he could do to redeem himself, it was fulfilling her ideals. Okay, let’s go over our strategies and contingencies for this Cloyster … I know, Ian—we need to carry on her flame. Trust in Lord Ghetsis and his plan … We’ll all be reunited in the end, in truth and light … reborn.

Steeling his heart for what he’d likely be forced to do, he spent the next forty minutes going over the possible Moves the Cloyster might employ and the strategies that went with Teleport.

When they finished, Nigel reached into his pocket to remove a locket he had made after Julia’s death; he smiled, firming his resolve while looking into her smiling brown eyes and black hair.

He could practically smell the fragrance of her silky locks and the tickling sensation he used to always wake him up when she rustled at night—he used to hate it; it was funny, really—heartbreaking—the things that reminded him the most about her were the things he hated.

Nigel’s hand pressed against his breast as a quiver ran through it, and he pushed back the emotions threatening to rise through his burning throat. We’ll meet again … We have to … Trust the plan.

Ian’s own heart was on fire as he shared in Nigel’s pain.

After another minute, he slowly moved to the edge of the thicket to join the Pidgeot; the Feebas seemed to be sticking beside the Cloyster, having struck up a conversation with him for the past twenty minutes.

The Pidgeot had been keeping a close eye on everything, and Drew kept up on his reports, determined to prove his worth to the cause. The girls were acting a little funny at first, but it was probably because of Mallory being so erratic.

Nigel was aware of the Unova girl’s family history, seeing as she had two active members in the Unova League, which made him somewhat confused at Mallory’s reactions. She seemed like such a fearless party girl in everyday media and was very vocal on social media, yet here, she was acting like a complete child, fearful of everything—it gave him hope they hadn’t noticed any strange behavior from him—it was hard acting like a hypocritical Ranger.

In the worst-case scenario, he’d need to kill the girls and pin all the local activity on the Cloyster—so long as no one looked too deeply, then it should be convincing. He wanted to throw up just thinking about jabbing their bodies with the Pokemon’s icicles, but for the greater good of the Pokemon world … he had to bear the guilt … for Julia and Lord Ghetsis.

Let’s go. We’re as ready as we’ll get.

Reaching down into a duffle bag, carrying a few of his supplies, he put the pistol on the top of the items; it wasn’t useful against any competent Trainers and their Pokemon, but opportunities always presented themselves for the overconfident. He could use the high-powered rifle, which was far more effective against anyone but Master Trainers, given their Pokemon’s general perception range.

Please, see the truth in this corrupt world … Don’t make me do this.

The girls were currently cutting up their fish and seasoning it; the blonde seemed to be leading the group in how to cook. He wanted to provide them more time, but a nighttime fight wouldn’t be to their advantage, and given they were under time constraints, he couldn’t spare even a minute.

Closing it up, he moved back to the small clearing with Ian; mounting his friend, they took to the air. The girls quickly noticed their descent and put their items to the side to gather in a group with their Pokemon curiously taking point between them.

Nigel discharged his pent-up lungs, glancing around nature one last time before entering the nightmare he had to endure.

The wind had increased a bit since that morning, and the sun still shone its hot rays down on the primarily rocky island, illuminating the ice crystals in the massive pond to generate a beautifully shimmering surface; twilight would fall in the coming hour, and ideally, he needed to be out of this area before then.

Two rivers rushed beyond the body of water to feed into a square convergence point for six rivers that generated a colossal spiraling whirlpool—his destination was at the center of that mass—a hidden underground cavern that fed into an underground waterway. He wasn’t sure about anything inside other than what he was tasked to retrieve.

Touching ground, Nigel hopped off, carrying his duffle bag; the blonde was the first to talk. “Oh! Uh, hey, were, umm—were we not supposed to catch fish here? You see, heh, we kind of forgot to go shopping before coming…”

Nigel waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, feeling the weight on his chest. “No—nothing like that … I just wanted to ask you a few more questions.”

“Sure,” Amira said, eyes hidden behind her red-tinted glasses as the sun cast a glare across the reflective surface. “Although we didn’t get your name before you left—can you tell us which Ranger Operations Unit you’re from?”

Ian shifted his head to give him an ‘I told you so’ stare.

Yeah … They know we aren’t Rangers … I guess the Meowth’s out of the bag—no turning back now.

Remorse passed across his face, vision going black as he turned away his gaze and let go of a long sigh; their wide eyes followed his movements when he dropped his bag down, opened it, and extracted the pistol—an illegal weapon in all regions—banned fifteen years ago because the Leagues didn’t want anyone with the power to defy them—only Trainers were allowed to have control.

“Woah! Woah! Woah!” Mallory backed up with her hands held up. “Yo, really?”

The Fennekin shot out a burst of flames at the sight of the weapon, all the girls backing away; the Buneary shot forward with the Impidimp while the Eevee and Froakie leaped into their Trainer’s arms to likely use Protect—they certainly did come from prestigious families since they were able to have two Pokemon of such caliber out at the same time.

Ian lazily flicked his left wing, sending the attacking Pokemon flying back as their Trainers fought to keep their balance in the non-charged wind—Ian was strong enough to kill them with his weakest hit, even with their Pokemon using Protect.

The blonde seemed to be the only one able to keep her position, using her Eevee’s Protect to run between Amira and him; it severely cut the gale, which allowed the Rocket girl to stabilize—their dresses pressed against their bodies as the air passed.

“Why … Why are you doing this?” the blonde asked. “Who are you with?”

Amira coughed, brushing back her messy hair and fixing her glasses. “Plasma … I bet it’s Plasma, given all the Muk you’ve been causing in Kanto.”

Nigel cocked the weapon, taking a calming breath, and stepped forward, adding a grave tone. “I don’t expect you to understand our cause—not in the worlds you’ve grown up in.”

His focus slid to Mallory. “Especially you … Grimsley has likely poisoned your mind to our true objective. We only want what’s best for Pokemon and humanity … True freedom.”

“As you point a gun at us?” Amira grunted, vision darting left as her Fennekin recovered and ran to her side; her accusatory red eyes flashed through the red tint of her sunglasses. “It doesn’t matter, Lori, Rhea … That gun will rip through their shields unless we combine them.”

Ian ruffled his feathers as if saying he’s still there.

Nigel rubbed his left temple, gun still pointed at the redhead; he was shocked how steady his aim and heart were considering his hesitation. I shouldn’t have expected anything else…

Rhea stepped back with her Buneary, the bunny jumping into her other arm. “We have to try to live, Amira!”

“Right?” Lori forced a laugh, jogging over to join them. “What’s with you, dude? We’re just doing our thing … Get lost!”

Her Froakie shot a bubble at him from her arms; Ian held out his wing to harmlessly scoop it away.

Nigel shook his head. “Look … Don’t make me do this … Join Plasma … listen to what we have to say.”

“Are you serious?” Amira scoffed, heat in her voice. “Don’t make you do this … Like you’re the victim here? We just wanted to go on our journey—you’re the one that came to us and threatened to kill us for just living our lives.”

“No use, Amira,” Lori groaned, looking scared as she pressed against the girl’s shoulder, “Plasma’s intolerance is legendary.”

Teeth clamping together, he felt Ian’s cold stare. Just … Just a bit more!

“You have—no idea what we sacrifice for our ideals … to show you the truth of this corrupt world … The things I lost to the heroes you look up to. They’re nothing but cowards … cowards too afraid of what our ideal world would look like—to not have power they hold over the masses! You’re brainwashed from birth!”

“Double standards much?” Amira huffed. “Your gun certainly does change things, though … Now!”

Mallory’s eyes welled up with tears as the three of them turned and started running to the edge of the cliff to their backs while snatching their life vests on their flight—toward the mouth of the stream that led to the whirlpool.

Nigel cursed his lack of persuasion. If only I was just a little better with words … Maybe in a different situation … I know I tried, Ian. Just do it … We need to prepare for the…

A shimmering, multicolored light came into existence between the girls and him.

No, it shouldn’t have been possible—at the height we came in … The Feebas…

The shiny purplish shell of the Platinum-tier Cloyster appeared before them, hovering a bit off the ground with its personal energy; it opened up, giving him an intense, dark smile from within its depths—the Pokemon was taller than him.

Still, it was a bonded Pokemon versus a wild—even if he had the advantage in Typing and Moves, they were experienced in the long game. Ian snatched his given energy, quickly putting up a Reflect; they could execute Moves much faster than it, and as if dying of thirst, Ian sucked in Nigel’s strength to use their strongest strike within seconds of the Shell Pokemon’s appearance.

The barrier shimmered into being in front of them; it was necessary to cover any possible hit from its Ice-charged barrages—for a time, the dampening field would activate in whatever direction Ian saw an attack coming.

Ian! Forget the girls; get him away from me, and I’ll handle the three—take as much …

A deep blue glow illuminated the Cloyster, causing Ian’s mind to panic—a sphere of bubbling liquid spun around the Pokemon’s shell before condensing between its two top spikes.

Muk!

Nigel took off into a sprint toward the foliage as the Cloyster released malevolent laughter, closing into its shell to absorb Ian’s building flurry—an eruption of liquid rocketed into the sky, turning into laser beams of hyper-focused jets that came down like comets, penetrating the stone to send shrapnel, bullet-like rock shards flying in all directions.

He dove to the ground, covering his head as the sharp noises and whistling projectiles whizzed past his ears, and Ian tried to dodge around the eight shafts of deadly rays using quick beats of his wings—the rocks didn’t affect him, considering his natural energy shell.

The Pidgeot danced around the attack, charging the strong Normal-Type Move they’d concluded was their best offensive option—they had to get the Cloyster on the defensive in this scenario, but given the unexpected ambush, he knew their response was a mistake—the correction would come on the follow-up Move.

Nigel screamed as a shard struck his hip, digging into his skin, muscles tensing as Water Spout passed; he scrambled to his feet, trying to take cover in the foliage. He needed to get out of the heat of battle; all Ian needed was his energy and not worry about protecting him.

His friend avoided every beam and returned the onslaught with white charged blades, whipping up a gale that followed his massive wings.

Limping through the girls’ camp, Nigel glanced back to see the attack land against the Cloyster’s well-polished shell, yet given its hue, there wasn’t a chance they’d land a critical hit—Ian was right; he was one of the rare Cloyster with both Shell Armor and Skill Link—combined, with Teleport, he was a monster.

Nigel didn’t have time to check the damage to his hip; given the Pokemon’s reputation, he had no doubt this Cloyster knew when fighting to the death with any human bonded with a Pokemon, the human was the most efficient target, which is why it went for an attack that would hit both of them. Even if he missed, the shrapnel was a vicious strategy to employ.

Amira, Rhea, and Mallory were near the edge of the cliff, but he didn’t have time to worry about them. Drew! Go after them! Make sure you keep track of where they are and kill them if you get a chance!

His mind numbed while watching the Cloyster tank Ian’s hit without much trouble; it was slightly higher-leveled than the Pidgeot, and it would take more than expected to crack that intimidating bastion of defense.

All thoughts soon vanished in Nigel’s mind as the Cloyster’s shell opened, turning to face him with a jagged, toothy grin—its frontal spike illuminated a wicked light blue—a signature Move that would charge faster than any other.

Quick as bullets, five spinning lances of ice exploded from the point in quick succession; Nigel dove again as a furious gale erupted across the surface of the flat island, harsh currents threatening to throw him in the air—the spiraling whirlwind of charged energy cut past any force used to keep the Cloyster in place, sending it flying off the ground and into the sky while changing the trajectory of the massive icicles.

Even with Ian’s intervention, he felt the chilling pass of the arctic shards cut through the air to his left, and two struck the ground a foot to his right, digging into the rock and sending bits of sharp ice and rock to cut his exposed arms, back, sides, and legs.

Wincing as it passed, Nigel forced himself up, feeling burns across his body as he finally made it into the brush and away from the battle—he didn’t stop at the edge, though, running further into the undergrowth.

Ian and the Cloyster took the battle across the landscape as Nigel collected himself.

He didn’t stop until the sound of their battle became somewhat distant, but given the Cloyster’s ability to teleport, he didn’t want to take the chance of being caught with his pants down—he crawled into some dense foliage, catching sight of a frightened Caterpie that quickly scurried away.

Muk … Muk! C’mon … Calm down…

“Mmgmgmm…” he hissed, twisting around to see a splinter of stone the size of his pinky sticking into his side; he’d felt it grinding against his bones only as an afterthought with the adrenaline running through his veins before.

Dozens of tiny bits of ice and rock were embedded into his skin, forcing Nigel to puff out hot streams of air to try and get his rising pain under control. Knowing he couldn’t move effectively without removing the larger pieces, he pulled out the ones that would limit walking.

Gritting his teeth, Nigel forced his way through it and hesitantly made his way back to the opening after seeing the blood that pumped out of his hip. Stupid … I was stupid to think they’d even consider it—brainwashed!

Making it to the clearing, he peeked through the brush and found that one of the girl’s packs had been pushed to the edge of the treeline. The Cloyster was teleporting into the air, surprise attacking Ian, but given the Pidgeot’s agile movements, he was able to hold out for now—Agility soon took effect, dramatically raising the Bird Pokemon’s speed.

Just keep pushing him, Ian! Keep him busy and away from me, and you should be able to outlast … Muk…

He ducked back into the brush as the Cloyster appeared out of rainbow lights fifteen meters away; Ian quickly shot down to generate a twister that pulled the breeze into its rapid expansion to intercept.

However, not soon after, a whirlpool of water cycled around the Cloyster, sending waves of liquid through the brush and ejecting any Pokemon unlucky enough to get caught in the stream—most would be severely hurt given the strength of the Move.

Still, the Pokemon was only focused on killing him.

Ian’s twister soon scooped up the majority of the water, pulling the Cloyster in, yet in the next instant, he teleported out of the cyclone—luckily, Nigel escaped the attack, only having to hold onto a tree to weather the two feet of water rushing past him—unluckily, the girl’s pack was now moved dozens of meters down the treeline, stuck in the bushes.

Give me some time to recover! Lord Ghetsis … Please, offer me your help!

Making his way over, he managed to get to the bag and find a medical kit—the Cloyster sent a few more wide-ranged attacks into the foliage, but more toward the center, which gave him time to patch himself up.

Another stroke of luck—he shoved the Bandeau bikini aside to extract the rope and climbing gear. Complete the mission … Ian, prepare to blow out the whirlpool so I can dive in and take advantage of the disrupted flow!

Overall, obtaining the package was everything—even if he was discovered, if he managed to get it, then all wasn’t lost.

Collecting what items he could from the girl’s bag to help him, given his were lost after Ian’s whirlwind, he made his way to the cliff edge to dive into the river. I can do this…

Unfortunately, Drew made him aware that he’d lost them after they jumped into the whirlpool themselves—one thing at a time.

After eight minutes of struggling through the dense forest, he made it to the edge—Ian was whittling down the Cloyster’s shield, yet it was shockingly resilient and given it had some means of recovery, it was turning out to be a very drawn-out fight.

When he arrived, Ian shot down and sent another whirlwind to counter the water’s spin, causing the tides to shift on the surface and waves to lap against the walls. Giving it a moment and timing his dive at the correct riptide, he jumped—he would complete his mission.