June had run off, yelling after her Magneton who was shooting through the air uncontrollably, firing off electricity around it.

A large, black bird dove down, nearly invisible with the night sky behind it, and blasted Magneton with a beam of black and purple circles.

Magneton dropped into the rampaging pack of Pokemon, the giant bird resembling a huge crow cawing sharply as it dove after it.

June’s Electivire and the Lucario had both vanished at some point.

Aly’s warring Ivysuar and Persian got caught up in the wave of other Pokemon and disappeared with their Trainer.

There were some other people seen amongst the situation. They looked unsure of what to do, but were shouting out at the Pokemon to stop attacking. It wasn’t clear if any of the Pokemon belonged to them.

An explosion went off and tossed a couple of them backwards.

One girl screamed as a large dog, an Arcanine, tackled her from behind.

A man started to frantically pat at his pants as they seemed to randomly catch on fire! Screaming, he ran in circles before dropping down and rolling.

Several different kinds of bird Pokemon descended upon the flaming man, pecking at him at first, and then going back and forth between the man and each other!

The fire seemed to be put out, but he kept screaming as he tried to fight off the birds now.

The remaining pair of people took off as Water moves and Electric moves started going off wildly, barely missing them.

The people in the stands started shrieking as Pokemon were now leaping out of the field and into the bleachers!

It wasn’t long before a fire started up there. Returning to the safety up there was no longer an option.

“Maaaaaaaaaariiiiill!!” A Marill squealed out as a Charizard dragged it backwards while it clawed at the ground, struggling to not be taken. With an angry face, the Water type had tears running down its cheeks.

“Charizard?” Gary stared, wondering...

Charizard stomped on the back of the little aquatic Pokemon, Marill screaming out in pain, and bit into its tail. The Fire type was yanking, as if trying to rip the tail out of Marill!

“I can’t believe this!” Gary smacked at his belt, knowing there were no Poke Balls to grab. “CHARIZARD!!”

“HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!” June screamed with him.

Charizard growled and released Marill, inhaled, and its jaws opened. It roared painfully this time instead of attacking, blasted in the face with Water by Marill, and then cried out in surprise as Marill leaped at its face.

Marill’s tail wrapped around Charizard’s throat and it shot more Water out.

Charizard gurgled from the constant rushing Water.

“How do we stop all this?” Gary demanded. “Is that my Charizard?!”

“I... I-I can’t tell,” June admitted.

Lightning crashed down from flashing clouds above, quaking the field. This didn’t stop the fighting.

“ROBIIIIIN!! ALYYYYY!!” Gary shouted. “We have to split up and find them! We have to get them out of here!!”

“We’re all going to die here, aren’t we...? There’s no stopping this! Garyyyy!” June was crying, trembling.

Gary’s mouth hung open. He looked back to the stands which were still burning in places, fights amongst Pokemon and other Pokemon, as well as Pokemon attacking people. Not knowing what else he could possibly do, he cupped his hands around his mouth. “ALYYYYY!! ROOOOOBIIIIIN!!!” He choked and coughed, his throat hurting. We can’t die here... Gary thought. But what can we possibly do?? He looked up at Isaac.

He was smiling down at the scene, swaying slightly to keep his balance as his hair whipped around his face in the wind. The remote was gripped in his hand.

“That remote he’s got!” Gary pointed. “We have to get that from him! I’m sure it’s controlling the pain the Pokemon are going through! Or it’s at least of importance to Isaac!”

“But how can we even get up there??” June questioned. “We need our Pokemon right now, but we can’t even get through to them in this state!”

“Then we need to get to Aly and Robin! Let’s split up and find them before it’s too late!” Gary took off before June could reply.

“Right!” June shouted to him.

Gary charged past Pokemon he knew, like Alakazam, Gyarados, and Venomoth. He also got by Pokemon he didn’t recognize, monstrous dragons and frightening beasts. They all were trying to tear one another apart.

“GARYYYYY!!”

Gary stopped running and turned to someone who put a smile on his face. “ROBIN!”

They ran to each other, Robin grabbing Gary’s arms and breathing heavily. “I saw her! I saw Mizuho! My Oricorio! She’s fighting so elegantly, in spite of all the suffering she must be going through, but I lost her in all this madness!”

Gary nodded and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I wish I had a plan, or some good news, but I don’t. I don’t know what to do, where to go, or how to stop him.” He looked up at Isaac. “But we really need that remote he’s got.”

Robin looked up with him and shook his head.

The two boys stared down at each other.

“So you’re saying we’re screwed, basically,” Robin said.

Gary hated hearing him say that, but he wasn’t able to offer an alternative statement.

“We can't leave the Pokemon!” Robin insisted.

Gary nodded. “Then we’re dying down here.”

“We’re not dying!” Robin yelled. “Come on, Gary! We’ve... We’ve got to get through to our Pokemon! They love us like we love them! We’ve got to break them through this and get them to come to their senses! This thing that’s harming them isn’t electrical in nature! The device sparks, but there’s Ground types and stuff suffering like anything else, so I think it must be some kind of mind control! Or some mental effect! But with the trust and love of us and our Pokemon, I know we can get them out of that!”

Gary stared at Robin with disappointment. If the Pokemon were truly suffering, “friendship” wasn’t going to be enough to save them. This wasn’t an episode of the hit TV show, Pokemon, where crap like that often happened. This was real life! Believing this, Gary nodded anyway. So this is how I’m gonna die, he kept to himself. The way my mother told me I would. Maybe... she was right all along... “Let’s get to our Pokemon, then.”

“We’ll save them, Gary! Trust me!”

Gary didn’t respond for a bit. “June is trying to find Aly. What do we do?”

Robin’s eyes narrowed. “Aly...” He thought for a moment. “She’s looking for her Pokemon, right?”

Gary nodded.

“Then we have to help by looking for all of ours,” Robin told him.

Gary just nodded. His eyes went to the ground, wishing he had a better plan. “Let’s go,” he told Robin, looking back at him.

Robin didn’t move. “You don’t have to come with me. But I can’t leave my Pokemon behind. When you have a better plan, I’ll have a listen. But I’ve got to save the Pokemon!” He turned his back on Gary, staring at the attacks.

Gary and Robin gasped as a Furret was slammed down on its back by a Charizard!

“Whoa, is that yours?!” Robin asked.

Gary didn’t respond, not convinced.

Charizard then used Slash, its claw glowing white, and sliced at Furret’s throat, upward.

Furret cried out as its head jerked up hard, its chin Slashed. Fur and skin came loose in the swipe, blood quickly replacing it.

“CHARIZARD! STOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!” Gary let out.

Charizard looked over to Gary, its teeth bared.

“THAT’S NOT HIIIIIIM!!!” Gary felt in his heart and started stumbling back.

Furret remained on the ground, its body sparking from the black box on its back, as Charizard stomped over to Gary and Robin.

Robin backed up quickly to be with Gary. “How can you tell?”

“It’s hard to tell. This could be the one I saw earlier, but this is not my Charizard! It’s a little short, as well.”

“Does short mean it won’t hurt us?”

Charizard roared and inhaled.

Gary swallowed. “No.”

Something else landed from somewhere to the side of Gary and Robin, making them both scream and look.

“Magmortar?!” Gary cried.

The Magmortor pointed its arm at the kids.

Charizard turned and used Fire Blast!

The attack took down Magmortar.

But Charizard then faced the two kids again.

“Not even enough time to run!” Robin complained.

Charizard then looked away and noticed something that enraged it, and it used Flamethrower before flying off after whatever had its attention.

There were screams from the bleachers from people of both genders, but their voices were all the same high pitched tone.

Gary refused to look back at the violence.

Something crashed to the ground. The two kids’ eyes were now on Charizard as it had been smacked down by the tail of the earlier Furret it had attacked. It slid along the ground, stopping right by the two children. The Pokemon’s body sparked.

Robin’s agonizing scream forced Gary to cover his ears. His good friend was being electrified by the black box that was affecting Charizard!

Charizard removed itself from Robin, stopping the pain the kid was being subjected to, and it and Furret went right on fighting. They were soon lost amongst all the other Pokemon.

Even with Robin no longer being jolted, he continued to screech inhumanly, his body sparking off and on and convulsing.

Gary knelt beside him. He held out his hands but didn’t touch him. “Robin! Speak to me! Can you speak?!”

His eyes were closed. He flinched strongly before laying out tiredly. “I-I...” He let out a pained groan from deep inside, and then his body sparked again, causing him to grunt sharply. “I-I-I... They're gonna die... They can’t take it... Th-th-there’s no way...”

Gary turned furious eyes to the chaos as more Pokemon took over the stands, more and more people trading onto the field unwillingly. People were being attacked in the riot, the Pokemon battling to the end, enraged by the pain they were going through, unable to regain control over themselves and unaware of what they were doing.

A Weezing in the stands let out gas from its heads, the gas choking a man who was nearby holding a little girl tightly in his arms as she coughed heavily against the attack.

A loud scream arose from the warring and an explosion at ground level sent people, Gary and Robin included, flying in different directions, taking away from the attack of Weezing.

Screaming and soaring through the air, Gary quickly slammed hard into something and dropped, his eyes closed tight.

This was followed by another explosion, dirt flying everywhere, the ground trembling roughly.

Yet another explosion in the stands tossed Gary in a completely different direction quickly. He laid on his face in the dirt, not moving. The remaining echoing roar from the explosions remained in this air.

Children were crying. People were moaning. Voices called out for help.

Gary opened his eyes after a moment and stared at the ground. Lifting his head, he could see several Pokemon sprawled out, motionless, weakened, exhausted. “June!” he whispered, his eyes widening in surprise.

June was sprawled on top of some creature, both of their eyes closed. She groaned, her eyes opening. She was blinking for a few seconds before squinting outward. Her eyes widened, recognizing Gary.

Gary sat up and looked at the remains of everything.

People.

Pokemon.

Both were indistinguishable, covered in blood on top of one another, neither budging an inch.

The Pokemon weren’t sparking anymore. It looked like the things on their backs were no longer suffering the victims.

Robin was nowhere in sight.

Gary got to his feet and his legs quivered under him, but he bent his knees to keep his balance and looked up to the sky, leering. His teeth clenched as his jaws tightened, and his hands made fists that could have forced his fingernails through his palms. “IIIIIIIISAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC!!!!!” a voice echoed through the night.

Gary turned, startled by the arrival of someone else, the voice coming from the sky!

“Is that a bird??” June gaped up.

“It’s a plane!” Gary corrected her.

“It’s... a Dragonite!” a male voice Gary didn’t recognize, gasped.

Gary looked to the stranger, a bloodied man on his knees that he didn’t know, before looking back to the dark sky.

In fact, it was a Dragonite!

And there was someone riding it! The person who had screamed out Isaac’s name!

“Who’s there?!” Gary pointed up.

“Gary... I must be crazy!” June shook her head, getting to her feet. She sniffled hard.

A couple of attack aircrafts appeared, flying behind the Dragonite. And then, there was shooting! The aircrafts were attacking the Dragonite!

But Dragonite dodged around easily, getting closer to the helicopter holding Isaac.

Isaac glared over at the Dragonite and human atop it.

Dragonite got closer.

Isaac reached into his pants, right at his belt, and pulled out a big, golden gun! He pointed it at the Dragonite and the shot was tremendous!

Gary jumped despite being so far away. He hated the loud, sudden poppings of things like guns, and balloons.

Another shot fired!

Dragonite barked out at Isaac, and the human on top of it leaped off of Dragonite as the Pokemon flew by the helicopter!

“That’s Prof. Oak!!” June shrieked.

“No way!!!” Gary shook his head hard.

The person seemed to definitely be old. He grabbed at Isaac, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding the wrist attached to the hand holding the gun!!

Isaac struggled with the man, the two wrestling so close to the opening of the helicopter.

Dragonite screamed out as he dealt with an attack aircraft shooting at it, and it sent out a Flamethrower, missing the aircraft.

Another aircraft slammed into Dragonite!

Dragonite had one eye open, glaring at the aircraft, its wings flapping hard. It actually seemed to be handling the impact just fine!

“PROFESSOR OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAK!!!!” Gary exploded, finally realizing it was him!!

Finally realizing it, as the two men fell out of the helicopter!!

The men screamed.

June let out a cry.

The men tumbled all the way down, still trying to get control of the gun.

“PROFESSOOOOORRRRRRRRR!!!” Gary erupted.

THUMP!

Prof. Oak landed first, right on his back. He choked out in a nasty sounding groan.

Isaac coughed out, landing on top of the old man.

Prof. Oak sprawled out and remained still.

Isaac groaned and rolled off of the professor, laying out flat himself.

The gun hit the ground, falling out of his hand.

Gary’s body shuddered.

June screamed shrilly, grabbing at her heart.

Gary’s eyes began to water. His eyebrows were then furrowed. He never took his eyes off of Prof. Oak.

Prof. Oak remained still.

Isaac groaned, his head turning over.

Gary’s fists tightened along with his jaws. His breathing became funny.

Prof. Oak still didn’t move.

Gary eyed the gun.

Isaac’s body flinched, and his head moved over to the other side.

Gary screamed and ran.

In the next several seconds, he had picked up the gun. His heart was in his throat, a rush filling his entire body the moment he touched the deadly weapon. The gun in his hands, he stopped right above Isaac and pointed it directly at his face.

Groaning, Isaac’s eyes opened. They widened, seeing his gun in his own face.

“You...” Gary’s voice shook. “You...” Gary had so many words in his head for Isaac, but not one came out right now. His hands shook, and he wrapped the index finger of his right hand around the trigger, anticipating the loud sound. Wanting it! You motherfucker... he thought to himself.

Gary could see Prof. Oak hitting the ground.

I have to do it, he told himself. Prof. Oak... He’s... Tears fell from his eyes.

Isaac’s eyes tightened on Gary, and a small smile crossed his face. “Tell me, what is your name, child?”

Gary tightened his teeth as he sneered at the man. “Gary...” he managed, ready to kill him. Ready to blast the man’s face apart in front of his eyes.

Isaac chuckled, a gun in his face but still smiling broadly, showing all of his teeth. “Are you going to kill me, Gary?”

Gary tightened his finger on the trigger. When the gun still didn’t fire, he spoke. “You killed... my best friend in Lavender Town. You son of-”

“Oh, yes!” Isaac remembered, nodding his head; still smiling. “You and the loud girl.”

“YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!!” Gary wondered how much tighter he’d have to pull on the trigger to kill the bastard. Wondering how much tighter he had to squeeze before Isaac was finally dead. Waiting for the frightening BANG! with so much desire. He continued pulling on the trigger, ready to kill Isaac.

“Don’t do it, Gary.”

More tears slid down Gary’s face. He looked around him to the voice echoing from the speakers. Gary gasped, not believing his eyes. “Prof. Cozmo?!”

The old man walked through the field of bodies, his wooden cane in one hand. He wore a headset, the microphone at his mouth. His large bag was missing, and Gary noticed this. “Gary, please. Don’t kill this man.”

Behind him were his parents. In Mr. Cozmo’s arms was a large capsule, the ends of it golden, the middle of it clear.

The capsule resembled what Ish kept his Bonsly Egg in, but larger. From the clear middle, a bright light filled the inside.

Gary shook his head and looked back down at Isaac. He turned back to Prof. Cozmo, crying. He waved the gun at Isaac, shaking his head at Prof. Cozmo. Sniffling, he cried, “Prof. Oak! Prof. Oak is dead!”

Prof. Cozmo nodded. “Please, don’t kill him, Gary.”

Gary could feel his hands lowering. He didn’t want to be the one to kill Isaac... His hands rose again, turning to him. But I have to! he convinced himself.

“Don’t do it. Not yet.”

Gary turned to Prof. Cozmo. “Huh?”

“Not yet, Gary. Not before... he knows...”

“Knows? Knows what?” Gary didn’t understand what Prof. Cozmo meant. He just knew that he wanted to kill Isaac while the courage to do so was still strong within him.

“Everything,” Prof. Cozmo answered solemnly.

Gary didn’t move, the gun remaining pointed at Isaac, but his eyes on Prof. Cozmo.

“Gary, our research is nearly complete, with the death of all that we see around us,” Prof. Cozmo told Gary.

He blinked several times, confused. His eyes were wide, and his voice quivered when he asked, “What...?”

Prof. Cozmo smiled. “That man should not die, without a purpose. Without knowing why. He can be the resurrection of my parents!” He looked back at his parents.

His parents looked upward.

The screens at the top of the stadium, usually showing the competing Trainers and their Pokemon, now showed...

Gary squinted.

June gasped.

The screens now showed something similar to the photo that was on Gary’s phone. The image of the child Prof. Cozmo with the two smiling adults, his parents. Only, this wasn’t exactly the same image. Instead of the happy boy holding a telescope with a man’s arm around him and a happy woman staring down lovingly at them, it was the happy boy and his telescope, and the same woman, looking bored. Mr. Cozmo was gone.

That’s not the photo on the phone... Gary thought uncomfortably. But, why? Something felt wrong. Really bad.

“I lost my parents at just ten years old.” Prof. Cozmo’s eyes closed. “I was ready to start my Pokemon journey, but instead, my parents were taken from me!” He took a shaky, echoed breath.

People and Pokemon were starting to recover from the explosion, standing, stretching, and making noises.

Mr. Cozmo set the glowing capsule down.

Suddenly, Prof. Cozmo’s parents started to glow multiple colors! They both shrunk in size! The bright colors vanished and two Ditto were revealed!

“Ditto!”

“Ditto!”

The two Ditto bounced off into the swarms of bodies, getting out of sight.

“Ditto?!” Gary gasped. “But...” His eyes widened as his teeth tightened against each other. They’re dead! he understood immediately. Suddenly, it all made sense to him. What Prof. Oak had told me was right! Prof. Cozmo’s parents are dead? So... That means...

Prof. Cozmo suddenly burst into tears, his crying echoing over the speakers. “I had to compensate, with copies! Ditto! I-I-I-I traveled... all the way over to the Alola region, just to capture me a particular group of Ditto. Skilled Ditto who could perform a Transform perfectly, with no signs of Ditto’s original face. There were five rumored ones, but I found, and only needed, two. After showing them an image of my parents, the Ditto were able to copy that and pose as my parents. I could finally feel at peace. I taught them all about my parents, and fixed some flaws, like their relationship issues, so that I could have the family I should have had back then.”

Gary shook his head and then looked back down to Isaac. He gave him a threatening look and put the gun right on his forehead. This isn’t a movie, Gary. If you do this, this is going to be bad! You might go to jail! He looked over to Prof. Oak’s lifeless body. He was ready to pull the trigger right there! His eyes slammed shut, ready to kill Isaac, but not wanting to see the results.

“And now, I no longer need the Ditto,” Prof. Cozmo continued. “Now, I can bring back my parents. I can have this moment, for real.”

The photos changed to resemble the happy family of the Cozmos that Gary had on the phone.

“They can live, by killing everyone, and every Pokemon, in this stadium tonight.”

People were still rising up weakly.

Pokemon were gaining some of their strength back, but not much of it.

But everyone was starting to hear the words of Prof. Cozmo better.

Gary stared at the old man. “Killing us? Prof. Cozmo, what’s going on here?? What are you saying??”

Prof. Cozmo looked back at the capsule on the ground. “Gary, you’ve lost your sister, right?”

Gary felt nauseous hearing this fact. Why would he say that? he wondered. Am I to understand something in all of this because of the loss of his parents? “I don’t... understand...”

“What if I could bring her back, at the cost of just several more lives...?” Prof. Cozmo asked.

June gasped.

Gary swallowed. “What...?” he whispered.

“Gary, in that capsule is something you may have heard of before,” Prof. Cozmo told him. “Perhaps not...” He took a deep breath and then let it out. “It’s called Infinity Energy.”

Gary lowered his eyes to Isaac and thought about the words stated. He looked back to Prof. Cozmo. “I don’t know what that is.”

Prof. Cozmo nodded, staring back at him. “I figured as much. The origins of Infinity Energy go back thousands of years... But to sum it up, you gain life, by taking life. And that’s how the Infinity Energy works. The life energy given to it, powers it. Within this kind of a cycle, the energy is eternal. Infinite.”

Gary still didn’t understand what Prof. Cozmo was talking about, and he shook his head. “Prof. Cozmo, I don’t understand.” He looked to Isaac to make sure he was still there and then turned to Prof. Cozmo. “But you don’t sound like yourself. What’s going on?”

“I am in fact the same me I’ve been since I discovered this Infinity Energy. No, long before that... When I regained control over myself after losing my parents. To put it simply for you, Gary, death powers this energy.” He placed a hand on top of the capsule. “There is so much death in the world. But, I can’t be everywhere to collect it. What I had to do was cause it to ensure I could gather it.”

Gary swallowed hard, his eyes wide in horror. “What...?”

“Before the Trick Master and I fell out, he was a huge help with his tricks and deadly traps. Pokemon and human life energy provided a lot to power up the Infinity Energy. Surely, you remember those Barboach you found on that beach? The Golem attack in Pewter City that was blamed on Team Solace? What else has there been? The Victreebel attack on those poor children on a field trip. I’ve been all over the world. Johto, Pacifidlog Town in Hoenn, being around deaths and murders that don’t involve me, as well as personally being responsible for some, powering up the Infinity Energy to bring back my parents...”

Gary couldn’t believe his ears. He shook his head. His breathing intensified.

“And, Gary, I can offer you the same.”

Gary’s head shook harder.

“Gary, this power is real. I can bring you back your sister. The destruction of the people and Pokemon in this stadium would be more than enough to save all that we have lost... We could even save the lives of more people, Gary.”

“At the cost of more lives?? That doesn’t make any sense! I... I can’t!” Gary cried, tears running from his eyes. “I...”

“We can stop after this,” Prof. Cozmo nodded. “I can stop right now, even. But for your sister... Gary... I need a little more. The Infinity Energy requires more.”

“Melissa!” Gary called out.

Prof. Cozmo nodded.

The tears never stopped running down Gary’s face. “Melissa...”

“Gary,” Prof. Cozmo said.

“Melissa...”

“Gary,” Melissa pleaded, staring back at him.

Startled, Gary blinked hard a few times.

Only Prof. Cozmo was there.

He wiped at one eye, and then both of his eyebrows narrowed.

“It was Ditto who Transformed into the Golem that saved us from the attacking Golem!” June said out loud. “When Mr. Cozmo told Mrs. Cozmo to run for safety, she went off to Transform into that Golem! That’s why I...”

Prof. Cozmo smiled at June. “You... You just are so, so special, June. You could be a world of usefulness. And you’d get Electrode back, too!”

June’s eyes widened.

“We all could benefit from this! Children, please!” Prof. Cozmo held out his hands, one to each child. “I could even bring back Solrock! My Solrock!”

“Your... Solrock...” June muttered, staring at his hand. “‘This has to stop...’” She looked at Prof. Cozmo. “Solrock said that. Solrock screamed out, before using Explosion, Solrock said ‘this has to stop.’ It was about you... You and your murderous spree!”

Prof. Cozmo’s smile faded.

“‘I hope I’m enough for you... and them!’” June shouted out in horror. “It was about you! Enough for your stupid Infinity Energy! And enough... Enough for them! The parents! Your mom and dad!” June was putting all the pieces together.

Gary gasped loud and hard.

June inhaled and then let out a shaky breath. She soon inhaled again. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “‘I love you. I love them...’” she recalled, shaking her head. “That’s not what it said... Oh, my gosh...” June was trembling on the spot. “Solrock... It said, ‘I LOVED them!’ It loved your real mom and dad! That’s who it was speaking about!!”

Prof. Cozmo nodded solemnly. “I was quite grateful you misheard that back in Pewter City. My parents’ deaths are pretty well known. It’s just a good thing you kids didn’t know about me. The things that could have been ruined... You kids have lost so much, just like me... We can fix all of that so easily!”

“At the cost of the lives of everyone here?!” June yelled.

Prof. Cozmo nodded. “If anything, I’m responsible for it! I’ll be the one to go to jail, not you two! But, you must carry on my work!”

“NEVER!” Gary raged out.

Prof. Cozmo inhaled, staring sharply at Gary. “Is your sister not worth it?”

Gary leered coldy at the man. How dare he manipulate me using her death. I won’t allow it!

“That monster we’ve hunted together... Whatever she is, I feel like she could be of aid to us. Perhaps, we don’t have to kill to do this, if we can figure out what this thing is! She could be the answer to so much! There’s so much to learn, an endless amount of information when it comes to the Pokemon world! I just need a little bit of help! You kids would be perfect! Experienced Pokemon Trainers with losses in life. Together, the world is inspired by us, and we would rule!!”

He’s making a wild offer... A powerful one! But... I can’t! Gary thought. He turned to June. “June.”

June stared at him.

They both turned to Prof. Cozmo.

Professor... I can’t believe someone in your field could turn to this state of mind... Gary closed his eyes.

“You know, Prof. Cozmo, it is with my experience with you, and with that new species on this planet, that I finally understand, the greatest trick of all,” a new voice rang out over the speakers.

Prof. Cozmo.

Gary.

June.

Whoever was conscious and strong enough to move.

They all turned around, trying to find out who was speaking now.

The announcer of this Pokemon match?? Gary considered.

No.

In fact, it was someone in the stands, a microphone in his hand, to his mouth. “Pokemon... Human beings. Humans have been considered the smartest, overall, to much debate!” the Trick Master smiled widely. Walking backwards, the Trick Master ascended the steps, getting higher up.

“Trick Master!” Prof. Cozmo shouted out. “What are you doing here??”

“Some people have even attempted to argue a middle ground. That there is some kind of equal level playing field between the two species. That neither is greater than the other. The truth is, neither means anything! Pokemon, human beings, it is all just a trick! The greatest trick of them all!! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!”

“Trick Master, what’s going on now?!” Prof. Cozmo demanded. “Why have you come here??”

“Because I didn’t understand at first!!” the Trick Master kept laughing. “This creature we were hunting down at first! What was she? Was she a she? Now, I get it. She is in fact, the answer to it all!!”

“Trick Master!!” Prof. Cozmo shouted angrily.

“At first, I was in denial, not believing I could be outsmarted, not wanting to be! But now, I get the joke!” the Trick Master cackled. “I see the funny side of it all! I GET IT!!” The Trick Master was smiling crazily. “This event deserves to be put on live TV!! ” He raised a silver gun and put it to his head.

“TRICK MASTER!!” Prof. Cozmo reached out to him.

“I now know, the human existence; the Pokemon existence, is nothing but a fallacy. A lie! A trrrrick!” He rolled the ‘r.’ “The greatest trick of them all!! We humans deserve to die, being a waste of space, and self-glorifying narcissists, far below the praise we deserve!”

“Trick Master, we had this discussion before,” Prof. Cozmo sighed.

“And I remain convinced more than ever, having finally met her myself!”

Prof. Cozmo’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Who?!”

“Don’t play stupid with me! You know who! She is why I know we humans are just in her way. Searching the world, most of my life, for the greatest trick of all time, and I finally figured it out: life itself.”

Prof. Cozmo stared at the Trick Master and sighed heavily.

“But for you, Prof. Cozmo, my dear friend; I offer you... Myself. I give you, my life. That you may bring back your parents. And realize...” The Trick Master tilted his head against the gun.

Gary shut his eyes quickly, lowering his head and tightening his body.

“...it was all for nothing.”

BANG!

Gary jumped, refusing to open his eyes, his heart now in his throat.

June shrieked.

If it weren’t for the gun in Gary’s hand, he would have dropped to his knees. But he couldn’t, afraid of missing his shot, or possibly shooting himself or someone else. He knew he needed to be in complete control. But his legs were quivering, ready to give out. His entire body had had enough, shaking hard. It was the sudden chuckling that got Gary’s eyes open. Confused but still shaking, he turned to Prof. Cozmo.

“Thank you, Trick Master,” Prof. Cozmo whispered, smiling. “I’m sure he, too, suffered losses. In spite of that, he gave his life. Our differences aside, you understood, after all. Thank you, my friend.” He turned to Gary and June. “You two kids. Together, with the resurrection of our losses. Of our lives! We can change and repair the world! Death is a thing of the past!”

Gary glared at Prof. Cozmo. He still doesn’t get it? How could a man so smart...? He saw that the capsule with what had been referred to as Infinity Energy was glowing brighter now.

“Professor...”

Everyone looked to Isaac, who was still down on his back.

He had a solemn face. “All of this news comes as a great surprise to me. To have heard your story, has truly moved me. If what you claim is true... perhaps we can work together. I, too, have my own dear loss. My daughter was taken from me by a Pokemon when I had decided, foolishly, to let her go on her first, and last, Pokemon journey. I knew better than to do it, but I just wanted her to be happy. She was killed by a Pokemon. A Roserade. That was the last straw for me. I’d avenge her, and all those who have lost their friends, family, by wiping out the species of Pokemon from the planet. We share the same goal. You need lives, and I need my daughter back. Perhaps-”

“You, sir, disgust me,” Prof. Cozmo spoke coldly, sneering down at the man. “We could never be on the same team. I love Pokemon. I can bring back lost Pokemon.” He turned to June and smiled, and then gave her a nod. “So, what do you say?” He turned to Gary. “Your sister, Gary... Prof. Oak, as well! Surely you both understand!”

Gary swallowed, thinking about Prof. Oak now, but refusing to look at the old man’s body. Unable to handle it.

The two men fell out of the helicopter, tumbling all the way down, trying to get control of the gun.

THUMP!

Prof. Oak landed first, right on his back.

*

The hair atop the creature reached out on its own, coated in sparking, blue electricity, and connected with Melissa’s face.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as her body was lit by the blue lightning, and her body jumped.

“MELISSAAAAAAA!!” Gary exploded, and charged in a rage.

The hair harming Melissa rose from her face and rested against the creature’s like normal hair.

Melissa hit the ground and didn’t move.

*

“Melissa!!” Gary finally found his voice.

Melissa let out a laugh. “Gary!” she smiled.

Gary shook his head shakily, his eyes tearing. His eyebrows then narrowed and he turned to Isaac. “What do you know about that thing that killed my sister?” he growled. “Tell me everything.”

Isaac smiled and started laughing.

“Or I’ll shoot you where you lay!” Gary threatened, truly ready to just get it over with.

Isaac laughed a little longer and then kept a smile. “We should talk this over some day. You’d make a prime Team Solace member, you know.”

Gary leered at him. He shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “Never.”

The sound of rapid gunfire was heard, and everyone looked up.

There was a new aircraft flying through the sky in white and blue colors.

Behind it was one of Team Solace’s crafts, shooting at it.

There was a wicked cackle coming from the ground, clearly from Isaac, but no one looked back to him.

“THIS IS THE POLICE!!” a female voice seemed to come from a distant megaphone. “ISAAC, WE SEE YOU ON THE GROUND!! PUT DOWN ALL OF YOUR VEHICLES AND SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!! YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST!!!”

BOOOOOOOM!! The end of the new plane burst into flames and began to dive.

From as far and high up as it was, Gary could hear at least two shrieks from inside.

The plane hit the outside of the stadium and blew up, quaking the field.

Pokemon and humans alike screamed as smoke and debris clouded that area of the bleachers.

“No!” Gary whispered in disbelief, watching their first and only sign of hope die.

The Infinity Energy was glowing brighter.

The roaring of more engines revealed more blue and white planes were coming in, and soon, both opposing planes were attacking each other like the scariest air show in history. A literal war.

“I see the cavalry has finally arrived,” Isaac chuckled. “No better time to drop the bomb, so to speak...”

Gary turned to see Isaac smiling.

The man slowly raised one hand up, pointing to the sky.

Hesitantly, Gary, along with June and Prof. Cozmo, looked up.

“What’s that in the helicopter?” Prof. Cozmo asked.

There now was an enormous black object in the doorway.

Team Solace's aircrafts flew towards the new planes and fired at them.

The blue and white attack planes dove down and spun to avoid the attack. The police were flying away as Team Solace's planes gave chase!

Two more police planes appeared, firing at Team Solace, but Team Solace's attack planes swerved away.

“For the disobedience of the Kanto region, and their lack of support in Team Solace's cause; for the denial you all have decided on despite an offer to be spared, a just judgment and swift execution must be delivered.” Isaac spoke darkly from the ground, smiling sinisterly. “I am ruler of this Earth, now. The disrespect Team Solace has suffered for being nothing but selfless for the better of this planet shall now be paid in full! I, this planet’s true GOD, shall give all my judgement through that bomb's explosion! This one eruption will trigger a set of other bombs, which will set off further bombs, a chain of bombs specifically planted throughout the Kanto region. When they are all detonated, over two-thirds of the entire region will be destroyed!” He laughed loudly.

There were explosions and gunfire going off in the air, but the two kids and the professor had their eyes on Isaac.

“You’ll die, too!” June cried out angrily. “We’re sure not letting you get away!”

“HEEEEY!!” Robin came charging through out of nowhere! He leaped over and skipped around a few bodies before stopping before Gary. His mouth fell open in disbelief, staring at Gary with a gun to Isaac.

“I’m always willing to die for a righteous cause. My acts, my beliefs, will be realized, and continue on. They exist outside of me. I am merely the capsule through which it can live, for now, but it’ll be passed on. You could even find your good friends in control of Team Solace one of these days...” Isaac chuckled, keeping his wide, wild eyes on Gary.

Why have I waited so long? How can I let him get away with saying something so... vile?! But Gary found himself less concerned with pulling the trigger now that there was a bomb above them. Instead, he looked to Robin. “Rob!”

Robin looked warily at Gary. “Gary?” A smile crept over his face. “You got the bastard!” He started laughing.

Gary shook his head sadly. Oh, Rob...

The bomb was being pushed from behind, rocking the helicopter.

“The explosion from that would turn the Infinity Energy into its own weapon, causing a much more deadly explosion,” Prof. Cozmo smiled. He turned to Gary and June and extended his hands. “We die together. Close your eyes, and make your wish. The energy of all these bombs, with the Infinity Energy included, will destroy a whooooole lot more than just two-thirds of Kanto! When it’s all said and done, we’ll definitely have enough life to bring back so many people! We’ll die, but our loved ones-!”

POP! POP! POP!

Prof. Cozmo’s cane hit the ground as he stumbled backwards, gasping. He hit the ground and didn’t move, his dark shirt looking stained now.

Gary and June turned to see a blonde lady in a white romper that fit her very snugly, the bottom of her butt showing shamelessly. She was carrying the glowing Infinity Energy capsule under one arm, a little black gun in her other hand.

Gary gasped. “Whoa!”

The pretty blonde kept her blue eyes on Gary and shook her head. “Kid, you’ve no idea what Hell you’ve let go loose on this planet... If you’d just killed her!” Her eyes hardened on Gary’s. As she sneered at him, her eyes suddenly began to shimmer. “No one is ready for this!”

Her eyes met with Gary’s, but she turned away to stare at the body of Prof. Cozmo. After another second, she ran off.

“What’s going on here?” Robin asked, staring after the woman.

“Robin!” Gary, followed by June, ran to him.

The roaring of engines, along with constant gunfire, was going off at the ground level now, sounding like it was coming from outside of the stadium.

This grabbed the attention of the kids for a moment before they focused on each other again.

Robin stared at Gary for a second, and his eyes widened. “Gary, your Hitmonchan! I saw him! Your Hitmonchan!!”

There was the sound of shooting and explosions from above, and that bomb was still a threat, but Gary forgot about it all staring into Robin’s concerned face. “Where?”

More loud, thunderous gunshots from the outer side of the stadium, the engines roaring much louder.

Robin shook his head. Tears started to fill his eyes. “He could of killed me, but I swear, he saved my life. I found Catherine! She was being attacked by a big snake Pokemon, and Hitmonchan boxed it right off of her! Then, he kicked Catherine out of the way and came after me, but I swear he stopped! He ran right past me! I think something got through to him! He saved my Catherine and spared me in his rampage! But...”

“Where is he?!” Gary insisted.

Tears slipped out of Robin’s eyes. “Gary, he was getting messed up real bad out there! I chased after him but-!”

“WHERE?? WHERE, ROBIN?!!” Gary shouted.

Robin pointed behind him, and Gary took off.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion now from Gary’s point of view.

Voices were calling out through the crowd. Shouts, cries. Commands? It sounded like forceful voices were giving out orders.

Gary leaped over bodies. Ran past bodies.

Creatures reached out for help to him.

The boy kept moving, scanning the area for a Pokemon that could be one of his six.

There was a lot of running and shouting around him from other people.

“FREEZE!! DON’T MOVE!!” a female shouted from the ground, far from Gary. “YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!!”

“WE ARE ENTERING THE HELICOPTER!! DON’T MOVE!!” another female voice over the megaphone ordered from the sky. “WE WILL SHOOT!!”

“GARY!! WAIT!! STOOOOP!!” Gary heard June.

Gary ignored all of this, realizing that the police and medical professionals had finally gotten into the stadium and were trying to arrest Team Solace and help the dying and injured people and Pokemon. He kept going and finally stumbled, coming to a stop, a smile over his face. “HITMONCHAN!!”

Hitmonchan was on his side, lying still.

“GARY!!”

The sounds of running from behind Gary were only barely acknowledged in his head. He knelt down beside his Pokemon. “Ha! Hitmonchan! Ha! Hey, it’s me! Buddy!” Gary touched his shoulder.

Hesitantly, cautiously, reluctantly, Gary grabbed his sister’s shoulder to give it a shake. “Melissa.” His hand fell from her quickly, discomforted by the feeling of touching her body. Something felt bad. Something was missing...

Gary’s hand was away from Hitmonchan. No, Gary thought, shaking his head. He grabbed his Pokemon’s shoulder again, ignoring that still, motionless, lifeless feeling.

The running got closer.

Gary laid his Pokemon flat out on his back. He could see just how scarred and beaten he looked, a huge splatter of blood across a smashed in chest, but Gary ignored all of that, just happy to see his Pokemon. “Hitmonchan! Hey! It’s okay, now! Just wake up, man!” He kept smiling and shook his Pokemon’s body by one shoulder. “Hitmonchan!” He shook him harder. “Hitmonchan!! Hitmonchan wake up!” Gary started panicking.

“Gary, please!” June stopped behind him. “Oh!” She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide. “Gary please!”

Gary gripped both shoulders of the Pokemon and rocked his body roughly, raising it up and making his head flop all over. “GET UP HITMONCHAAAN!!”

“Gary... He got into another fight with a Tangela, and during that he was jumped from behind by an Aggron. Gary, it got bad... There was nothing I could-” Robin was interrupted.

“HITMONCHAN!! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!! YOU’RE STRONGER THAN THIS!! COME OOOON!!!” Gary slammed Hitmonchan down on his back. “NOW WAKE UP!! THE AMBULANCES ARE HERE!!” He looked up and stood. “HEEEEEEEEEEY!!! MY HITMONCHAN NEEDS HELP HEEEEERRRRRE!!! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYY!!!!”

The medics and police didn’t look up, already dealing with bodies, carrying them out and radioing for backup.

Gary looked back down to Hitmonchan and shook his head. “No.” He knelt down and placed a hand on Hitmonchan’s face. Hitmonchan. There’s no way.

“Gary, come with us. Please!” June insisted.

“Gary, please don’t stay here,” Robin said softly.

Gary kept his back to them both. Then, he removed his hand from Hitmonchan’s face. And he slapped him lightly across it.

June and Robin gasped.

“Gary!” Robin called out.

Gary pulled his hand back again and slapped his Pokemon across the face harder.

“Gary...” June whispered.

SLAP! He slapped him again even harder. SLAP! And then again with more force. SLAP!! And once more with greater power. His hand then rose into the air and became a fist, and he punched Hitmonchan!

“GARY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Robin ran forward and pulled Gary back.

“GET OFF OF ME!!” He shoved Robin off of him, the kid flying backwards, off the ground, and dropping onto his back.

June went over to Robin and held him up against her, staring silently at Gary. Fearfully. Mournfully.

Gary was staring back at them, tears running down his face, and he went back to Hitmonchan. Tears fell from his eyes and onto his Pokemon. “COME OOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!! GET THE FUCK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” Gary kept punching Hitmonchan. One fist, the other fist, over and over again, tears rolling down his face nonstop. Crying louder, heaving, bawling, he kept swinging on his Pokemon, sure he would wake up eventually.

June suddenly shrieked.

Gary jumped at this and turned to her, seeing her covering her ears, screaming in pain. Amongst all the noise and commotion going on, Gary could hear something else. He looked up.

The helicopter was still visible, flying by and lowering itself down outside of the stadium, out of view, clearly under control of law enforcement stopping Team Solace.

Something bright was flying in the sky, glowing like a shooting meteorite. A huge diamond in the sky. It was out of sight in a short time.

Gary wiped at his eyes, no longer crying.

For some reason, he suddenly felt comforted.

He couldn’t explain it, but all of a sudden, everything in life felt okay.

*

“It has been confirmed that Pyramid King Brandon, chief of Hoenn’s Battle Frontier Battle Pyramid, as well as his wife, the Temple Maiden of Sinnoh’s Snowpoint Temple, Maria, were both found dead hours ago,” a newswoman reported from the TV.

There was an image of an old man with a hardened, stern face behind a big gray beard and with white hair.

Beside him was a woman who looked barely any younger, her hair a mix of two different shades of gray and wearing an outfit similar to a nun’s, but in mostly white. Contrary to the man, she looked like the gentlest soul on Earth.

This picture was shown beside the blonde newswoman. “They were both found together inside of the Snowpoint Temple in a condition that’s been described as inhumane and gruesome. It’s also been revealed that Pyramid King Brandon’s Pokemon, Regirock, Registeel, Regice, and even Regigigas, have all gone missing after a-”

“Hey, guys.” June entered the room.

Gary, sitting at the desk holding many desktop computers, using one of them, and Kiwi, sitting on a couch, turned to her.

June was dressed in black jeans, a black blouse, and black shoes with a black hatinator on her head, a black veil over her face. She had her large black bag with her. “Prof. Sketchit said he’s ready. They’re all in the jeep.”

Gary nodded, and Kiwi stood up, breathing out noisily.

June turned and left.

Kiwi walked to the door softly, the bottom of her black dress moving to her motions, and she stopped. Keeping her back to Gary, she said, “Sinnoh. You’re sure that’s where you want to go next?”

“There’s a library there I want to check out. And I can’t find much information on it online for some reason. So I think it’s best to head out there myself.”

“Surely someone must be selling it online. You’re going to travel to a new region just for this book?”

Gary shook his head. “I’m going to get to that library, on my way to collecting all eight of their Badges, and compete in the Pokemon League. And win it this time. I still have to become a Pokemon Master. It’s not over.”

Kiwi stayed still, not looking back. She simply nodded. “But then what, Gary?” She finally looked back at him. Her head shook gently. “What happens after you accomplish that?”

“Everyone; everyone can rest in peace.”

“Them? Or you?”

Gary swallowed and stood, walking over to her.

They stared at each other, their eyes focused, and didn’t even blink.

Gary straightened his black tie that rested against his black button up shirt. He adjusted his black blazer and then grabbed the legs of his black slacks and raised them to sit better on top of his black shoes, his feet in black dress socks. He pulled out his sunglasses from the inside of his blazer and put them on. After taking in a deep breath through his mouth and nose, he whispered, “Let’s get this over with, Kiwi,” his words flying out uncomfortably, the child just barely keeping himself together.

In silence, the two kids left the building of Prof. Oak’s mansion.

*

Author’s Notes:

First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021, and a most sincere thank you to everyone who has read this fanfiction of mine. To all the views, reviews, and commentary, it is always appreciated and I am grateful and hopeful the journey was worth it. And especially an extra special thank you to those who have been on this ride since it started with the first story back in 2012. How far we’ve come. And... the story’s not over! Yes, I have a brand new story on the way for this year! But more on that in a bit.

I’d like to give my condolences now, to the loved ones of Unshō Ishizuka, the original voice actor for Prof. Oak in Japan, who passed away August 13th, 2018 from esophageal cancer. I’d like to say that his death in no way influenced Prof. Oak’s death in this chapter of the fic. This had been planned for a very, very long time. Even before I wanted to write this third story, as early as during the writing for the second story in Unova. It was terrible to hear of his passing, and you can hear the difference in the new voice actor. May he rest in peace; God bless.

On a happier note, it’s funny that this third story happened at all, considering this was all supposed to be over with story 2 in Unova, but instead, turned into a plan for 4th story! That’s right! I ask for your strong patience as I am working on a brand new, final installment in my series right now, a fourth tale that will take place in the Sinnoh region! Obviously this third story ended with a thousand and one questions, and hopefully we can get most of them answered soon.

I cannot even give an expected released date, but it will definitely be in 2021. Possibly the middle of the year, earlier if possible. There’s much, much more work to do, just writing it. Then the revision has to happen. Many, many revisions. I’m working hard to get this out, so Follow, Subscribe, check my profile, etc, whatever, to keep updated on the latest.

And now for my final thank yous:

Above all, God, for allowing me to use my time sharpening my writing talents.

My family, my mom, grandma and auntie. Thanks to my crazy family, for all the inspiration I could draw from, placing you all in this completely out of control universe I’ve created.

The remaining Smellons gang, Rob, Kiwi and KB, as well as our newest padawan, Rich!

Author R.L. Stine and his Goosebumps series, whose works, from me as a child, all the way to this day, ring in my head as far as structure or a kind of advice to write my work.

Music, in general. A lot of anime music from shows like Attack On Titan, Pokemon, and Please Teacher, as well as other genres from artists like Eminem, help set the tone for some chapters, or inspired ideas for chapters and titles, through their sound, instrumentation, lyricism and vocals. I could not have done this without the emotions and guidance of inspiring music.

Anime, in general, a format of entertainment like none other. Incredibly inspiring, beautiful, and moving. The genre is just about the best thing there is. Again, in particular Attack On Titan, Please Teacher, Please Twins, Waiting In The Summer (Ano Natsu De Matteru), Pokemon, and so much more.

Ish, the most controversial guy I know, lending inspiration for Ish’s character.

Rivera, lending inspiration for Scientist Gary’s character.

Tiny, lending inspiration for Psychic Tiny’s character.

Thank you all again, remember to update your alerts, CHECK MY PROFILE FOR UPDATE INFORMATION, and get ready for Sinnoh in 2021.