The Village Guardians Ch. 2-14

+The Village Guardians+

-Chapter #2: Joy and Shadows-

>Part # 14<

Continued from Part #13...

Written by Dr. Mack Foxx and Aaraboga Jones

Ages 13+ Suggested

Original Story, Characters and all other Original Content are Copyright 1987-2008 Philip “Dr. Mack Foxx” Byard and Aaron “Aaraboga Jones” Byard

Poke’mon and all related content and characters are Copyright 1995-2008 to Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures and The Poke’mon Company

-78-
Mack and Aura glanced at each other as they heard more faint screams echo from somewhere even deeper in the facility ruins.

“This is really starting to freak me out,” said Mack, keeping his rifle close to his chest, “So far, all we’ve found down here are footprints, empty rooms, a broken mainframe and then, to top it all off, we’ve heard nothing but silence, some spooky-sounding wind and bloodcurdling screaming!”

“I cannot pinpoint the exact location of the screams,” reported K-1 as he walked behind the Guardians and next to Alvin, “It would appear that something is jamming my sensors.”

“You think that’s unnerving, so far, everything from my nightmare has come true,” said Alvin with fear. Aura glanced over her right shoulder and smiled, trying to reassure her frightened friend.

“We don’t have to keep exploring now that we know someone has been down here,” said Aura with a gentle tone of voice, “We can head back to the surface now, can’t we, Mack?”

“Yes,” replied Mack, “But we don’t have a way to contact Eric and Cecil with all our radios dead. I’m not going to leave those two down here on their own.”

“I agree,” said K-1, “We should not leave our friends behind in this eerie place. Besides, at least we know that something is only jamming our radio signals and sensors. Mack, our standard radios have never let us down before. I suspect that whoever is residing down here may also be trying to mask their activities to some degree.”

“I bet they never thought anyone would explore these ruins as thoroughly as we have,” remarked Simon, “Otherwise, they would never have left any footprints or traces behind.” Mack stopped walking. Aura reflexively followed suit with her husband. Mack turned around to face Alvin as he, Simon and K-1 came to a stop.

“Okay, Alvin,” said Mack as he approached Alvin, “I think it’s high time you told us about your nightmare.”

“Indeed,” said Simon, “I think we can now confirm what Alvin saw last night was not a nightmare, but a premonition.” Alvin nodded his head, but he was still hesitant to describe his nightmare.

“Maybe he knows of possible traps or other pitfalls that may lie ahead?” suggested K-1. Alvin let out a heavy sigh.

“So far, everything I saw in my dream has come true,” said Alvin as he cocked his rifle, “Which leads me to believe that we are not alone down here. I’ll take the lead. As for all of you, keep your weapons close and be ready to attack.”

“Care to enlighten us on what is going to happen?” asked Simon.

“Let’s just head to the training coliseum and pray we don’t find anyone down there,” said Alvin. Mack, Aura, Simon and K-1 followed closely as Alvin walked down the massive, dark corridors towards the very rooms where, just a few years ago, the scientist had nearly killed the Gardevoirs who were now among his closest friends.

-79-
“Captain Timothy,” said a gruff voice from the back of the huge coliseum dome, “Why have you returned from your patrol so soon and why are all of you so scared? Why, you all look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The coliseum was still very well intact, despite the battle that had raged there between the Guardians of Gardev and the vile Dr. Namwen not so long ago.

“You could not be more correct, Lord Cyan,” said Timothy with uneasiness as he slowly approached his commander, “We encountered some sort of evil being in the corridors. It would appear the information we got from the reconnaissance and survey crews was flawed.” Cyan Drake was now one of the top officers in a new, highly-secretive criminal organization.

“I believe your assumption is what is false, Captain,” said Cyan as he stood up from a large, black leather chair, “I had hundreds of agents rummaging through these ruins for the last year for parts, equipment, weapons and raw materials. Why would a ghost or any other being want to attack us now that there is nothing left to defend but a broken super computer and a load of empty hallways and rooms?” Like the other high officials in the organization, Cyan was rarely seen on the field and his presence commanded respect from all his subordinates. Cyan and the other high commanders also dressed in a most unusual fashion. Just last month, Cyan started to don a long, heavy black cloak with a large hood and a black mask to hide his face. The cloak covered him from head to toe while the long and large sleeves kept Cyan’s hands hidden from sight. Timothy could not help but stare at Lord Cyan with wonder and curiosity, but also with fear.

“I agree with you, sir,” said Timothy with a respectful bow.

“Nonetheless, I’m calling in reinforcements for one last sweep of this facility,” said Cyan as he turned his back to the captain, “I trust you have found nothing else besides that ghost and its ward, the Ralts?”

“How did you know about that demonic Ralts?” asked Timothy.

“I have my ways,” said Cyan as he turned back around to glare at Timothy and the other soldiers, “One day you shall all get to taste the power I now wield as we move to conquer the world. With the great Dr. Namwen’s knowledge to guide us, even the Guardians of Gardev, nor will any Pokémon or man, be able to stop us. Now, I want the six of you to guard the entrance to this room while I call more soldiers. Understood?”

“Yes, Lord Cyan,” said Captain Timothy as he lead his comrades out of the darkened coliseum and into the blackness of the hallways and corridors. Lucca quickly climbed into an air vent and closed the grill the moment she heard the approaching men. She peeked out through the thin openings of the grill as the same six soldiers from before ran by with great haste. As Lucca waited patiently in her hiding place, Gremlin was phasing through the ceiling of the immense, underground coliseum. He grinned when he laid his gemstone eyes on the man who surely was in charge of whatever was transpiring deep in the ruins.

“So…” thought Gremlin with glee, “You’re Lord Cyan and you’re one of the top nimrods in some sort of criminal gang, eh? Well, I think I’m going to enjoy terrorizing you all the more.”

“Who’s there?” shouted Cyan as he looked up towards the ceiling. Gremlin was completely invisible in the darkness, but he had the strangest feeling that he had been spotted.

“You had better reveal yourself, for your sake,” snarled Cyan, “I know you’re up there. Come down this instant!”

“How could he have sensed my presence?” thought Gremlin as he quickly phased back into the ceiling and out of sight just as Cyan aimed a spot lamp right where the Sableye had been hiding in the black shadows.

“I do enjoy a good ‘Demon’ hunt,” said Cyan as a smile spread across his masked face, “I know you’ll be back.” Cyan was really starting to enjoy his newfound and potent powers. He picked up a nearby hand radio from the left armrest of his chair.

“Captain,” said Cyan though the radio, “I want you to return to the coliseum on the double. There’s been a change of plans.”

“Yes, sir!” was Captain Timothy’s reply. Lucca was sitting quietly in the air duct when suddenly…

“How’s it going?” shouted Gremlin from behind Lucca in an attempt to startle her. Instead, Gremlin yelped with pain as Lucca slapped him quick and hard on his face, knocking the stunned Sableye’s left eye loose again.

“I’m feeling much better now,” said Lucca with a scowl, “You need to stop trying to scare me. It’s very hazardous to your health.” Gremlin muttered to himself as he carefully stuffed the large gemstone back into the empty eye socket.

“I’m inclined to agree,” said Gremlin just as he and Lucca heard a group of soldiers run past the grate of the air duct and back towards the indoor coliseum.

“Now where are those idiots going?” asked Lucca.

“Probably back to that huge training area,” said Gremlin with a mischievous smile, “The more in one place, the better! Let’s get going, Lucca! I have some pitiful soldiers to scare and you’ve got some portraits to draw!”

“That I do,” said Lucca with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the reinforcements had arrived just moments ago and now Cyan had 100 capable soldiers at his disposal. Nearly all of them had once been members of Cipher.

“What are your orders, my lord?” asked a field commander.

“You are to stay here and await my instructions,” said Cyan, “Our prey will be coming right to us.” At that moment, all the soldiers’ lights went out and nothing could be heard over their radios but static.

“Oh, not again…” whined Ron.

“Stand your ground, you spineless fool,” said Cyan, “Just watch and learn.” Evil laughter filled the domed room and echoed off the high walls and the massive ceiling. The other soldiers glanced nervously at one another as Cyan stood still, unfazed.

“Surely you can do better than that,” said Cyan, calling out to whatever was hiding in the darkness.

“You’re just asking for trouble…” said a demonic voice as the same pair of glowing red eyes and their accompanying toothy maw appear out of the darkness, “…and now you’ve got it.”

“Be gone,” said Cyan, “You have no way to win here.” The evil spirit erupted with more nightmarish laughter.

“You’re just begging me to end your pathetic life,” cackled the dark ghost, “I shall enjoy consuming your very soul!”

“Then go ahead,” said Cyan, taunting the spirit as a smile spread across his face, hidden by the black mask, “Eat me.” Meanwhile, Eric and Cecil had reached the generator room and were about to restore power to the entire facility.

“Everything checks out,” said Eric as he gazed at a computer screen. Aside from Eric and Cecil’s flashlights, the computer screen was the only other thing that provided any light in the large, dark room.

“What are you doing, Eric?” asked Cecil, “And how come that computer has any power at all?”

“First off, I’m checking the status of the facility power grid and isolating the damaged areas,” answered Eric, “Second, it would appear that most of the computers and control systems in here have emergency power packs.”

“Ah, I see,” said Cecil as he looked over Eric’s right shoulder, “So, all you have to do is press a few buttons and we’ll have the lights back on in this place?”

“Pretty much,” said Eric he quickly pressed several keys on a nearby keyboard. Moments later, a Plexiglas panel slid away from a large red button in the middle of the control panel in front of Eric. Eric reached down and pressed the button. Suddenly, the room shook violently and a soft whirring could then be heard.

“Well, that did it,” said Cecil, “The generator is starting to spin up.” Eric nodded the whirring became progressively louder and louder. Soon, the main generator was fully armed and a message appeared on the computer screen:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Power-up Complete…

Reengaging main and backup systems…

Do you wish to activate all power grid systems?
[>]Yes [ ]No
----------------------------------------------------------------

“Yes!” shouted Eric and hit the Enter key on the keyboard. Almost immediately, the other computers, control panels and the lights in the room turned on.

“That was… very easy,” remarked Cecil.

“Who says everything about computers has to be complicated?” said Eric, “Now all we have to do is wait and watch as the rest of the building comes back online.” Mack, Aura and Alvin jumped when the lights in the corridor suddenly turned on. The light was blinding, especially after they had been walking around in almost complete darkness for several hours.

“It would appear that Eric and Cecil were successful in their mission,” said K-1.

“No kidding!” shouted Simon. Due to his large claws, he really had no way to cover his eyes.

“Either way, we have to get to the training coliseum at once,” said Mack, “It’s not much further from here.” As the Guardians and their companions ran towards the bottom levels of the ruins, Cyan was taunting the black spirit.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” demanded Cyan, “I’m standing right here, stiff as a board.” The ghost laughed again. The soldiers were all greatly unnerved.

“You asked for it!” laughed the evil spirit, “Now you shall meet a horrible, painful and hellish fate!”

“Oh, dear,” said Cyan with sarcasm and a yawn, “I’m so scared.”

“Well,” said the ghost, “It’s lunch time! Ha, ha, ha, ha…!” Without warning, the large area lights of the arena clicked on with a bright flash. Cyan didn’t even flinch as the rest of the soldiers reflexively covered their eyes. Cyan smiled and laughed at the Sableye, standing not more than twenty yards away with his arms held up in a threatening manner.

“Ha! Ha, ha, ha! Ha…ha……ha………uh-oh…” said Gremlin sheepishly. His powers of illusion were completely useless whenever he was in bright light.

“Hmph!” scoffed Cyan, “You were all scared by single Sableye.” Gremlin smiled nervously as he took a few steps back away from the 100 or so angry soldiers.

“Um…” said Gremlin with fear as he waved at the soldiers, “Hi! Erm… are you all having a nice day?”

“Give me that,” said Cyan happily as he pulled a rifle away from one of the soldiers and aimed it at Gremlin, “Now, what were you saying about devouring my soul?”

“Uh… that it would be good with ketchup?” replied Gremlin. Cyan said not a word as he pulled the trigger on his weapon. Instantly, an orb of electricity shot out of the barrel and through the air with great speed, colliding with the irritating Sableye. Lucca was standing behind a corner, sketching and observing Gremlin and the soldiers when the Sableye went flying backwards down the long hallway at great speed, covered with an aura of potent electricity. Cyan lowered his weapon and then pointed down the hallway with his right arm.

“After that Sableye,” ordered Cyan, “We may actually have some use for him, but take your time. It would not surprise me if he had several companions with him.” Gremlin continued flying down the hallway until he finally landed hard against a metal wall. He dropped to the ground as the painful electricity around his body quickly faded away. His head didn’t feel quite right and a glance at one of the shiny, metal walls soon told him that his cracked left eye had been knocked loose once again.

“Not again!” yelled Gremlin as he looked down each of the corridors for his eye, all while the thundering footsteps from the approaching soldiers got louder and louder.

“Gremlin!!” shouted a familiar voice from Gremlin’s left and down the long corridor.

“Oh, no…” said Gremlin to himself, “Here comes Simon.” He smiled nervously as the Guardians, Simon and Alvin charged down the hallway, coming to a stop just a few yards away from the embarrassed and worried Sableye.

“What are you doing here?” demanded Simon, tapping his right foot with impatience, “I thought I told you to stay in Gardev.”

“So I wanted to take the early morning tour of this place,” said Gremlin as he crossed his arms, “So sue me.”

“What happened to your eye?” asked Mack with a raised eyebrow.

“Well…” said Gremlin nervously.

“Let’s just say a soldier down the hallway blasted him and his eye flew out,” said Lucca with a smile, carrying her sketchpad under one of her arms and also carrying Gremlin’s cracked eye, “Then this pretty gem landed right into my clutches.”

“Lucca?” asked Mack, “You stowed away with Gremlin?” Lucca shrugged her shoulders and handed Gremlin his wayward eye.

“I can take care of myself,” said Lucca, “I don’t really need this purple clown for protection. Besides, I came here just because I wanted to draw you and Aura, Mack.” Gremlin sneered at Lucca as he once again got his eye back into its proper place.

“I don’t think Glacian will like this,” said Aura with concern.

“Yeah,” said Mack with a scowl, “I don’t take kindly to people hiding in my aircraft and then trying to stalk me and my wife.”

“I’ll be dealing with you when we get back to Gardev, Gremlin,” said Simon gruffly. Gremlin gulped as Aura glanced at Mack.

“Mack, dear,” said Aura with a gentle voice, “I really don’t mind that Lucca just wanted to draw us, though I agree that she should not have stowed away on our Heavy Carrier.”

“Well,” said Mack as he looked down at Lucca, “What do you have to say for yourself?” Lucca just smiled at the Guardians as she held up her sketchpad. Mack, Aura and Simon gathered close to view the drawing. Gremlin was rather confused when he heard the Guardians and Simon erupt with laughter.

“Let me see!” said Gremlin as he leapt in front of Lucca to take a close look at her drawing. Gremlin frowned: the drawing was of Gremlin, smiling nervously with his hands in the air with Cyan and his soldiers glaring at him.

“I rather like this one,” remarked Simon with an appreciative nod. Alvin looked over Simon’s shoulder and laughed as well. Lucca grinned and turned the page on her sketchpad, showing another embarrassing drawing of Gremlin. This time, it was the moment of impact when Cyan’s electrical blast hit Gremlin. His eyes were looking in opposite directions, he was smiling like a fool and his tongue was dangling out the left side of his mouth.

“Those are just perfect!” giggled Aura.

“You’re telling me!” laughed Mack, “Well, I guess I can take those drawings as a good excuse for you to tag along with us.”

“You mean it?” asked Lucca with excitement.

“Yes,” said Aura with a bright smile, “Just stay close to us.”

“Will do,” said Lucca happily as she offered a curtsey, “Your highness.” Mack and Aura chuckled warmly. Simon grinned as he looked down at his frowning Sableye.

“I think you’ve punished yourself enough for now,” said Simon, “I’ll let this incident slide, but you’d better behave yourself next time and do what you’re told.” Gremlin sighed.

“If I must…” said a depressed Gremlin.

“That’s a good boy,” said Simon as he turned his gaze onto Lucca, “I would like a 10’ by 6’ of each of those drawings in full color, please. They’ll look good hanging in the Guardians’ home.” Gremlin let out a heavy sigh.

“No one can punish you like Simon can,” grumbled Gremlin.

“Wait a moment!” said Alvin with shock as he took another look at the pair of drawings, “There are soldiers in the coliseum?!”

“About 100 of them or so,” said Lucca calmly, “In fact, they should be arriving in this corridor any moment now.” She quickly stuffed the drawings back into her satchel as Mack, Aura, Alvin and K-1 charged up their weapons.

“Any idea what we are dealing with, Lucca?” asked Simon.

“Oh, probably some soldiers from a secret criminal organization that is bent on conquering the world,” replied Lucca, “They should be a cakewalk for you guys.”

“Or so we hope,” said Mack as he, Aura and Alvin raised their rifles and prepared to attack. K-1 started to spin up his mini-plasma Vulcan cannons as Gremlin and Lucca got behind Mack, Aura and Alvin. Soon, loud footsteps could easily be heard echoing in the corridors, coming from the hallways that lead to the massive, underground coliseum. Simon sneered as the soldiers drew ever closer.

“Get ready…” cautioned Mack.

“Wait!” shouted Simon, “You all should stay here. I will take care of our incoming… guests.”

“You must be joking,” said Mack with disbelief, “You really think you can take on hundreds of soldiers and possibly hundreds more Pokémon on your own?”

“Yes,” said Simon with a smile, “Like I said, you just wait here and keep a close eye on Lucca. Peer around the corner if you want to watch. In just a matter of minutes you will no longer doubt my power.” Simon calmly walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. Out of morbid curiosity, the Guardians and their friends cautiously peered around the corner and down the adjoining hallway with their weapons at the ready.

“I don’t think this is such a good idea, Mack,” said a concerned Aura, “Simon was never much of a challenge for us.”

“I know,” said Mack, “You and I have clobbered Simon left, right and center quite a few times. I bet we’re either going to be very amazed shortly or we’ll all laugh our heads off and have to drag him out of trouble again.”

“I can always draw him getting beaten to a pulp, if you want,” said Lucca with an evil grin.

“That’s just what we need hanging over our fireplace,” giggled Aura, “A large, beautiful and colorful portrait of Simon getting his head handed to him.” Alvin was still as nervous as ever, but the Gardevoir scientist clearly remembered what had happened while he still went by the name of Dr. Namwen. Simon had always been resourceful, full of surprises and had managed to evade the evil scientist’s clutches on many occasions. Aura glanced over her shoulder: this was the first time all day that the young Guardian had seen Alvin smile.

“Lucca?” asked Alvin with a degree of delight that actually startled his companions, “Please be ready to get some great sketches, indeed. I think our brave friend is about to give us a floor show we won’t soon forget.” Lucca shrugged her shoulders but quickly got her pencils and paper at the ready anyway. Mack and Aura returned their gaze down the large and long hallway, as did K-1, the grinning Alvin, the perplexed Sableye and the very eager Ralts artist. The soldiers drew every closer, but Simon stood fast, unfazed.

“Halt,” said Simon forcefully, yet calmly as he extended his right claw, gesturing at the soldiers to stop their hasty charge down the hallway, “Return to whence you came and you will all be spared.” The black-armored soldiers did stop in their tracks, but only to glare and sneer at the lone Kabutops.

“Did he just speak to us?” asked one skeptical soldier.

“He really thinks he can take on all of us by himself?” asked another soldier with cruel laughter.

“Quiet in the ranks!” shouted the group’s commander as he bravely stepped forward to address the lone, ancient Pokémon, “Who are you? I demand to know!”

“I am Simon,” replied the Kabutops fearlessly, “And I shall be your worst nightmare, should you be so foolish as to engage me in combat. You go back to the coliseum right now and tell your superior to leave this place and never return, or else you shall deal with me.” The commander smiled at the defiant Kabutops.

“You have some nerve to even consider fighting us,” said the commander in a more friendly tone of voice as he crossed his arms, “My superiors are looking for Pokémon with superior powers and abilities. Why don’t you join us instead? You certainly appear to be someone who could be an invaluable ally to us.”

“I will never serve the forces of evil,” said Simon as he raised his claws in an attack stance, “You can be sure of that.”

“Is that really your decision?” asked the commander with a grin, “I think you should reconsider my very generous offer.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” asked Simon angrily, “I’ve heard enough. Now draw your weapons and meet me in combat if you are not going to retreat.” The commander motioned for his accompanying soldiers to actually lower their weapons.

“I don’t desire to fight you,” said the commander, “I would rather we were both on the same side. After all, the great Dr. Namwen’s files told us plenty about you: your incredible powers, an undying and unwavering sense of honor as well as the rare ability to speak the language of man.” Alvin scowled as he overheard the soldier’s leader.

“The ‘Great’ Dr. Namwen?” thought Alvin with shock.

“Alvin, what’s going on here?” asked Mack quietly, “How come they know so much about Simon and why would they consider you to be some sort of great leader?” Alvin bowed his head in shame.

“They must have managed to not only acquire all the information on this facility’s mainframe, but they must have broken the encryption on all my research data,” said Alvin as he clenched his right fist, “We can’t allow these men to escape! They may very well have the plans to everything: my barrier-piercing rifles, Project Epsilon and even the Seismic Generator! Not to mention all the blueprints for every one of your weapons and machines that I managed to reverse-engineer, Mack!”

“My patience is wearing thin,” warned Simon, “Now step forward so I can annihilate all of you.”

“No need to be so forceful,” said the commander calmly, “We’re going to be leaving in less than twenty minutes anyway.” Just then, Simon heard a voice faintly, yet very clearly over the radio built into the commander’s helmet.

“Well done, Commander Argus,” said a sinister and gruff voice, “This is Lord Cyan speaking. It would appear that your reputation in Cipher is well-deserved. All the needed equipment and raw materials have been sent back to base. You may extract your forces whenever you wish, but be sure to leave no man behind at any cost. That’s an order!” Simon’s eyes opened wide in shock: he finally realized the commander had just been stalling for time. Simon raised his claws and started to glow with a blinding, white light.

“You managed to fool me,” laughed Simon, “So help me: that will be the last mistake you will ever make…” Except for Commander Argus, the soldiers took a few steps back away from Simon in fear as the bright silhouette of the Kabutops grew larger and started to change shape.

“Orders, sir?!” yelled one of the terrified soldiers.

“Fall back and deploy your Pokémon on the double! Don’t underestimate him or you will all wind up being killed like the Great Dr. Namwen!” shouted Commander Argus. With that, the soldiers ran down the long hallway in a flurry and threw hundreds of strange, black Pokéballs towards Simon. With a series of rapid, bright flashes, several dark orbs of energy appeared from the black Pokéballs and landed on the floor. In just a matter of moments, the energy balls morphed into hundreds of powerful and evolved Pokémon. Alakazam, Ampharos, Blastoise, Blaziken, Charizard, Crobat, Dragonite, Exploud, Feraligatr, Flygon, Garchomp, Gyarados, Gengar, Golem, Golduck, Infernape, Ludicolo, Machamp, Magmortar, Magnezone, Metagross, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Rhydon, Pidgeot, Poliwrath, Raichu, Venusaur, Vileplume and Roserade filled the large corridor in a seemingly endless sea of large and powerful creatures. The bright light radiating from Simon soon abated and the soldiers gasped when they laid eyes on their new opponent. Now, a massive Regigigas, thought to have only existed in legend, towered over the startled soldiers and their equally baffled Pokémon. Despite not having a face, the gigantic legendary Pokémon seemed to be smiling as it loudly cracked its knuckles.

“I’ve seen more of the most elusive and powerful Pokémon than any man ever has in a lifetime,” said Simon with a booming voice in his Regigigas form, “And I’ve defeated them all.” The Regigigas just barely could stand up in the tall corridor. Commander Argus was still as fearless as ever. He extended his right arm and pointed at the looming monster at the opposite end of the hallway.

“Attack!!” shouted Commander Argus. With that, the army of Pokémon charged forward.

“This will be the best workout I’ve had in centuries!” declared Simon with great confidence. Fortunately for Mack, Aura and their companions, the black soldiers were too busy dealing with Simon to notice them as they peeked around the hallway corner to observe the immense indoor battle. They watched as the Regigigas threw one devastating punch after another, sending one attacking enemy Pokémon at a time flying back towards the opposite end of the corridor. Once in a while, Simon would even pick up frightened Pokémon and throw them all the way down the huge hallway and clean into the coliseum in the distance. Despite the horde of the powerful and evolved attackers, Simon was holding his ground with relative ease. Alvin smiled at this sight.

“He hasn’t lost his touch,” said Alvin with glee. Lucca was feverishly making highly-detailed sketches as the battle continued to unfold.

“I’ve traveled with Simon for a few decades now and believe me, I’ve never seen him take on an entire army by himself!” said a pleasantly-surprised Gremlin.

“Send in the Fighting-Types,” order Commander Argus quietly through his radio to his comrades. In an instant, the other soldiers had most of their Pokémon fall back in a hasty retreat while a few dozen Blazikens, Infernapes, Poliwraths and Machamps charged and leapt forward towards Simon. They easily landed a flurry of pummeling punches and kicks on the large, slow-moving opponent. Simon grunted from the pain: somehow, Commander Argus knew the weakness of Regigigas, but there was no way the commander could predict his next move. Simon stumbled back, quickly regaining his composure as his body again started to glow with a bright light.

“You really should surrender, Simon!” shouted Commander Argus with laughter, “There is no way you can defeat all of us!” The large, bright silhouette of the huge Regigigas changed shape and quickly shrunk down from a twelve-foot high behemoth, to an odd, roughly six-foot tall form. The blinding light abated once again, revealing a Pokémon that only Commander Argus knew anything about and, for the first time in many years, the steadfast commander was shaken by its very presence.

“Commander!” shouted a nearby soldier, “What is that?!”

“It’s a Mewtwo!!” screamed Commander Argus with fear, knowing very well the incredible power he was now up against. After all, a slow-moving giant was not too difficult for the commander to handle, but one of the most destructive Pokémon in existence was another matter. Dr. Namwen’s files, recovered from the ruins of Team Rocket headquarters many years ago, described Mewtwo’s power in explicit detail. Simon grinned as he held both of his arms forward, gathering and focusing the immense power of the artificial Pokémon. Suddenly, a bright flash lit up the entire hallway and corridor. Commander Argus opened his eyes the moment the blinding light had faded: a thick shower of soft, pink flower petals drifted about the large hallway. The Fighting-Type Pokémon and all the soldiers were completely bewildered.

“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Commander Argus as he tapped his right foot with impatience, “Are you mocking me?”

“Perhaps,” said Simon with a mischievous smile. He decided that he may as well have some fun with the underprepared soldiers. Again, Simon focused his power and thrust his arms forward without another word, sending the dozens of helpless, Fighting-Type Pokémon into the air with a powerful wave of psychic energy. The Blazikens, Infernapes, Poliwraths and Machamps dropped to the ground several yards down the corridor, knocked unconscious by the immense telekinetic blast. Commander Argus was through with trying to defeat Simon with cold and well-calculated strategy.

“Destroy him!!” yelled Commander Argus, “Don’t hold back!” In an instant, the other soldiers ordered their remaining Pokémon forward in a massive offensive. Simon effortlessly defeated dozens of his opponents with single psychic blasts and Shadow Balls. After a few dozen more Pokémon had dropped to the floor, Simon again changed forms. This time, he transformed into Articuno, with barely enough room to spread his wings and stay airborne. He flapped his mighty wings, sending even more of the attacking Pokémon down the hallway with blasts of wind. All while freezing some of the Grass-Type Pokémon with frigid Ice Beams. The soldiers recalled their fallen and incapacitated allies back to their black Pokéballs as even more Pokémon continued what only looked like another futile offensive. Again, Simon changed forms and reappeared as a much smaller, but still potent Lucario. Cyan had moved back into the massive vault not more than a few hundred yards away from the underground coliseum and the adjoining hallway where the ferocious battle continued to rage on and on.

“Commander?” asked Cyan through Argus’s radio, “What is the problem down there?” Commander Argus did not respond and all Cyan heard were explosions, booming thunder as well as waves of energy and various energy beams. The commander had managed to regain his concentration in the heat of battle and soon replied.

“This is Commander Argus,” said the commander in his familiar, gruff voice, “What can I do for you, Lord Cyan?”

“Commander,” said Cyan coolly and calmly, “Is the Kabutops giving you and your men more trouble than you can manage?”

“I’m afraid so, sir,” said Commander Argus as another loud explosion rocked the immediate area.

“It’s takes a great man to admit when he’s outgunned,” said Cyan as he cracked a smile behind his black mask, “I think the time has come to test our newest weapon. Hit that infuriating Kabutops with the Neutralizer rifle at once. Let’s see how he enjoys being powerless and utterly defenseless. One of the corporals has the weapon in his possession.”

“Copy that, Lord Cyan,” said Commander Argus with a smile, “I had completely forgotten about that new toy of ours.” The commander turned his head and faced one of the corporals. He had just recalled more of his defeated Pokémon and was carrying a rather large rifle on his back.

“Corporal Anderson, I am going to relieve you of your weapon now,” said Commander Argus, “It’s time to give it a thorough field test.” The corporal saluted his commander and quickly took the large rifle off his back and handed it to Argus with an evil smile on his face the whole time.

“Excellent,” said Commander Argus as he positioned the heavy rifle in his arms and took aim at Simon, “Attention all units!! Recall your Pokémon at once and switch to your rifles on the double!!” Simon was actually perplexed to why the soldiers were now calling their strongest Pokémon out of battle and were instead taking up arms against him. Simon again morphed from his current form, a Lugia, back to that of Lucario.

“You are unwise, Commander!” shouted Simon as he cracked his knuckles and got into an attack stance, “You know very well that your Pokémon had a far better chance against me than you and all of your other puny humans combined! Your weapons will be no use against me either!” Commander Argus only smiled as the electronic humming from his weapon got louder and louder. Simon and his companions were unaware of the danger they now faced. Lucca continued to make more sketches, thoroughly enjoying Simon’s performance. Alvin, Mack and Aura were equally amazed.

“Kinda gives me an impression of just how powerful members of the Olympus royal family are,” said an amazed Mack, “Aura, we must be extremely powerful in order to have defeated Simon at all!” Aura nodded her head in agreement. As Gremlin and company kept their eyes on the battle, K-1 was hastily analyzing the commander’s unusual weapon.

“What have we here?” said K-1 as his sharp, electronic eyes quickly gathered information, “It appears that the commander has some sort of energy bazooka in his hands. The energy readings I’m receiving from that weapon are most unusual and are quickly building in strength.”

“What do you make of it?” asked Mack quietly.

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good!” said K-1 with shock as he jumped out from behind the corner and yelled at Simon, desperately trying to get the ancient Pokémon’s attention, “Simon, run!! Take cover!!” Just when Simon turned his head to glance over his left shoulder at K-1, Commander Argus pulled the trigger on his large rifle. Instantly, an orb of strange, rainbow-colored energy as large as a softball emerged from the barrel of the weapon with a loud ‘Bang!’ and a bright flash. Simon had not the time to react as the energy ball collided with his body, knocking him to his knees. Simon cried out in as he felt his strength suddenly vanish and as immense pain coursed through his entire body. He bowed his head as he glowed brightly once again, transforming into the shape of another Pokémon. Simon could no longer control his powers and the radiant glow soon vanished, revealing him as a Kabutops once again. He breathed heavily: he had not felt this weak in many, many years. As Commander Argus gave the order for his troops to open fire, Mack, Aura, Alvin and K-1 charged forward and armed their weapons, setting them for Stun Mode. The soldiers paused with shock for only a moment when the Guardians unfurled their majestic wings. While the soldiers stood still, K-1 swiftly opened his chest compartment and extended two of his mechanical arms. The metallic hands reached under Simon’s arms and the robot quickly pulled the weakened Kabutops back behind the Guardians and out of the way. Mack, Aura and Alvin did not hesitate as they opened fire on the enemy troops. They were not about to let their great friend fall into the clutches of the black-armored fiends. With a series of flashes and bangs, the soldiers fell to the ground one after another as the orange bolts of energy knocked them unconscious.

“Shields up!!” shouted Commander Argus. The remaining troopers complied as quickly as possible. They feverishly pressed a few buttons on the right gauntlets of their black body armor as their comrades fell left and right. Only a few moments passed and the remaining soldiers now had barely-visible energy barriers surrounding their bodies. The Guardians and Alvin maintained their fire, even as the energy bolts were deflected harmlessly off the soldiers’ energy shields and into the ceiling, the floor and the walls.

“Keep firing!” ordered Mack. As soon as K-1 got Simon to safety and knew that Gremlin and Lucca were safe, he dashed back down the hallway and opened fire. The storm of orange energy bolts continued to rain down on the soldiers, but now they were completely safe from the Gardevoirs’ and robot’s wrath.

“Switch to lethal rounds and open fire!” order Commander Argus. Within a matter of seconds, the troopers had armed their black rifles and opened fire on the three Gardevoirs and K-1. Bullet casings rained down on the floor as the barrier-piercing and deadly bullets now rained down on the soldiers’ attackers. Fortunately, the Gardevoirs and K-1 had powerful energy shields as well and were unharmed as the energy and lead slugs were deflected, leaving large holes in the surrounding walls. Oddly enough, the bullets could only pierce the barriers that Pokémon could generate, but not energy shielding. Now Cyan was greatly concerned when he heard gunfire echoing down the hallways, through the training coliseum and into the massive, heavily-armored vault.

“Commander Argus!” said Cyan loudly into his radio, “What is your situation? Do you require further backup?”

“Lord Cyan!” replied Commander Argus with fear in his voice, “The Guardians of Gardev are here!” Cyan’s eyes opened wide.

“Are you certain?” demanded Cyan with shock.

“Affirmative, Lord Cyan!” shouted Commander Argus as his troops and the Gardevoirs and robot continued to trade gunfire, “The white wings and pendants are unmistakable!” Cyan stood still, extremely surprised as his arms dropped limply at his sides.

“This is not good…” thought Cyan with great concern, “We have no means to face the Guardians head on! At least not yet…” Black soldiers flew into the air like bowling pins as Mack and Aura fired powerful beams of explosive light down the corridor. The soldiers’ energy shields saved their hides, but the immense power of the Guardians was too much to bear. Though victory seemed imminent for the Guardians of Gardev, Mack quickly realized that his, Aura’s and Alvin’s energy shields were quickly losing power as the hail of lethal lead from the soldiers continued unabated.

“What are your orders, sir?” shouted Commander Argus over the din of loud bangs and booms. Before Cyan could give the commander his orders, he could barely, but clearly hear one of the Guardians speak.

“Fall back! Our shields can’t take much more of this!” said Mack with fear, “A hit from one of those bullets could easily be the end of us!”

“You got it, Mack!” shouted Aura and Alvin in unison.

“Affirmative, Mack!” was K-1’s reply. Commander Argus and the remaining soldiers could not have been more relieved when they saw the Guardians of Gardev fall back.

“Maintain your fire and get our fallen comrades to safety!” ordered Commander Argus. The soldiers at the front of the group changed ammo magazines and again resumed their fire, stepping forward so other soldiers could drag the unconscious soldiers into the coliseum and out of danger. Mack, Aura, Alvin and K-1 hid far from the hallway corner as huge holes were torn into the metal wall at the end of the corridor and the hallway corners by the unending flurry of bullets. The three Gardevoirs waited patiently for their shields to regain power and replaced the nearly spent power cells in their rifles. After a minute of waiting in safety, the soldiers had managed to recover their unconscious friends and were in a full retreat into the coliseum. Mack wanted to charge forward, but the gunfire was too heavy and his and his friends’ shields had only recovered half of their defensive power. Commander Argus joined his troops and opened fire down the hallway as well just as the last defeated soldier was dragged into the coliseum. He glanced at a corporal on his right.

“How many of the psychic jammers were repaired in this sector?” asked Commander Argus.

“All the jammers in the coliseum, the vault and the adjoining hallway are fully functional, sir!” reported the soldier with a respectful salute.

“Good! Seal the blast door, activate all the psychic jammers and then jam the door!” ordered the commander, “Overload the control panel if you have to: just get the coliseum door sealed!” As soon as the last soldier was in the safety of the coliseum, the corporal closed the thick blast door and activated the psychic jammers, sealing off the huge training area from the rest of the facility. Even the Guardians would not be able to teleport into the coliseum or the vault now.

“The area is sealed, sir!” reported the corporal.

“Fabulous!” said Commander Argus with glee as he radioed Cyan, “Lord Cyan, I recommend we evacuate back to base at once.”

“Agreed, Commander,” said Cyan, “We got what we came for anyway. Proceed to the vault and I will take us back to base.”

“Yes, sir!” said Commander Argus, relieved that he and his men would soon leave the old ruins and the Guardians behind. Meanwhile, Mack cautiously peeked around the shredded corner and looked down the hallway towards the coliseum. The gunfire may have stopped but Mack was still very wary of any more bullets cruising down the hallways. He was met with the shiny face of a blast door and no soldiers at the end of the corridor.

“Let’s move!” said Mack to his companions, “It looks like they’re retreating into the vault!”

“Great! Maybe we can break in and catch them!” said a hopeful Alvin, “There’s no way out of the vault, unless they can squeeze through that hole in the ceiling that is no bigger around than a standard baseball!” Mack, Aura, Alvin and K-1 charged down the long hallway, stopping in front of the thick and heavy door.

“I’ll handle this,” said K-1 as he stepped up to the control panel of the door. Just then, a soldier on the other side of the door plugged a device about the size of a deck of cards with two metal prongs on one end into an access card slot in the control panel. He pressed a few buttons on the device and jumped back as electricity lanced off the device and around the control panel.

“Yikes!!” shouted a surprised K-1 as he jumped back, just barely avoiding the potent electricity.

“Sheesh!” exclaimed Mack, “What was that all about?”

“I don’t know, but someone just injected high voltage into the door control panel!” shouted K-1 as the electricity soon vanished. The robot carefully and slowly approached the door and checked the control panel: the buttons and small view screen had melted plus the complex circuitry had been fused together.

“Maybe we should try teleporting into the vault?” suggested Aura. Mack though about Aura’s idea and then focused his power, trying to telekinetically lift a piece of scrap metal off the floor, but nothing happened.

“I think they’re using psychic jammers,” said Mack with a heavy sigh, “We’ll just have to break the door down.”

“Perhaps I can assist with that,” said Simon, startling the Guardians with his voice and sudden appearance behind them.

“Are you sure?” asked Alvin, “You took a nasty hit back there.”

“I’m just fine now,” said Simon, “Now, just stand aside and I’ll tear through this door like tissue paper.” Mack was about to warn Simon, but the stubborn Kabutops charged at the door with his claws out, ready to slash the metal into tinfoil. Instead, his massive claws bounced harmlessly of the door and Simon ended up colliding with the hard metal face first. Simon roared with anger and pain as he staggered back away from the door.

“What in heck is that thing made of?!” demanded Simon as he rubbed his throbbing nose with his left claw.

“I’d like to know why we didn’t have to deal with blast doors when we attacked this place,” said Aura with curiosity.

“I can answer that,” said Alvin with a frown, “I wanted to let you Aura and Mack into the coliseum so I could try and defeat you myself. I’m glad to say I didn’t manage to beat you.”

“Either way, we need to bulldoze through this irritating barrier and quickly,” grumbled Simon. Mack stepped towards the door and pulled an object off his utility belt that, in a way, looked like a fancy silver flashlight.

“Stand back, everyone,” warned Mack as he held the shinning object in his right hand like the hilt of a sword. He flipped the switch with his left hand and with a loud “Hiss!” a bright blade of energy, golden in color and roughly one meter in length, came forth from the device. A strange-sounding hum filled the otherwise quiet corridor.

“What do you have there?” asked a curious Simon, “It looks like something I once saw in a movie.”

“It’s a Plasma Saber,” answered Mack, “The blade is made up of superheated gas with a force field that helps keep its energy in the desired shape and shields the user from the intense heat. This plasma saber has a surface temperature of about 500,000 degrees: plenty to melt through just about any metal.” Mack plunged the energy blade into the door, cutting around the edges with ease.

“And yes,” said Mack with a nervous smile, “I did get the idea from a movie.” Before long, Mack had cut all the way around the heavy metal door. The cuts in the door were still red hot.

“Now try, Simon,” said Mack as he stood back.

“My pleasure,” said Simon with a smile. With a loud shout, Simon again charged at the door, but this time, he knocked the large chunk of metal clean out of the doorway. The blast door itself rocketed to the opposite side of the coliseum, landing with a loud and echoing “Klang!” Simon dusted himself off and stretched as the Guardians and Alvin made their way to the other side of the coliseum. Much to Mack and his friends’ relief, the other blast door had not been deployed, so they charged down the last of the long hallways and came to a stop at the vault. Mack sneered and lowered his weapon: the vault was practically empty and somehow, all the soldiers had disappeared without a trace.

“Where… where did they go?!” shouted Alvin, “They can’t have escaped so easily! It’s impossible!” Mack turned his attention to a large machine at the back, left corner of the vault. It was as big as an average washing machine with a control panel, covered with buttons and knobs.

“It’s okay, Alvin,” said Aura with determination, “I don’t know how, but we’ll find those people and stop them!”

“That may only sound easy,” said Simon, “Now they have Alvin’s research at their disposal. Judging by what we encountered today, I would suspect that defeating them will be by no means an easy task.” Lucca walked into the vault, overhearing the conversation. She appeared to be sad.

“You mean…” said Lucca in a depressed tone of voice, “Those evil men might return?”

“I hate to admit it, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them,” said Simon, crossing his claws in front of his chest.

“Either way, I think we may all be in grave danger nonetheless. Watch this,” said Mack as he pressed a large, red button on the large machine. At that very moment, Mack, Aura, Alvin and even Simon noticed that their psychic powers were no longer being restrained. The static on their radios vanished in an instant, replaced by a clean signal.

“Just as I thought,” said Mack, “They managed to reverse-engineer my Jamming Array.” Suddenly, for the first time in many hours, Central’s voice could be heard on the group’s radios.

“Mack? Do you hear me? Are you there?” asked Central. Her voice was crystal clear and one of the sweetest things Mack and his friends had heard all day.

“I hear you loud and clear, Central,” replied Mack happily, “How are things at the surface?”

“To be honest, I could not be any happier at this moment,” said Central cheerfully, “I don’t know what you did, but I suddenly started to get readings from the ruins on the S-5’s sensors not more than a few seconds ago! Except for you and the rest of our friends, the facility is completely devoid of life.”

“That wasn’t the case less than ten minutes ago,” said Alvin.

“Indeed,” said Mack, “Central? Did you see anyone escape from the facility on foot or in vehicles or aircraft? We thought we had cut off a small army down here but they all vanished without a trace.” For several seconds, the radio was silent.

“Say that again, please,” said Central, “what did you find?”

“We found about 100 heavily armed and armored soldiers deep in the facility,” reported Aura, “They were also carrying a full compliment of strong Pokémon. Judging by the empty rooms and missing metal plates throughout the facility, we suspect those people were here for some sort of salvage operation.”

“So I see,” said Central with a heavy sigh, “I’m afraid mine and the S-5’s sensors detected no anomalies.”

“I think I know what happened,” said Simon. The room became quiet and the Kabutops now had everyone’s attention.

“Please elaborate,” asked Central politely.

“I shall,” replied Simon, “You see, I did manage to sense something while I was in the heat of battle. I think I managed to locate those soldiers’ high commander back here in the vault, but there was something very odd about him. I could sense unusually strong power in him, but nothing else.”

“What are you getting at, Simon?” asked Lucca.

“I think our friends were teleported out of here by a very powerful being,” suggested Simon, “Whoever it was, it could not have been human. I’ve never seen a human able to teleport more than a handful of people at once.”

“Hey there!” said Eric’s voice over Mack’s radio, “Are we actually able to communicate or am I just hearing voices?”

“You’re just going crazy, dear brother,” said a grinning Alvin.

“I knew it! Cecil! The radios are working again!” said Eric with sheer delight and relief.

“Good to hear from you, Guardians,” said Cecil happily, “I was starting to get worried about you.”

“Save some worrying for us!” laughed Eric, “How are we going to get out of this base, better still, does anyone have any idea on how we should destroy this place?” Alvin stood quietly for a few moments, staring at the floor. Soon, Alvin looked up and faced Mack and Aura with a smile on his face.

“I have an idea,” said Alvin with a twinkle in his eye. Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, Commander Argus and Lord Cyan were being debriefed in a large, dimly-lit room. A shadowed figure was sitting on a golden throne with all his features completely hidden by the darkness.

“You have all done very well,” said a deep, ominous voice, “No one could have predicted that the Guardians of Gardev would pay a visit to those ruins. You completed all your objectives without fail and acquired all the needed supplies and materials. It would appear that hiring Commander Argus was a great move on your part, Lord Cyan.”

“Thank you, your Excellency,” said Cyan. Both he and Commander Argus were on their knees and gazing at the floor out of respect for their great leader.

“Commander Argus, you have proven yourself more than capable as a leader and a man of superior strategy,” said the shadowed man, “On top of that, you are not arrogant and do not overestimate your opponents. I would expect nothing less from a former leader in Cipher. Therefore, you shall be promoted to Grand Commander and shall be a leader of the first squadron of the shadow army.”

“Thank you, sir!” said Commander Argus with sheer delight, “Your Highness is too kind.”

“You’ve earned it,” said the voice as the shadowed man seemed to turn his gaze upon Cyan, “Lord Cyan, please lead Grand Commander Argus to the Golden Room. His training shall begin in seven days and I want you to see to his training personally. Do I make myself clear?”

“As you wish, my liege,” said Cyan respectfully.

“Excellent…” said the voice, “You may both arise and leave. As for you, Grand Commander, I’m expecting great things from you and I know you will not fail me. I would not be afraid either for you are about to taste the power that only Cyan and a few of the highest leaders have.”

“I shall do what his majesty wishes,” said Argus as he and Cyan stood up and slowly left the dark throne room. Outside the throne room there were brightly lit hallways made out of metal, just like the Cipher facilities had once been made of. Other soldiers in black armor were standing guard at the doorways down the long corridor. Argus looked up at Cyan as they slowly walked down the hallway.

“So…” said Argus quietly, “What exactly is the Golden Room his highness spoke of?” Cyan remained quiet for a few moments.

“The Golden Room is a special place that only the finest members of our organization ever get to visit, but once the great Dr. Namwen’s research has been properly studied, all members of our armies shall be given great power beyond anything ever though imaginable,” explained Cyan, “My brother would have been so proud of me and my new employers. That is for certain.” Argus still seemed very hesitant.

“But, I heard that everyone who goes to the Golden Room has to wear a mask and a heavy cloak at all times whenever other people are around and they can never be out in public again,” said a very uneasy Argus.

“Come with me,” said Cyan as he lead Argus into a small office on the left side of the corridor, “Guards, leave us.” A pair of soldiers just inside the doorway nodded and promptly departed. Cyan closed and locked the door and then sealed the blinds on the hallway window.

“Dare I ask what you’re doing?” asked Argus with fear. Cyan spoke again, but this time, he actually sounded pleasant and cheerful as opposed to his usual, cold personality.

“You have nothing to fear!” said Cyan with happy tone of voice, “What you are about to receive is something you’ll surely treasure for the rest of your life!”

“More like bearing a curse for the rest of my life,” said Argus, “I don’t want to go through with this…”

“Bah!” laughed Cyan as he brought his hands up to his face and unclipped the straps on his mask, “Gaze upon my face and your fears will be gone for good. I already foresaw what would happen.” Before Argus could utter another word, Cyan removed his mask. Argus gasped as he laid eyes on Cyan’s new face. Cyan took things a step further as he removed his cloak, letting the heavy, thick black fabric fall to the floor.

“This… this is what I’ll receive?!” said Argus with delight, “I’ll do it!” Cyan quickly put his thick coverings and mask back in their proper places.

“I knew you’d say that,” chuckled Cyan, “In just a few more years, all our soldiers will be able to show who we are with pride. Yes, Argus! Soon, Team Shadow will no longer need to depend on Pokémon ever again…”

>To be continued...<