Chapter 496: LOG 55: Battle Bonds (Final Section) [Truth and Ideals]
It was by chance that a Pokemon's Bullet Seed was unable to puncture me. I was an inch away when it targeted me. I knew Jenny had some plan in mind inside this labyrinth she set up by possibly with her organization. I looked at her with fierce eyes, growling intensely.
"You set me up? What happened to the whole no funny business thing?" I asked.
"Slow down your horses, you baffoon! I didn't plan anything," said Jenny, pushing my shoulder.
More bullet seeds came right towards me. I tried sending out my Pokemon but they were only Pokeballs! Gardevior, Mawile, and the rest were gone, except for one. I threw out Volcarona and she appeared to be there.
"Volcarona! Flare Blitz!"
<Volca!>Volca disagreed and dodged the bullets for herself. Bullet Seed, unlike an actual bullet, isn't that hard, so I can handle it whenever it hits me. But still, Volcarona dodging them only to hit me is kinda a bother.
"You really did change, haven't you Jenny?"
"I told you, it wasn't me! If it was me, then why the hell are the bullets aiming for me too? Raichu, Iron Tail and deflect them!"
<Rai!> Raichu's tail hardened, slapping the bullets like what a racket does in badminton.
"You must've commanded your grunts to attack yourself to act all innocent!"
"Please, if I wanted to kill you, I'd do it in the warehouse and not waste my time setting up a macabre assasination spot!"
"Hmm, makes sense."
A Chandelure dangled down the ceilings, giving brightness. It was, however, dim, but at least I could see my surroundings. From one of the walls, a banner unfurled. It was a Z underneath a letter H, all color blue, cutting the sides which were both black and white.
I tried calling Virgo again. This time she won't answer. Heck, only Team Plasma has the technology to impersonate other people. I also wondered, "If I called Virgo and the imposter was the one talking to me all along, then that means… The real Virgo was--"
"Hey deal with your friends later, we've got other business to take care of," alerted Jenny, seeing a crowd of Team Plasma grunts gathering and surrounding us with their Pokemon. Most of their Pokemon were Liepards and Bisharps, but one of their leader was here, who had an Amoongus with him.
The grunts ran at us, cuffing our hands with steel chains. We were then shackled to the pillars of the laboratory. We did try to fight against them but they were too many. Raichu was not enough, and Volcarona fought for her own personal life but ended up getting captured.
She was chained right beside me. Even in this kind of time, I thought of teasing her a bit. "That's what you get when you don't follow your trainer."
<Vol!>Volcarona spat flames at me.
"Why, you better prepare when this is over!"
Beside their leader was another one who had a fat face and looked like Santa Clause except his eyes were barely seen. Beside the two of them was a woman. She doesn't really look like a leader, more of a secretary and assistant.
"Macro Cosmos, eh?" I looked at Jenny.
"How the hell am I supposed to know? That's what's written in my GPS!"
"Enough now," the elderly man beside Santa Clause spoke, vibrating his voice.
"Gonna give us another speech about Pokemon liberation? I don't think you people are good," said Jenny.
"I am Bronius, one of the Seven Sages," introduced the man. He also introduced Mr. Santa, "And this is Giallo, also a member of the Seven Sages."
Jenny struggled to unshackle herself.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'd end up with cherry-red wrists," I warned. Raichu even tried to calm down her trainer.
"It was easy to fool Team Rocket and… Erm, I forgot the other one. All we had to do to claim what is ours, the Meteonite, was simple and easy," said the secretary as ropes dangled down from the ceiling, carrying what appeared to be a cage.
Inside the cage was the real Virgo strapped in chains, on a chair, her mouth tightly zipped with duct tape. She kept blabbering, though we couldn't understand what she was saying. But by her eyes, she wanted help.
"Let her go! You have the Meteonite, so why the hell get me involved?"
"Because you are a threat to our progress, thus we must finish you. Grunts, get her out of the cage." ordered Giallo.
They unstrapped the duct tape, kept the chains on her hand and pushed Virgo out. Another grunt meanwhile was pinning her, making sure Virgo doesn't run away. I was getting worried, thinking if Emma really did buy pizza.
"I tried, but I couldn't stop her. She took my card and impersonated me when I went to the bathroom."
"No wonder, you're a professor. Team Rocket would've thought you're on shift," I said.
"And indeed they did. From there on, the impersonator directed you to us, Team Plasma's secret base. It was never owned by Macro Cosmos, well actually they did before we stole this facility from them."
"That explains the address on the… Erm," she coughed, nearly leaking details about the serums.
"And my Pokemon?" I asked.
"Your Pokemon are fine, and were stolen by a grunt right before you entered the facility. They were replaced with Pokeballs." said Bronius. They showed my Pokemon which were out of their Pokeballs, all of them were inside a large cage alongside a few hundred more Pokemon. Virgo's Pokemon were also there.
"You call that liberation? More like slavery! I've always despised Team Plasma, what are your true intentions?!" demanded Jenny.
Team Plasma mocked us again. Giallo pressed the remote, zapping them completely. They shrieked in pain, and I was angry. How could they be this harsh? All their teary eyes, souls begging for help. Their powers were useless against Team Plasma's grand scheme.
"Liberation was only a step forward to our goal," said Giallo.
"With humans and Pokemon separated from each other, Unova will fall under the hands of Ghetsis. Humanity necessitates the assistance from Pokemon to drive away evil, but without it, with Pokemon away from their trainers, Unova will be ours to conquer. That is, and forever will be, the faith of this region," said Giallo.
"You fools!" shouted Jenny, struggling to escape from her chains again.
"If N, your king, hears about the truth, you know he's going to abandon Team Plasma. You're fooling your own leader?"
"N was never meant to rule us all. Ghetsis is the true mastermind of Team Plasma! N is only the passage. Sadly, you won't be there to tell him, for this is where your life ends!"
A Moonblast broke a hole on the roof. Our eyes were blinded with the swift speed of a Pokemon.
It was surprising to see a fellow riding atop her Togekiss. "Dawn?!" I asked in shock, wondering why she was there.
The grunts launched attacks towards her but Togekiss was too fast. She kept dodging them. I also watched Dawn's eyes, those weren't hers when she was in Sinnoh. She appeared to be angry, which was the first time I saw her having such kind of emotion.
"Moonblast again!"
<Toge!> Togekiss's attack caused a slight interruption.
"Are you alright, Luna?" asked Dawn, removing my chains while Togekiss dealt with the other grunts.
"Seviper, Bite!" said the secretary, aiming for Dawn.
Dawn dropped the pin which is an alternative key to the chains and sent out Empoleon.
"Empoleon, deal with her."
"What are you doing here?" I asked while she continued to set me and Volcarona free.
"Saving your life."
"No, in this region. I thought you were only here for the Desert Resort."
"Only May was, me? I've got my own plans here. Anyway, there! Now go release your other friend, I'll rescue Virgo."
"Right."
I ran towards Jenny. "You're lucky. I thought you were responsible for all of these."
"Now let me out."
"Wow, not so fast. I'll let you go, but you've got to disband your organization first."
"What the? No!"
"You don't know who you're siding with, don't you? Your people? I blew their base once, killed their vice president, and threw their leader off a bridge. They're just using you as an advantage. When they get stronger, you'll be overthrown."
"No, they won't! They're under my spell. With the masks, they--"
"I'm talking about your generals! Andrea, Vincent, the other dude! Your so-called loyal followers?"
"Just get me out!"
"Fine," I shrugged.
<Empol!>Empoleon froze some of the grunts.
"What now?" asked Giallo.
"Bring the Pokemon, we have what we need anyway," said Bronius, looking at the Meteonite.
***
"Ah, done!"
"D-D-Dawn?"
"That's me alright." she winked.
"I thought--"
"--Quick, we've got to get all those Pokemon back!" Dawn pointed at the cage, slowly being lifted up by a crane. The ceilings collapsed, giving way for a large helicopter to take the Pokemon once lifted to a specific altitude.
"Liepard, Shadow Ball!"
"Volcarona, watch out!" I shouted, pushing her to the wall and exchanging places with her. The Shadow Ball headed directly towards me. Now I know how my enemies feel whenever Mismagius hits them with Shadow Ball.
I coughed. "Are you alright, Volcarona?"
Volcarona paused for a moment. She then glared at me and spewed flames on my face again. "I'll take that as a thank you."
<Volca!>Volcarona laughed then suddenly glared again, looking sideways.
<Bish! Bish!>
"Raichu! Quick! Thuderbolt!"
<Rai! Rai!>Raichu attacked Bisharp before it attacked me from behind.
"Aww, you saved me. Are we friends again?"
"No! I saved you so I can kill you myself."
I gulped.
***
Dawn's Togekiss broke the hook of the crane, making the cage fall. Colliding with the ground caused it to shatter, setting all the Pokemon free. With their angry and heinous faces, Team Plasma was frightened.
Another party joined the group. The doors of the facility were slashed down with a Heracross.
"Stop right there! This is the chief inspector of the Pokemon International Police!" warned Emma and Oliver.
A ton of armored police officers were behind them, pointing their bats at Team Plasma, and of course, me. It's been years since I'm in their wanted list, but with Emma in charge, I think I'm safe. Jenny, scared, covered her face, avoiding it to be seen by the grunts.
"Team Plasma, they're too many, leave at once!" ordered Bronius.
Giallo threw a smoke bomb. Once it settled, there was nothing left but our Pokemon. No traces of Team Plasma, but worse, no traces of the Meteonite. Even their helicopter was gone from plain sight.
Virgo ran and hugged me. "I'm sorry, but my Pokemon couldn't defeat her. If only they were strong enough, you wouldn't get into this kind of mess."
"It's fine, as long as our Pokemon is safe."
All my Pokemon came rushing towards us, cherishing the moment while those which were wild fled and returned to the streets, forests, and caves.
"About the Meteonite? We're done when Madam Boss finds out about this. I don't want my rank to go down, and I don't want you to be a simple old grunt!"
"We'll try to reconsider things with her--"
"Oh and why is Oliver here?"
"Long story short, I'll explain later, that's if he doesn't catch me telling you."
Emma approached us. "Took me a few minutes before I understood your code."
"Hey, wait a minute, where's Jenny?" I wondered to myself. Being a former member of the Pokemon International Police, she was probably terrified that some of the armored police officers might recognize her. Nonetheless, if she left, I knew where she went. The factory to get Zinnia. This is, however, not our last rendezvous.
"Now, you guys go. You know, they're still the police, and if they recognize your face, I'm gonna have a hard time getting you and Virgo out. About Oliver, they don't know he's a member of Team Rocket anyway."
"Wait, that reminds me, where is Dawn?"
"I don't know. Her Empoleon and Togekiss are nowhere to be found too," said Virgo. "As if she vanished into thin air."
<Volcarona!> She returned to her Pokeball by force.
"And, here we go again,"
"Pokemon tend to be naughty sometimes. A trainer can't remove their nature nor change it. It's the trainer who adapts, not the Pokemon. Well, that's what Mr. Looker told me. That's up to you, but I'm sure this is only the beginning of your friendship. Now go."
***
Helicopter propellors… Engines…
"Do you think N will believe that girl?"
"No. The King's ideals are too powerful to be changed. Nevertheless, there is something we ought to fear from," replied Bronius to the secretary.
"What is it?"
"For every ideal, there is truth, and for every truth, there is ideal; thus the balance of black and white."
***
"Ah! Finally, I can rest." said I with relief, jumping straight into bed.
Virgo was about to sleep too, but then she remembered something. "The imposter, where is she?"
"She's probably not here anymore, and probably left things the way they are to avoid Madam Iris figuring out Team Plasma was involved. With the CCTV, our boss is likely to blame you, but no matters, I'll be clearing your name.
You know? It's not bad to go a little rogue sometimes eh? I mean, I did it once, and everything turned out fine. Now? We've gotta clear your name."
The black stone I stole from the Nacrene Museum glowed all of a sudden. It was placed atop Virgo's desk.
"What the? Has the stone did that kind of movements before?" I asked.
"No. Strange. Eh, I must be hallucinating. It's alright four in the morning."
"You must be right."
***
N watched the still waters of the lake until he felt something in his pocket. He took it out, revealing a celestial white stone.
"Huh? It's glowing?"
***
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
NotUse
NotUse Did research about lore, and Ghetsis has a deeper backstory than expected, and a rather interesting one too which is related to [CLUE: Sinnoh] according to the Pokemon Wiki.
Next chapter is on Thursday then Friday, then we'll be returning to the regular schedule of Monday to Friday except for Wednesday.
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