Pokemon: Animus - Chapter 56

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Goh is all smiles while returning her pokemon and chatting with Director Burnet briefly as the subs detach from their anchor cables.

Meanwhile the screens continue to show the post match analysis from the Master Trainer channel.

Wallace leans back and directs his first question to Leon, “You’re not a stranger to controversial calls on the path to take the crown, how do you feel about Goh using Hyper Beam here?”

Iris cuts in, “Completely uncalled for!”

Leon chuckles, “Well, hold on missy, it was a bluff.”

Wallace eagerly sits forward, “My thoughts exactly! However, that doesn’t mean everyone will see it that way.”

Case in point, Iris practically shouts, “When is Hyper Beam, ever a Bluff?!”

Leon cracks a grin that clearly got him several sponsorships, “Goh never intended to use it at full power, or on target. She accepted that it was the necessary move to force Burnet to concede. Otherwise Nihilego would have shaken off the stun and returned to her fancy cloud. Thus drawing out the fight, the poison would disable Deoxys and lose Goh the tourney bracket bump.”

Wallace nods, “There was no stadium to risk damaging so it’s worth the match winnings fine as far as I’m concerned.”

Iris pouts, “I’ve never pulled stunts like that.”

Another laugh from Leon, “Maybe that’s why you have a box of second place ribbons.”

“What!?”

As an angry woman jumps from her chair, the camera switches to a single shot of Wallace.

“That’s it for us this afternoon folks, you’ll have more match analysis tonight when our full panel breaks down all the highlights from today’s matches across the leagues. Look forward to our special guest, Nessa!”

“OH Screw that Bi,” the broadcast cuts before Iris collects a fine herself.

“Well,” Turning to my teammates, “those are certainly some characters. Who has the Crown currently?”

Jane pulls up a photo on her phone, “Hop won two years ago. He’s Leon’s younger brother, and yes, Iris took second.”

Hmm lots of big names, “Think we got a shot in three years?”

Naomi laughs, “No Kurt, not a Charmander’s chance in the trench back there.”

The redhead doesn’t look like she’s about to admit she agrees and just turns away.

Gabby, who is already checking film on her tablet, explains, “The World Coronation Series, or Crown Cup, is a step beyond the annual tournaments. There are no limits on entrants besides enough Worlds points, so if you really grind them out next year and the following, you Might make it.”

Ty shakes his head from his seat, “It’s 50 points to enter, Goh just scored 3. If she hits every world gym in Alola this month she’ll bag 7 total. Next she’ll burn time traveling to another region, so in another month she may only have 2 to 3 more.” He turns in his seat to look at me, “After this rookie season, which you need to complete, you’ll have two years left to race around every region. You’ll still have to participate in a couple other events just to hit the mark. That’s 30+ gyms and at least top three in two major tournaments in two years.”

Naomi brings it back to the other problem, “Think about the fight we just saw too, I bet Goh has been working with Deoxys for years. Which means she had to have something comparable even before that in order to catch it.”

I can’t help but sigh and raise my hands.

“Sheesh, I get it,” they sit back in their seats, “You guys are lazy.”

Lacy snorts while Jane reaches over Naomi to hit me.

The Wattson princess pouts, “Look, I guarantee we can make a strong showing in eight years. Two after our rookie year just isn’t feasible.”

———–

After returning to the lab I finally catch Director Burnet off to the side while my team is congratulating Goh.

“I was told to ask about Project T,” pulling out my turtle shell, Fossil Ball, “Shelly said you’d understand after looking at my Tirtouga.”

The older woman frowns, “I’m not surprised she was let back in a lab. Greedy bastards… Alright, may as well know what you’re getting into, come with me.” She turns to address the crowd, “Thank you all for coming once again, solid battle Goh.”

A final handshake to her opponent and she makes to leave.

Waving to my teammates and fiancé, “Let’s go, one last stop before we head back to the hotel.”

Dawn interrupts, “No time to chat Mr. Action Hero?”

Rolling my eyes, “No rest for the wicked, you know that.”

Back to the familiar terminal three, behind the ice cave enclosure, and into a no shit, hidden door in the ice. Down a narrow spiral staircase and a long hall lined with pipes and electrical conduit.

Naomi asks the burning question, “Is this all really necessary?”

The director huffs, “If only it weren’t,” glancing back at us before explaining, “We know spies aided in the sabotage and destruction of the original Aether Island lab. The same criminals that attacked your father’s Zekrom aircraft.”

“Sounds like someone really hates fancy technology.” I’m just connecting dots here.

But I’m on the money.

Director Burnet nods while opening a water tight hatch, “Team Ultra believe that everything wrong with the world, including the wormholes that brought their leaders here, can be attributed to humans greedily advancing technology beyond what they consider necessary.”

Might explain why the mysterious agent lady has her eye on me.

As we enter an underwater dome that currently only has one occupant, Lacy asks, “What does Team Ultra have to do with this hidden lab?”

The younger man in the lab spins towards us in his chair, “Because this is exactly the kind of thing they’d use to prove their point.”

Burnet introduces us, “This is my son Lei, lead on this research.”

Probably in his early twenties and the perfect example of what I’d picture a Hawaiian hɨpster to look like.

“Hi,” I shake the younger man’s hand, “I’m Kurt, unwitting participant.”

He chuckles, “Oh good, I was feeling lame calling myself the lead when I was the only one involved.”

Jane is gazing out at the massive coral reefs outside the glass dome, “So what’s the deal? I was expecting more Tirtougas or something.”

Channeling his inner anime, Lei adjusts his glasses before turning on an undersea mic, “Miss Aqua, you have visitors.”

A large section of the reef visibly shifts, slowly raising towards the surface. Like a hill being upended until the dark rim of a shell passes and I’m staring into an eyeball the size of a mini cooper.

“Huh,” looking at what appears to be a pokemon in the same line as my Tirtouga, “Don’t think this one is in the pokedex.”

Lei snorts, “Nope, Aqua here is one of a kind and tentatively called a Torraqua. She had enough Torterra DNA to achieve a third evolution when combined with her titan gene.”

I let Zilla out of her ball, the feisty turtle cowers in the presence of her predecessor.

Lei pulls out a syringe, “Do you mind if we take a small sample? Just to see how far Shelly has pushed it?”

Zilla actually gives the lad a nod while returning her focus to Aqua who grunts out some kind of greeting that vibrates the whole structure. What follows next can only be comparable to whale calls as the two pokemon hold a conversation.

Burnet waves at the big girl, “She’s perfectly happy lazing away around here, one of the nearby seamounts is hollow with a sandy cave she rests in. It’s a mystery how healthy she is, our lab has been pursuing Turtnator splicing as a more conventional approach.”

Lacy scowls, “This is the sort of thing that leads to ghost towns or rampages.”

“Normally,” the director concedes, “A Lugia warned us in no uncertain terms, not to repeat this experiment.”

A hill sized blue sea turtle with a full coral reef growing on its shell, “This world is weird.”

“You think this world is weird?!” Lei leans back in his chair, “You know some girl fell out of one of those wormholes that had her DNA spliced with a Purloin,”

“Stop!” Burnet swats her son upside the head, “Just because they get to see Aqua doesn’t mean they need to know every oddity that passes through our doors.”

After several minutes the lab computer pings that results are in and the Director gives us the news, “Well, don’t expect a second Aqua, but if anyone asks in five years just claim she’s a Mega Carracosta. After ten years… probably best to keep her out of sight. She’ll easily match a Snorlax for size.”

Lacy groans, “Their gonna need to do something, there were a few more of these at the Rustburo lab.”

Naomi actually disagrees, “As long as they continue to vet who those pokemon go to, it shouldn’t be an issue. Abnormally large pokemon aren’t remotely as groundbreaking as entirely new evolutions.”

“She’s right,” Burnet ushers us towards the exit, “Arceus isn’t nearly as strict about small-scale grievances. Anyway, I have appointments to keep so let’s call it a day shall we?”

Returning Zilla to her ball and taking a last look at the giant reef turtle, “Sure, small scale.”

Jane hops ahead of me and turns around to walk backwards down the tunnel, “You get all the weird pokemon!”

Lacy chuckles as I look at Naomi who only nods in agreement.

I flick Jane in the nose and she almost stumbles, but catching her I spin the brat around, “Look where you’re walking, especially in dingy tunnels,” sighing, “And I don’t want to hear anything from you two. Jane, you have nothing but brutes, and Naomi, if nothing else your team’s poke value is more than ours combined.”

Burnet offers her brand of wisdom, “Poke can’t buy championships.”

Ah, maybe in this world, “But, it sure makes getting from point A to B a breeze.”

Lacy huffs, “Is that what you call getting attacked by a Charizard mid flight?”

Fair enough, “Ah come on, that was one time!”

—————

…… The next morning, on Naomi’s fancy yacht, the Jolteon.

“Oh shut up,” I’m staring at what can only be described as a redneck artist’s vision of a Carvanha shaped submarine. On its top deck are seven Mad Max enthusiasts firing hook line guns and directing their pokemon.

My fiancé is using a fire axe to cut ropes off our rail, while directing her Leafeon to do the same, “A breeze you said!”

“Who expects pirates twice in the same month?!” I point at another pirate for Tesla to fire an Electroweb at. The poor girl is getting exhausted.

Jane’s Aerodactyl swoops down and cuts another line, while Naomi’s Swablu chases away the attacker’s Winguls.

Our guests, May and her team, are doing their best to return fire. Literally in the case of Patricia’s Braixen, Juanita’s Brionne mirrors spouts of water gun, and Vermilya’s Swellow is also on line cutting duty.

May herself is debating using the emergency unlock of a custom red pokeball in her hand.

She’s spared the choice when a thundering crash sends a wave of water into the air between us and the pirate sub. The sound of deforming metal screeches against our ears.

When the mist clears we are treated to the sight of a massive white bird pokemon with red accents stomping about the side of the capsized and smoking submarine. A woman in a black tank top and combat pants with bright orange hair in a long braid is riding said bird. Kind of reminds me of Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil.

Jane, in full fangirl mode, practically squeals, “Misty!”

May gives a decidedly less enthused, “yipee.”

Seemingly satisfied with the level of wreckage it’s created, the Lugia flaps its wings to take flight. I bȧrėly catch Ash’s old friend sticking her tongue out at May as she flies off in the direction of Akala Island.

“Typical,” May kicks one of the metal hooks now scattered about the deck, “There she goes leaving someone else to clean up after her again!”

I catch Lacy’s eye, she shakes her head. “So, I’ll just go radio this in.”

Ya, best not tread on anymore land mines.

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