The Village Guardians Chapter #2- Joy and Shadows

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Section #21

-72-
William was absolutely infuriated. He was lying in one of the large, bay windows of the Gardev mansion. The angered Pikachu was sulking with the horrible memories of Enrique and Anna's wedding day still fresh on his mind.

"And Anna promised she would give me some sort of treat for wearing that pink dress and making a complete fool out of myself!" thought William angrily. Warren peaked around the corner, getting a quick look at William.

"How long has William been lying there?" asked Warren to Agatha.

"For at least four hours," said Agatha with a sigh, "He didn't even touch his breakfast or lunch."

"I wonder what's on his mind?" said Warren as he peaked around the corner and addressed the angry Pikachu with a friendly smile and a gentle voice, "What's wrong, little fellow?" The angry, loud squeaks from the mad rodent were all Warren needed to know that he should leave William alone and retreat out of the room.

"What was that all about?" asked Agatha with curiosity.

"Whatever it was he said, I don't think I would want to repeat it," answered Warren. Just then, he heard some soft rustling from behind. He turned around quickly and smiled as soon as he got a look at his guests.

"Oh! Hi there!" said Agatha with delight.

"It's nice to see you, Enrique," said Warren happily, "Especially you, Anna." The young Gardevoir couple were still on their honeymoon, thus, they continued to wear their wedding attire in celebration of their marriage. Warren couldn't help but stare at the lovers' sparkling, white dresses. The pink gemstones on Anna's dress and jewelry sparkled brightly from the mid-day sun.

"Nice to see you as well," said Enrique with a smile as he held Anna's left hand.

"Are you staying long?" asked Agatha, "I could get some coffee or tea for you."

"No thank you," replied Anna, smiling as she held Enrique's hand, "We just stopped by to tend to some… unfinished business."

"Oh?" said Warren, "What did you forget?"

"How about me?" asked William with a grumpy voice as he slowly walked into the nearby living room.

"There you are," said Anna with a bright smile as she looked down at the irritated Pikachu, "I'm sorry, little cutie. I completely forgot about my promise to you."

"Yeah, whatever," replied William with a scowl on his face.

"I want to make it up to you," said Anna, trying to reassure the grumpy rodent, "And I think I have just the thing."

"It's not another dress is it?" asked William with despair. Anna, Enrique, Warren and Agatha couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course not!" said Anna, laughing up a storm.

"Anna and I talked it over for awhile," said Enrique as he soon stopped laughing, "And we figured out the perfect reward for you." William's yellow and black-tipped ears perked up.

"Can I have it now?" asked William eagerly.

"Just hop on my shoulder, then my prince and I will take you to the church. Your little treat is being kept there," said Anna, patting her right shoulder with her left hand. In an instant, William leapt onto the Gardevoir's satin-covered shoulder: the Pikachu could only hope he had not fallen into another trap.

"Alright," said Enrique, "Shall we be off then?"

"Yes, we shall," said Anna, leaning against her husband. With that, Enrique and Anna left the mansion and started on their way to the large, Gardev church. As they walked down the street, they drew the attention of the few dozen people who still called Gardev home. They couldn't help but admire the beautiful Gardevoirs in their dresses and jewelry.

"I was hoping I would get to see one last Gardevoir wedding," said an old man to himself as he walked back into his store. Enrique and Anna didn't have to look far to see that the few residents of the village were all quite old.

"I wonder why no one wants to live here anymore," said Anna.

"I guess these people have been here all their lives and just can't bear to leave," said Enrique, "I can understand that with the dense, green forests, the wonderful mountain views and a very quiet atmosphere." Anna just smiled at her mate as they soon arrived and then stepped into the empty, quiet church. William's eyes opened wide and he chuckled with glee as Anna carried him towards the kitchen. Anna giggled as she gently took William up in her arms and carefully set him on the floor.

"Ready for your surprise?" asked Anna with a grin.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," said William with excitement. He licked his lips figuring that surely, his reward was going to be a fine meal at the very least. Nonetheless, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. Enrique chuckled warmly to himself as he opened a tall refrigerator and carefully pulled out a large, silver platter. William almost fainted when he got a look at what he was about to dine on.

"I think it's a good trade," said Anna as Enrique carefully set what was left of hers and her mate's wedding cake at William's feet, "One day of having to wear a pretty dress and a bow for half a huge wedding cake." William was speechless.

"I… can actually have… all of it?" asked a stunned William.

"Yep!" replied Anna with joy, "It's all yours!"

"Let's get going, my love," said Enrique tenderly as he came alongside his wife and put his left arm around her, "Let's leave William and the cake here alone." Anna grinned at Enrique.

"I say we head back to the mansion, get a bite to eat for lunch and then…" said Anna, wrapping her arms around Enrique, "…Then, after another nice evening together, we can take a nice, long flight over the mountains before bed."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Enrique happily as he lead Anna out of the kitchen.

"Then we can spend tomorrow in the flower gardens of the palace," said Anna blissfully, "Just you and me." William looked over his shoulder, watching as Enrique and Anna kissed while the kitchen door slowly swung closed. The hungry Pikachu returned his gaze onto the monstrous remains of the wedding cake.

"This will be a day to remember," thought William with sheer delight as an evil smile spread across his face, "Best of all, there's no Mack or Aura here to order me around or get in my way…" As William approached the helpless, baked, half-eaten victim, Enrique and Anna were on their way out of the church when Enrique remembered something important.

"I almost forgot," said Enrique, smiling at his lovely wife, "Didn't Alexander and Aurora ask us to come by Warren's mansion later this evening?"

"Yes, they did," answered Anna happily, glancing at Enrique's face, "That's part of why we came here today. They said they had a little surprise for us after dinner." Anna wondered what her parents were planning.

"You think our wedding portrait is done now?" suggested Anna.

"That would be nice," said Enrique, "It would certainly look great over our fireplace." Anna just smiled and leaned against Enrique as they walked down the main street of Gardev, wondering what would await her and her handsome mate later that day.

-73-
Mack could not have been more relieved. The Radar and infrared jammer was working properly plus the unusually cloudy mid-summer day made flying in the Gardev region perfect for someone who did not want to be seen. Now, Mack and Aura were guiding the huge, armored carrier through the skies as Central, K-1, Cecil, Andre, Eric, Alvin, Simon and David sat still, strapped into the large, soft chairs just outside the cockpit. Despite the powerful engines, the S-5 was so quiet that Cecil had fallen asleep over an hour ago. Alvin had wanted to rest too, but the memories of his recent nightmare were still all too fresh on his mind.

"Everything is running properly, Mack," reported Aura from the copilot's chair, "The power levels are holding and the internal engine temperatures are well under the limit." Mack chuckled as he turned his gaze towards his wife.

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" asked Mack with a smile. Aura grinned back at her husband.

"I only have the thousands of years of experience that you have piloting this carrier," said Aura, "You think I could try flying the Firefox one of these days?"

"As soon as K-1 and I run a few more tests, I'll let you be the lead pilot on the first test flight," replied Mack, "It's going to be odd sitting in the copilot's chair."

"What will be stranger is me not being at any of the controls of the Firefox at all," said K-1 from behind the Guardians, "Nevertheless, Aura is more than capable of flying the S-4."

"We should be approaching our destination soon," said Central as she lowered her shoulder-mounted cannons, testing the servos and other systems on her S-100F armor.

"Thank you, Central," said Aura, "Mack, shall we begin our descent?" Mack nodded his head.

"That we will," replied Mack as he turned his head to face the passengers just outside the cockpit, "We're almost there."

"Very good," said Alvin as he unbuckled his seatbelts and carefully walked into the large cockpit. There were two other chairs and control consoles behind Mack and Aura. They appeared to be for the navigator and the communications officer. He sat down behind Mack at the navigator's station and switched on the console as the massive S-5 tilted forward ever so slightly and began to slowly descend out of the thick, white clouds. A topographic map appeared on the screen, displaying the nearby mountains, hills, highways and the city of Alakaz, 40 miles away. A red "X" on the electronic map marked his destination. Alvin remembered arming the self-destruct systems shortly before he and the thousands of Gardevoirs, Kirlias, Ralts and Gallades made their hasty escape back to the hidden city now known as Olympus. He had not even stuck around to watch the large facility get blown to smithereens. Hopefully, all that would greet Alvin and his companions would be a large crater, filled with scrap metal.

"Descending to 1,000 feet," said Mack as the heavy cargo carrier finally broke through the thick clouds. The two Guardians gasped and Alvin sat still with his eyes wide open, stunned, as the twisted, metallic remains of his old, giant building came into view. Against all of Alvin's hopes, the building was very much still intact. He removed his glasses and wiped his large eyes several times, making sure he was not imagining this horrible sight, but alas, the badly damaged building was indeed real.

"Just like in my dream…" thought Alvin with growing fear.

"Alvin, what do you make of this?" asked Mack with shock. Alvin let out a heavy sigh.

"To say the least, it appears the auto-destruct explosives were almost entirely ineffective," answered Alvin grimly.

"Well, now what will we do?" asked a concerned Aura, "Should we proceed anyway, Alvin?" Alvin stood up from his chair and clenched his fists tightly.

"Now we have to explore the ruins!" declared Alvin, trying to sound confident, "As long as the ruins are undisturbed, then all I saw was just a foul dream and not a vision from the future."

"Very well then," said Mack as he faced his mate, "Let's set down in the courtyard. That large, paved area should be able to withstand the weight of the S-5." As the Guardians carefully guided the massive ship to its destination, Xavier was resting with his head under his large wings while Lucca and Gremlin sat quietly and patiently in the metal crate.

"You two better get ready to head out," said Xavier, just loud enough for Lucca and Gremlin to hear him, "I'll cover for you. Just be sure to stay out of trouble."

"Will do," replied Lucca as she put her satchel back on around her left shoulder. She rifled through the small pouch, making sure all her supplies were in order.

"Whatcha got in there?" asked Gremlin with curiosity.

"Pencils, pens, a few sketchpads and a flashlight," replied Lucca with little emotion in her voice, "Just the basics." Suddenly, the S-5 lurched slightly as the huge machine softly touched down on the paved ground.

"We're here," said Xavier while he pulled his head out from under his white wings and stood up, "Get ready to move." Up in the cockpit, Mack and Aura quickly powered down the S-5. Soon, the loud whine from the powerful engines vanished. Back in the cargo bay, Xavier was stretching out his wings and letting out a loud yawn as Mack, Aura, K-1, Central, Simon and their guests walked down into the large, metallic room.

"Okay, now we need to decide who's going down into the ruins with Aura, Alvin and me," said Mack, "And who is going to stay here and guard the S-5."

"Of course, I'm coming along," said K-1.

"You know I couldn't miss even the possibility of a good fight," said Simon, "You can count me in for the exploratory party."

"If you don't mind, I would rather stay here," said Andre.

"Same here," said David.

"Very well," said Mack as he faced the suit of battle armor, "Central, you'd best stay here as you're the only other person who can operate the S-5. Plus, we'll need you to be our spotter. The S-5's scanners should be able to pick up just about anything, even in the deepest areas of the ruins."

"Affirmative, Mack," was Central's cheerful reply. Oddly enough, despite the immensely powerful S-100F battle armor, Central was never eager for combat and always preferred a supporting role whenever there was going to be a battle or an expedition.

"So, that means, K-1, Cecil, Eric, Simon and Alvin will be coming with Aura and I…" said Mack, deep in thought, "Okay. I think we're ready to go now."

"How about I do some aerial surveillance?" suggested Xavier.

"Oh, yeah!" said Mack with some embarrassment, "I almost forgot about you, Xavier. Yes! That would be a great idea." With that, Mack, Aura and the other Gardevoirs grabbed their weapons, utility belts and extra power cells. Central pressed a switch on a nearby console and the massive back doors of the S-5 slowly creaked open, revealing the sand-covered pavement outside. A light wind was blowing: the only sound that could be heard outside was the rustling of the sand as it was blown across the cracked cement. Mack glanced back at Central, Andre and David.

"If the scanners find anything down there report it at once," commanded Mack, "Also, just in case the S-5 should fall under attack, just arm the deflector shields and use the heavy blaster turrets if you have to."

"Hopefully, we will have no need for those destructive weapons," said Central. Mack nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright," said Mack, "Let's move out." Aura, K-1 and the other accompanying Gardevoirs cautiously left the confines of the S-5 and set foot on the degraded cement courtyard outside. The quiet, vast desolation of the desert and the foreboding remnants of the shredded, once-gleaming building were an eerie sight.

"This sure brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?" said Cecil with a frown. Eric slowly nodded his head in agreement, scowling at the former Cipher facility. Alvin sneered at the remains of the building he had used to call home. He vividly remembered the horrific experiments, all concocted by his black madness. Alvin shuddered, not wanting to think about what may have happened if he actually had succeeded in turning the Guardians of Gardev into agents of darkness and incredible power. Aura tenderly placed her right hand on Alvin's left shoulder. The Gardevoir scientist looked up and met Aura's gentle gaze and bright smile.

"I know what's on your mind, as does Mack," said Aura, trying to reassure Alvin, "You don't have to face your fears and your past alone. We're here for you, just like your former colleagues." Alvin glanced at the people who were now his friends: his twin brother Eric, the former Cipher administrator Cecil, the former soldiers Andre and David were also supporting him. Even Simon, once Alvin's most-hated enemy, was about to go into battle at his side. Alvin looked back up towards the towering, twisted building with a new sense of confidence. He cocked his rifle and glared at the torn front door of the damaged facility.

"Let's get this over with," said Alvin. With that, Mack, Aura and K-1 led the small army of Gardevoirs towards the ruins. Xavier kept a close eye on Mack, Aura and their friends as they disappeared into the dark shadows of the building. Central turned her gaze upon Andre and David.

"I will need you two on the bridge for this operation. Please follow me," said Central, "As for you, Xavier, I've programmed the cargo bay doors to close once you depart. I can detect your telepathy so you can communicate with me in that manner."

"Very well," said Xavier. Central nodded her head and started walking up a set of stairs to the cockpit with Andre and David following close behind. As soon as the suit of armor, Gardevoir and Mewtwo were out of sight, Xavier quickly grabbed the lid of Lucca and Gremlin's crate with his mouth, picked it up and then spat the piece of tempered steel to the other side of the immense cargo bay.

"I assume the coast is clear?" asked Lucca impatiently.

"Of course," said Xavier quietly as Gremlin leapt out of the crate. Lucca climbed out and straightened her black bow and ribbon as soon as her feet were on the metallic floor.

"Thank you, Xavier," said Lucca with a friendly smile.

"You're welcome, just be careful in those ruins," cautioned Xavier, "If you run into trouble, just look for Mack and his friends, alright?" Lucca and Gremlin nodded their heads and then ran out the cargo bay doors with great haste. Xavier was impressed: for a Ralts, Lucca was surprisingly quick on her feet despite her long, white gown. Even Gremlin was having trouble keeping up with her. Xavier laughed to himself as he leisurely stepped out the back of the S-5. As soon as he was fifty yards away from the Guardian's gleaming airship, he spread his mighty wings and took to the skies almost effortlessly. He looked down at the ground with his powerful eyes, watching as Gremlin and Lucca disappeared into the eerie ruins. Though Xavier rarely would ever probe into another being's mind, he had to know why Alvin was so fearful about even stepping into his old, ruined facility. The Lugia didn't dare go too deep into Alvin's mind, but he still had caught a glimpse of the Gardevoir's nightmare.

"I really hope what he saw was indeed just a dream," thought Xavier as he flew higher and higher, eventually disappearing into the thick, dark clouds above. Meanwhile, Mack, Aura and their friends had only just begun their expedition in the pitch-black ruins. Their flashlights provided the only illumination as they made their way deeper and deeper into the building. Mack looked back and forth at the walls as they continued their slow, cautious walk down an undamaged corridor.

"This is amazing," said Mack as he pointed at several scratches dents and partially melted areas of the floor, ceiling and surrounding walls, "Looks like the scars of our battle against the Omegalings are still fresh as ever."

"I'm not picking anything up on Radar or the motion sensors, Mack," said Central over the radio. Mack and company all heard Central's report through their headsets.

"That's a big relief, Central," said Alvin happily, "All the better if we don't find anything down here." His voice echoed down the long, dark corridor.

"Andre, David and I will continue to monitor your progress," said Central, "However; I think I should mention some findings we just unearthed only moments ago."

"Alright," said Mack as he and Aura led the way down the massive hallway, "Lay it on me."

"Well, according to the blueprints I have on hand and the readings I just received from the 3D Mapper, it would appear that the structure is 73% intact and still quite stable," reported Central, "There is no danger of structural collapse in the corridors and any rooms and offices, so long as you stay away from sectors 4, 13 and 14."

"Sector 13…" said Alvin to himself, "That was my main laboratory and the place where I…" Alvin suddenly stopped in his tracks and shivered uncontrollably. Eric came alongside his brother.

"What's wrong?" asked Eric quietly. Alvin gulped loudly.

"Sector 13 is where I reverted my six Alakazams back into Shadow Pokémon while they were still conscious," said Alvin with a shudder, "I can still hear their screams…"

"Isn't that also where you built and used the machine that turned Eric, yourself and me into Gardevoirs, too?" asked Cecil. Alvin replied by nodding his head.

"Well, maybe things are better off that way then," said Mack, "Such machines are best left out of existence."

"I couldn't agree more," said Alvin. Overhearing the conversation, Andre's voice was suddenly heard over the radios.

"Say, wasn't Sector 4 where the MSCR was located? You know, the Master Security Control Room?" asked Andre.

"That is correct," replied David.

"You're both right," remarked Alvin, "Plus, Sector 14 was right next to Sector 15, where the… Seismic Generator Mark II was located." Eric quickly turned his gaze on his brother.

"You mean… you built another one of those contraptions?" asked Eric with disbelief, "Those machines are incredibly dangerous, especially in the wrong hands."

"No kidding…" grumbled Cecil as he took a quick look down another long, dark corridor.

"You're telling me," said Alvin with fear, "Why, I used the Seismic Generator to cause a powerful earthquake right below the Gardevoir city of Olympus as a diversion so my Omegaling strike teams could easily capture all the Gardevoirs and their young."

"Now, I bet you're glad we put an end to your plans, aren't you?" asked Aura with a gentle, reassuring voice. Alvin smiled at Aura and nodded his head.

"So, if Sector 15 is intact, maybe we should start our search there," suggested Mack, "If anything, we have to destroy the Seismic Generator if enough of it is still intact."

"Very much agreed, Mack. Such a machine would indeed need to be disassembled. Imagine if Team Galactic got their hands on that kind of technology. The world could literally be in the palms of their hands," said Central over the radio. Mack was starting to get concerned for the radio signal was getting weaker and weaker the deeper he and his friends descended into the facility ruins.

"Maybe we should send them a welcoming committee one of these days," said Mack with a grin.

"Ah, a welcoming committee armed to the teeth, right my prince?" asked Aura with warm laughter.

"You're right as usual, my princess," replied a smiling Mack.

"Mack, I hate to point this out, but I'm loosing your signal," said Central. Though Central could still be heard clearly, static and interference was starting to build. To make matters worse, Mack, Aura and their accompanying friends had only gone a few hundred yards into the massive building.

"I'm getting that too, Central," said Mack, "How about you run a high-level electromagnetic sweep before we proceed?"

"Affirmative," was Central's reply, "Please wait…"

"What's Central doing, again?" asked Aura with curiosity.

"The high-level electromagnetic sweep is a powerful scan of a building or a machine's electronic components. Usually, I use it to analyze unknown technology to find ways either around security systems or just to see how a given machine works," answered Mack, "In this case, I want to see just how much of this building's power-grid and other systems are still in working order."

"That's a good plan," remarked K-1, "I can provide power to any computers and other such devices if need be as well."

"I, for one, would like to check on the mainframe, myself," said Alvin, "The main control console is not far from here."

"I agree with Alvin," said Central cheerfully, "And the scan is complete. It would appear that 57% of all power and data systems are in working order."

"Perfect. Then let's be on our way," said Mack.

"Beware!" warned Central before Mack and his companions could take another step forward, "The 3D Mapper cannot scan very deep into the ruins. To make matters worse, the S-5's sensors cannot detect anything whatsoever deeper into the facility. Once you step forward about thirty yards, I will no longer be able to spot for or even communicate with you. You and your friends will be on your own."

"I see," said Mack, "If you don't hear from us in the next six hours, head back to Gardev and assemble a rescue party at once."

"Affirmative, Mack," said Central, "God be with all of you." With that, Alvin led Mack, Aura, K-1, Eric and Cecil deeper into the silent, dark and ominous ruins.

 

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Section #22

-74-
Lucca and Gremlin continued their own little expedition into the Cipher facility ruins. The darkness didn't seem to bother either of the small Pokémon. With a single flashlight to light their way, they moved slowly, but surely, into the wrecked building.

"So, let me get this straight," said Gremlin quietly, "Your plan is to meet up with the Guardians in such a way so you can sketch them, but not have either of us be seen by them?"

"That's the idea," said Lucca matter-of-factly, "I always find that the best way to capture any creature on canvas or paper is to do so when they don't notice you at all."

"Heh!" said Gremlin as a toothy grin spread across his face, "We're so much alike it's almost scary."

"Except I'm not as dense as you," said Lucca with an evil smile.

"That was uncalled for…" grumbled Gremlin.

"Seriously, how else could a Sableye and a single Pikachu annihilate a kitchen as vast as my entire home and studio combined within less than ten minutes?" said Lucca, grinning at the frowning Sableye, "Just be glad I wasn't there. Otherwise, my walls would be covered with the most embarrassing portraits of you and William the world has ever seen. I can only imagine and wish I'd seen the looks on Mack, Warren and Agatha's faces when they saw the results of your disastrous exploit."

"You can shut up now…" snarled Gremlin. Lucca just smiled at the sullen, dark purple ghost. They continued their slow, cautious walk down the dark corridor.

"Still, I have to admire you for your courage," said Lucca, "You may not believe it, but I did read your mind while we were lazing about in that metal crate."

"How could you possibly do that?" demanded Gremlin, "I thought Psychic Types had no means of effecting or even being able to read the minds of Dark Type Pokémon."

"Let's just say I've been practicing long and hard over the years. Plus the training my dear father gave me has proven to be quite useful," said Lucca, "After all, the Elite Guards have to be able to know the intentions of other Pokémon, no matter what their type is in order to keep the peace."

"Okay. I understand that," said a thoroughly confused Gremlin, "But what did you mean when you said you admired my courage?" Lucca smiled at Gremlin: not a nice friendly smile, but the kind that would make your hair stand on end in fright.

"Can't say I know many Pokémon who delight in driving their closest friends crazy," said Lucca in a sadistic tone, "Take Simon, for example. You scare him half to death in the dark, abandoned wing of the palace and then you follow him around, unnoticed for days as he trains Princess Anna." Gremlin chuckled warmly and smiled at Lucca.

"What do you think of all that, eh?" asked Gremlin.

"I think you're absolutely bonkers," answered Lucca, still grinning at Gremlin. They continued their trek down the dark and silent corridors, wondering what might lie ahead.

-75-
Though Mack no longer could contact Central for support, he was still determined as ever to explore the dilapidated ruins. So far, there were no sighs that anyone had set foot in the facility since its supposed destruction over 2 years ago. The deep darkness of the immense corridors and the eerie silence had Alvin on edge. Only the presence of the Guardians gave him enough courage to keep going.

"The mainframe's control console should be just ahead," said Cecil, pointing to a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. A thin layer of dust and sand covered all the floors and the absence of footprints was a very comforting sight.

"Looks like no one's been here after all," said Alvin with a sigh of relief.

"I'm afraid we need to explore more of this facility before we will know for certain if these ruins have indeed remained undisturbed," cautioned K-1.

"If we do find anyone down here, we're going to make them wish they had never set foot in this place," growled Simon. The small group stopped in front on the twin sliding doors. Mack tried pressing some keys on a nearby security pad, but he got no response, which was exactly what he expected.

"K-1, I need you get power to this door," requested Mack.

"Not a problem," said K-1, stepping to the front of the group of Pokémon. The doors of his chest compartment opened with a soft hiss and two of K-1's extendable arms slowly emerged. The first arm grabbed onto a small access panel and then tore off the metal plate like it was tissue paper. The second arm reached out and grabbed onto a few of the exposed wires. A faint spark lit up the immediate area as the security pad turned on.

"Now to hack the digital lock…" said K-1 to himself as his other arm reached up to the security pad. K-1 pressed his metallic hand against the keypad.

"How long will this take?" asked Alvin nervously.

"Not long at all," said K-1 as the doors' lock was disengaged. The soft click and the hiss of the twin doors opening broke the almost-frightening silence of the corridors. To Alvin, it would have felt good just to have gotten the door open so easily, but now the Gardevoir scientist was very worried and scared.

"Look at that," said Mack with a frown, pointing his rifle at several sets of footprints all over the room. The unmistakable marks in the dust and sand led to and from the many control consoles lining the walls and a few desks with monitors and keyboards. The footprints then led to another closed door on the opposite side of the dark control room.

"What do you make of all this?" asked Eric with concern. Simon snorted with anger as he quickly studied the footprints.

"Looks like several people with combat boots came in here. I bet they were trying to get information off the mainframe and the other computers in here," said Simon matter-of-factly. K-1 eagerly stepped up to the mainframe, leaving the other set of doors open. Again, he extended his hands and ran then over the main keyboard for the mainframe itself.

"Hmmm…" said K-1 to himself, deep in thought. His keen eyes were scanning the immediate area.

"Found something?" asked Cecil.

"Ah, ha!" said K-1 with delight, "All I have to do is get power to this port right here…" K-1 pressed one of his hands against a large, silvery port to the left of the keyboard.

"Gonna try and activate the mainframe?" asked Eric.

"Yes. I should be able to. A few thousand volts at 500 amps should do the trick," said K-1 just as electricity lanced off the robot's hand and into the access port. Alvin jumped when the loud humming and whirring of the gigantic computer filled the room. The lights in the room finally came to life as well as all the control consoles and nearby computers.

"I don't suppose you could activate all the lights is this facility as well, could you?" asked Eric.

"Negative," replied K-1, "The main generator would have to be switched on and I suspect it has either been severely damaged or even destroyed. I can't produce even 3% of the power required to run everything here." Mack set his rifle down on a nearby desk.

"May as well stay here for now and see what we can find on the computers," said Mack.

"Already done," said K-1, keeping his hand near the power socket to keep the lights and computers in the room active, "It would appear that all the information on the mainframe was erased, possibly copied to an outside source."

"You mean the mainframe was completely blank?!" asked Alvin with disbelief and growing fear.

"Affirmative," replied K-1, "I suspect the recent visitors tried to recover whatever information they could off the mainframe and then completely erased it to cover their tracks."

"I have to agree with you, K-1," remarked Simon, "I believe these tracks are no more than a week old."

"We have to track down whoever did this then!" said Alvin, trying hard not to panic, "K-1! What's the integrity of the data arrays?" K-1 stood still as several lines of code were displayed on the surrounding computers. Alvin was hoping and praying that the data arrays had been considerably damaged.

"The databanks are 100% intact," reported K-1. Alvin dropped to his knees and cried out despairingly. Aura knelt next to the shaken Gardevoir.

"Please calm down, Alvin," said Aura with a gentle and soft voice, "Now. How about you tell us what was on this computer?" Alvin looked up at the winged Gardevoir.

"I'm not going to mince words: we're in deep trouble!" exclaimed Alvin, shaking uncontrollably with fear, "The mainframe contained a complete backup of the information from all my projects as well as Cipher's inner workings! Some of the information was classified to such a high degree, not even I was allowed to look upon it! The Shadow Chamber, Projects Alpha, Beta, Epsilon, Omega, Lambda and Delta just to name a few things! Why, there were even blueprints of my weapons designs, my Shadow Tracker and of the machine I used to permanently turn Eric, Cecil and myself into Gardevoirs!"

"Were the plans for the Seismic Generator also stored on the mainframe?" asked Eric. Alvin looked up at his brother and nodded his head.

"Wait, I thought you destroyed the only backups of all this information yourself when this facility was evacuated," said Mack. Even he was starting to get very worried about this unexpected turn of events.

"I figured the self-destruct cycle would wipe out this entire facility, including the mainframe!" replied a panicking Alvin, "I never imagined the facility would survive the auto-destruct explosives, let alone the mainframe still being in full working order!" Simon leaned against one of the walls.

"I think it's safe to say that we've learned far more than we bargained for in this expedition," said Simon grimly.

"Well, now what should we do?!" demanded Cecil, "We can only assume the worst from all this! After all, who else would want this kind of information except criminals?!" K-1 removed his hand from the computer's power socket, ending the flow of electricity into the mainframe and the control room. The screams of terror that filled the room made K-1 realize he had cut the power and plunged the room into darkness at a very bad time. Mack quickly turned on the flashlight on his visor.

"Would all of you keep it down!" shouted Mack, "Turn on your visor-lights for crying out loud!" Cecil and Alvin were suddenly very quiet and did as Mack commanded.

"Do you suppose the parties involved may have left some clues or may even still be in this facility as we speak?" suggested K-1.

"That's one reason why we have to stay quiet," warned Mack, "Obviously, we will have to conduct a thorough search of this facility for any clues and since we don't know if we're alone down here, we'd better stay together and on alert."

"Works for me," said Eric quietly. Cecil seemed to have an idea.

"Say, what if we tracked down the main generator? Maybe we could restore power to this building and at least get the lights on down here," suggested Cecil.

"A promising idea," said K-1, "The mainframe had no information on the status of the generators. If this large, delicate computer survived, than perhaps the generators are in full working order as well and can be reactivated."

"I remember where the generators are," said Cecil, "I'm going to head down there right now. Is anyone coming with me?" Alvin was fearful of leaving the Guardians, so he said nothing.

"I'll come with you," said Eric with determination.

"Very well," said Cecil, "Let's get going."

"We'll meet up with you at the S-5," said Mack. Cecil nodded his head and then marched out of the dark control room and back into the black corridors with Eric right behind him.

"So, what shall we do in the meantime?" asked K-1.

"We're going to head deeper into the facility," said Mack.

"How about we check on of the Seismic Generator?" suggested Simon, "I vividly remember its location. Most importantly, these footprints seem to lead in the proper direction." Aura and Mack nodded their heads in agreement.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said K-1.

"The let's be off and hope Cecil and Eric will be alright," said Mack. With that, Mack, Aura, K-1, Simon and Alvin left the now-silent control room and followed the footprints out the other door of the control and deeper into the black abyss. The whole building seemed to be as silent as the grave, but Mack and Aura were starting to suspect that they were not alone as they moved deeper and deeper into the dusty ruins.

-76-
Even though all they had to light their way was a small flashlight Lucca and Gremlin did not mind the deep darkness of the old, sandy and dusty ruins. However, the grinning Sableye was really starting to grate on the Ralts artist's nerves.

"…this eerie silence really hones the darkness. It's like a silent, creeping blackness seeping into our minds, leeching away all vestiges of joy and hope," continued Gremlin in a loud, gravely whisper. To say the least, Lucca was not amused.

"You can shut up now, Gremlin…" warned Lucca angrily. The smiling Sableye continued to ignore the complaining Ralts.

"…We have only a meager flashlight to light our way as we move deeper into the black abyss," continued Gremlin in an unnerving voice, "This is the kind of darkness that is only made worse by candlelight, creating twisted shadows that one can never be sure if it was caste by a mere chair, or something far worse…"

"Gremlin… you can stop now…" growled Lucca with increasing rage. Gremlin continued his eerie poem unabated.

"…Just gaze upon the pathetic beam put forth by your small flashlight," continued Gremlin, "The darkness seems to close in about, almost as if some horrible creature of the black is watching and waiting… Waiting for that crucial moment when the light dies and then……SNAP!!!… So do we…"

"I WILL clobber you again!!" shouted Lucca with unbridled rage.

"What? I thought you emotional Pokémon loved poetry," said Gremlin, feigning confusion.

"Have you forgotten already that I was trained by an Elite Guard of Olympus?" said Lucca with great impatience, "You keep this up and I'll be using your eyes in a chandelier!"

"So, you really want me watching over you for the rest of your life?" asked Gremlin with a cackle.

"Fine…" grumbled Lucca, "Just please stop pestering me already!"

"Very well," said Gremlin nonchalantly, "Besides, I've got bigger fish to try, or so I hope. I can't imagine that no one has been here for over two years now. You think even law enforcement would conduct a search here, unless, of course, the facility was deemed too dangerous to enter."

"What are you concocting now in that hallow head of yours?" demanded Lucca, "Planning on trying to scare the Guardians of Gardev? You try that and I hope they blow you all the way to Timbuktu, if not to steaming bits. I'll help them, too." Gremlin sneered at the agitated Ralts. He shrugged his shoulders and continued the increasingly-irritating walk down the long, dark corridors. Gremlin didn't want to admit it, but the eerie silence deep in the building was actually starting to get to him. He glanced at Lucca, hoping he could try to have a nice conversation with her without either him or Lucca yelling or insulting each other with every single statement.

"So, you're an artist, huh?" asked Gremlin with a more friendly voice. Lucca snorted with contempt at the dark-purple Sableye.

"Duh!" snapped Lucca. Even though he was trying to be friendly, Lucca was still quite wary of Gremlin.

"I was just curious, what do you specialize in? Oil paintings?" asked Gremlin, trying to be cheerful. For the first time in over an hour, Lucca smiled at the curious Sableye.

"You're right on target," remarked Lucca happily, "Oil paintings are my preferred style. As far as subject matter goes, I like doing still-life's and landscapes. Most of all; however, I love doing large, detailed portraits. I'm actually looking forward to getting started on the wedding portraits for the royal family."

"Am I correct in assuming that you're most eager to begin work on Mack and Aura's portrait?" asked Gremlin.

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Lucca with delight, "From what I heard, the Guardians of Gardev were the first Gardevoirs to get those beautiful, angelic wings. Makes me wish I had a pair of my own…"

"Well, you'd have to marry into the family and I don't think there is anyone left who hasn't been married or engaged now," said Gremlin, shrugging his shoulders. Lucca laughed.

"Well a pair of wings would make it much easier to work with large canvases and not need a step-ladder or extending brushes," said Lucca, laughing warmly.

"Have you considered evolving? As a Kirlia or a Gardevoir, you would definitely have more reach and much stronger psychic powers," suggested Gremlin. The Sableye almost jumped back when Lucca glared at him.

"I'm happy with just the way I am, thank you," said Lucca.

"It was just a harmless suggestion…" whined Gremlin.

"I know, I know," said Lucca as a smile spread across her face once again, "I'm just perfectly content to be a Ralts."

"I can understand that," said Gremlin with a grin, "I don't know if I can evolve or not, but I kinda like being small: makes it easy for me to hide and sneak up on people."

"Well, you were right about the whole psychic powers bit," said Lucca, "Right now, my telekinetic abilities are downright useless for painting. I just can't get the fine detail and shading I want when trying to make a brush float in the air versus the old-fashioned, hands-on method."

"Speaking of which…" said Gremlin, "I don't mean to pry, but is there some sort of process you use whenever you are about to start work on another painting?"

"I'm surprised you want to know so much about me," said Lucca with a friendly smile, "Okay. You see, the first thing I do is study my subject for awhile. I seem to have an unusually sharp memory and can remember the finest details even if I study a particular scene or person for less than a minute." Gremlin whistled loudly, impressed with Lucca's abilities so far.

"I would like to remember all the faces of every person and Pokémon I've scared in my life," said Gremlin sadistically.

"I bet you'd never have enough room on the walls of your home for that many portraits or sketches," laughed Lucca. Just talking was helping Gremlin feel better. Even Lucca preferred a friendly chat with a grinning Sableye compared to the maddening silence of the deep, dark corridors.

"You're probably right," said Gremlin, "Now, is there anything else you do before starting a painting?"

"Well, there are occasions when I want to study my subject for longer periods of time, so I then make a quick sketch that I will later use for the painting and use my photographic memory as another reference," explained Lucca. Gremlin was just about to remark on how impressed he was with Lucca, when he started to hear footsteps coming from somewhere down the long corridor.

"Sh!" said Gremlin sharply as he and Lucca came to a sudden stop, "Quick, Lucca, turn off your flashlight." Lucca did as Gremlin asked and the two Pokémon were soon plunged into the deep darkness of the metallic corridor. The footsteps got louder and louder, slightly echoing in the massive hallways.

"You think it's the Guardians?" asked Lucca. She could hear the footsteps now as they came closer and closer. The end of the long corridor stopped at a wall and split into two more hallways going left and right. Soon, they could see the light of a bright flashlight, coming closer from down the right side of the hallway. To Gremlin, the footsteps sounded like heavy combat boots: certainly not at all what the Guardians or their friends had put on before entering into the dilapidated building.

"No…" whispered Gremlin, sounding grimly serious, "It's definitely not the Guardians…"

"Who is it, then?" asked Lucca quietly as the light down the hallway continued to get brighter and brighter. The footsteps could be heard clearly and now Lucca and Gremlin were starting to get very worried. Gremlin glared down the hallway with building anger.

"I think it's safe to say we're not alone down here," whispered Gremlin, "We'd better hide and quickly." Lucca looked to her left at the entrance to a large air vent. It was big enough for her and Gremlin to fit through, but was well out of her reach.

"Gremlin, could you please give me a boost up into that air vent?" asked Lucca quietly, pointing at the dusty, open grate of the vent, "I'm not powerful enough to lift myself up there."

"Easy enough," said Gremlin as a faint red light started to glow from within his crystalline blue eyes, "Just hold still." Lucca stood still as calmly as she could as an odd, black aura surrounded her body. Lucca smiled and sighed with relief as the dark force gently lifted her off the floor and into the safety of the old air duct. The eerie light from Gremlin's eyes faded, as did the dark aura. As Lucca leaned against the steel side of the air duct, she heard Gremlin's voice from behind her. She looked over her shoulder, but the smiling Sableye was nowhere to be found.

"You just stay put," said Gremlin in a mischievous tone, "I think I'm going to have a little fun with our intruder and you get to have a front row seat to this little show."

"Now what are you up to?" asked Lucca skeptically, "And how were you able to lift me into the air vent like that? Ghost-Types don't have psychic powers, do they?" Gremlin's voice now seemed to come from directly below the Ralts artist.

"Let's just say we ghosts have our own little brand of power," cackled Gremlin, "My powers tend to be all the more potent and frightening the darker the area is. In this pitch-blackness, I can do just about anything, like effect objects without having to touch them, create horrid apparitions, create eerie sounds that would make your skin crawl or even project my voice."

"I see," said Lucca quietly, "But how are you able to project your voice like that, anyway?" There was a long pause. Gremlin spoke once again and his voice seemed to come from above.

"Um… to be honest… I have no idea," admitted Gremlin as a pair of red eyes and a maw of horrible, twisted teeth appeared less than a yard from Lucca's face, "Now, you just stay out of sight and enjoy the fun."

"Very well," said Lucca as a mischievous smile spread across her face, "This should be worth a few good laughs."

"Oh!" said Gremlin, his voice seeming to come from the disembodied eyes and toothy maw, "If I were you, I'd keep that sketchpad of yours and a pencil handy." One of the glowing, malevolent red eyes winked at Lucca. The artist winked back and smiled as she quickly pulled her sketchpad and a pencil out of her satchel. She moved silently and carefully towards the entrance of the air duct. She then stopped, carefully closed the air duct's grate and sat down quietly with her paper and pencil in hand and just out of sight. The shadows concealed the Ralts quite nicely, despite the increasing brightness of the intruder's flashlight. The loud footsteps came to a stop just a few feet away from the air vent.

"This is scout 4," said a gruff voice, "I think I might have something here." Lucca then heard another masculine voice clearly, but softly over a radio."

"What do you have to report, corporal?" asked the voice. Lucca peered out of the grate of the air duct. She stared at what seemed to be a human with a black hood and cape over his head that also covered his back. The black armor of the soldier resembled the kind once worn by Cipher troopers. Lucca vividly remembered when she had been captured by the strange Pokémon soldiers after a freak earthquake had destroyed her home and studio. She would never forget the white masked and armored humans that had looked her over carefully and imprisoned her with the rest of the other Ralts, Kirlias, Gardevoirs and Gallades in the very building she was now standing in.

"I had hoped I'd seen the last of these freaks!" thought Lucca fearfully, "What on earth are they doing here?!" She kept her gaze fixed on the trooper. She could just barely make out the facial features of a young man in the darkness and bright light.

"I found two sets of small footprints," said the scout, taking a strange, large rifle off his shoulders and holding it in his gloved hands, "The footprints just suddenly stop here near this old air vent. It doesn't look like whatever left these footprints turned around. They just suddenly come to a stop."

"I see… [Crack!]… grea… ork… [Bzzt!]… sco… or… re… urn… o…" said the voice over the radio as static and interference started to drown out the conversation.

"I didn't copy that, captain," said the scout, "Please repeat." The only reply the scout heard was static over his radio. The scout turned his gaze back on the small footprints.

"What's going on here?" asked the scout quietly to himself, "And what's the deal here with these two sets of footprints that suddenly stop at this very spot?!" Gremlin was hiding in the shadows nearby and the scout's questions did demand an answer. The scout jumped when he suddenly heard loud, evil laughter echoing down the corridor.

"What is the meaning of this?" said the scout to himself as he again spoke into his radio, "Captain! Are you there?!" The maniacal, unnerving laughter seemed to be coming from every direction at once. Despite the scout's best attempts, he could not get a message out to his commanding officer.

"Welcome to my domain… foolish mortal…" said a demonic voice from behind the frightened young man. He slowly turned around with his rifle in his hands; however, he saw nothing.

"Who are you?" demanded the scared scout. Again, the evil, frightening laugher echoed down the corridor and could be heard from all over.

"Why, I'm the reason why those footprints stop dead before you," laughed the evil, sinister voice from the darkness, "Those two young, tender Pokémon were delicious…" The scout tried his best not to panic or show any fear, but now the bright lights mounted on his helmet were becoming dimmer and dimmer. In a matter of moments, the young soldier was plunged into the deep darkness of the dusty ruins. Again, the unseen creature or demon erupted with horrible, nightmarish laughter. The scout had had enough of this and he bravely held out his rifle with his right hand on the trigger, sticking his weapon out into the blackness, hoping his aim was true.

"Alright!" shouted the armored man forcefully, "Whoever or whatever you are: show yourself this instant!" He only wished he was as fearless as he had sounded. Suddenly, the white rifle jerked violently in the man's arms as a loud, sickening "Crunch!" echoed down the massive, dark hallways. The scout jumped back a few feet out of fright, noticing that his rifle now weighed a lot less than it should have. A frightful silence filled the corridor and the trooper now feared for his life. A few moments later; however, the lights on the scout's helmet again shined in full force, lighting up the immediate area.

"Corporal, do you copy?" said the commanding officer, clear as day through the scout's radio, built into his helmet, "We lost contact with you for a few minutes. Is everything alright in your sector?" The scout wanted to believe what had just happened was nothing but a hallucination or that he had somehow fallen asleep into a horrible nightmare for a brief time. Still, he looked down at the remains of his rifle: the barrel, the ammo magazine, the sights and everything just centimeters past the trigger guard was missing. He let the rifle fall to the floor. He quickly realized he was, by no means, dreaming. Lucca, on the other hand, was as happy as could be.

"I just have to get this!" thought Lucca with sheer delight as she hastily drew in her sketchbook, "The look on that moron's face when he saw his half-eaten rifle was priceless!"

"Corporal? Are you there?" asked the commanding officer with concern. The scout said nothing as the sound of loud crunching seemed to come from directly behind the frightened man. He froze in his tracks: the sound of smacking lips and moving jaws were just inches from his left ear.

"Not bad, not bad, mortal!" laughed the insidious voice, "Still, I wonder what your soul tastes like…"

"Corporal?!" shouted the commanding officer, "What the devil is going on over there?! Respond at once!"

"Commander…" said the scout as his eyes and mouth opened wide in immense terror, "WE'RE NOT ALONE DOWN HERE!!!"

"You could not be closer to the truth," said Gremlin in his nightmarish voice. The ghost Pokémon erupted with loud, echoing and maniacal laughter as the poor, terrified young soldier ran down the corridor, screaming at the top of his lungs. Lucca hopped out of the air duct, landing softly on the floor as soon as she could no longer see the human's lights or hear his footsteps in the corridor. Lucca grinned and turned on her small flashlight just as Gremlin faded into view from out of the darkness. The ghost was smiling like a rich, young child on his birthday who had just received a mountain's worth of presents.

"Did you get some sketches?" asked Gremlin with glee. Lucca was all too happy to show Gremlin the early stage of her work.

"The shading and line-art on these is impeccable…" said Gremlin, amazed and excited, "And we're just getting started!" Lucca quickly stuffed her pencil and paper back into her satchel.

"So, are we going to follow that idiot or what?" asked Lucca with mock impatience.

"Yes we are," replied Gremlin matter-of-factly as he plucked up the half-eaten remains of the scout's rifle. He eagerly took large bites off the high-quality gun metal with delight.

"I thought Sableyes ate rocks and rich mineral deposits," remarked Lucca, "But I didn't know you liked to eat metal, too." Gremlin let out a loud belch as the butt of the gun disappeared down into his throat.

"These highly-processed metals are the best! Especially such fine carbon steel!" said Gremlin with great happiness, "The bullets were pretty tasty too, but gunpowder always gives me gas." Lucca laughed at Gremlin.

"So, what's your plan for our next move?" asked a happy Lucca. Gremlin again showed his familiar toothy grin.

"You're gonna love this one," said Gremlin with a dark and sinister tone of voice. This only made Lucca all the happier.

>To Be Continued...<

 

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Section #23

-77-
For Cecil and Eric, the going had been slow, yet steady as they cautiously walked down the long and silent corridors. They kept their weapons at the ready, especially after they had faintly heard a blood-curdling scream from somewhere deep in the ruins.

"Anyone who says there is no such thing as ghosts is selling something," grumbled Cecil. Eric nodded in agreement.

"At least Ghost-Type Pokémon have been scientifically confirmed," said Eric, trying to reassure Cecil in some manner, but this statement, needless to say, didn't make Cecil feel any better in the least.

"I'm really beginning to think the Guardians, their friends and us are not the only ones down here," said Cecil confidently. The former Cipher admin was clearly scared. Eric was frightened as well and the memories of Dr. Namwen's horrors only made the Gardevoir scientist all the more terrified.

"What's this?" said Cecil as his gaze fell on the dusty floor of the large hallway. Two sets of footprints came from a hallway to the right and continued down the corridor that Cecil and Eric were now walking down. The footprints then seemed to come back from the opposite direction, out of the dark and then back down the hallway to the right.

"What do you make of this?" asked Eric.

"The tracks are definitely fresh," said Cecil as he knelt down as examined the footprints in the sand and dust, "Looks like the same kind of footprints left behind by Cipher combat boots." Eric was now even more fearful.

"Do you think Cipher came back after all, despite a crushing defeat at the hands of the Guardians and a young boy?" asked Eric with uneasiness in his voice. Cecil wished he had a clear answer for his good friend, for Eric was getting more and more terrified the deeper and deeper they went into the old ruins.

"I wish I knew," said Cecil reassuringly, "Still, I think we should press on. The Guardians are counting on us to find and start the main generator back up. I don't know about you, but getting the lights back on will make me feel a lot better! Besides, I'm not going to leave you behind."

"Thank you, Cecil," said Eric with a sigh of relief.

"Anytime," replied Cecil, "Now let's keep moving." With that, the two armed Gardevoirs continued their quiet descent into the darkened facility. They moved silently and carefully, hoping their presence would go unnoticed by whoever or whatever might be hiding in the shadows. For another twenty minutes, they kept walking down the large hallways. Much to Cecil's dismay, the footprints went in the very same direction he and Eric were going. Cecil glanced over his shoulder at Eric.

"Just another fifty yards or so and we should be at the main power room," said Cecil with a gentle tone of voice. For the first time in many hours, Eric smiled.

"Not a moment too soon," said Eric happily, "How did that saying go? 'It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness?' I think that's the one I'm looking for."

"That certainly applies in this situation!" said Cecil with warm laughter. Only a few minutes passed when they came upon the destination of the unknown visitors' footprints. They stopped right at an unlocked and slightly-opened heavy metal door.

"What have we here?" said Cecil gruffly, "Looks like our visitors were looking for something in this room." Eric glanced and pointed the light on the end of his rifle at a small sign above the door: this doorway lead to a storeroom. Cecil cautiously opened the door: the metal door creaked loudly on its sandy hinges. With only the light on his rifle to pierce into the darkness, Cecil looked about the storeroom. The dozens and dozens of shelves were nearly all empty.

"What do you think was kept in here?" asked Eric with curiosity. Cecil glanced back at Eric, pointing his rifle at several dusty and empty gun cabinets, gun racks and lockers.

"I remember stepping in here once before the night I was turned into a Gardevoir by your brother," said Cecil, vividly remembering the day, "This room was filled to the brim with non-perishable foods and drinks. Not to mention a huge storage area for stun-guns, handguns, sub-machine guns, high-powered rifles, grenades, shotguns and millions of rounds of ammunition. Of course, there were also plenty of 10 and 12 gauge buckshot shells as well. May have even been some Sabot rounds in here."

"Body armor, too?" asked Eric with hesitation. Cecil grimly nodded his head in reply.

"RPG Launchers with even more ammo… just about anything you could imagine. I think they kept all this hardware here just in case they would have had to deal with fully-armed commandoes, mechanized infantry and aircraft. That is, before Project XD could be fully implemented and the creation of countless thousands of Shadow Pokémon had failed," explained Cecil, "I may as well tell you about the most horrifying discovery I made in here that fateful day. Are you ready?" Eric closed the lid on an empty ammo crate, dusted it off and sat down on the green lid.

"Go ahead," replied Eric.

"There were also thousands of those anti-Pokémon rifles that your brother created with almost endless ammunition to compliment that frightful menagerie. Remember? Dr. Namwen's rifles could effortlessly pierce through the barriers that some Pokémon can create as a defense. Not to mention the ammunition was designed to be as lethal as possible," said Cecil, "You and I have both seen those powerful weapons in action."

"Personally, I wish I had not," said Eric with a frown.

"Well, we will just have to let the Guardians know about this when we see them again," said Cecil, "Now, we'd better get going and get that generator back on line. The power room isn't more than 25 yards from here."

-78-
Gremlin and Lucca had carefully followed the frightened soldier down several corridors without being seen. Now, the shaken soldier was trying his best to convince his superior officer and colleagues to leave the dark and dusty ruins with great haste. For the mischievous Sableye and Ralts, this situation was just another golden opportunity.

"You're absolutely bonkers!" said a gruff voice in the distance. This seemed to be the voice of the commanding officer.

"You think I would make this up?!" complained the soldier.

"You know very well that this place isn't haunted!" said the first voice, "I've led dozens of salvage operations in this old facility without a hitch and now you want me to believe that there's some sort of evil demon or ghost on the loose down here?!" Gremlin cackled quietly to himself.

"Look's like I scared him within an inch of his life," said Gremlin with glee as he and Lucca cautiously peaked around a corner. They found a group of six soldiers in the middle of a large, otherwise empty office. Only the small, mounted lights on their helmets provided any illumination in the deep darkness.

"You think I'm trying to get vacation time or get excused from this mission?!" shouted the scout, "No way! I want to see that every possible resource is salvaged from these sandy ruins!"

"That will be enough, Private Ron!" snapped the officer.

"Yes, sir," said the soldier with respect, but also with anger. Lucca glanced at Gremlin: the big, toothy grin on his face could only have meant that the sneaky Sableye was cooking up another great idea, just for the soldiers.

"So, are you gonna go in there and scare the living daylights out of those humans while a sketch them or what?" asked Lucca with mock impatience.

"I would," replied Gremlin with an evil smile, "But I have a better idea…" Gremlin bent over close to Lucca and whispered his dastardly plan to the giggling Ralts artist.

"Oh, I love it!" said Lucca with quiet and sinister laughter.

"I knew you would," said Gremlin as he cracked his knuckles, "Now, let's begin and don't worry, if you get into any trouble, I'm more than capable of defending you."

"Very well," said Lucca with a smile.

"Now the real fun begins…" said Gremlin with devious tone of voice as he disappeared into the darkness. As Lucca turned away from Gremlin and walked down the darkened corridor towards the arguing soldiers. To say the least, Ron was not happy, especially now that his comrades were mocking him.

"Look out… flying POT!" said another soldier mockingly as he came up from behind Ron and lightly hit him in the back of his helmet with a rusted sauce pan, "Ghosts in the garbage!"

"Shut up, Johnson!" snarled Ron, "Heh! I wish that evil spirit would devour the lot of you!"

"Look at me!" said yet another soldier with sarcasm as he waved his arms around, "I'm an evil spirit, an evil spirit!"

"Quiet in the ranks!!" shouted the commanding officer with great impatience. The other soldiers quickly came to attention.

"Maybe I can trade you morons to that demon for my own life…" grumbled Ron angrily.

"I said QUIET!!!" yelled the officer as loud as he could, his voice echoing down the massive corridors of the otherwise silent ruins, "That will be enough shenanigans from all of you! In case you didn't remember, we're in the middle of the final sweep in a crucial salvage operation and we can not be discovered! So put a lid on it and let's get back to work!"

"Yes, sir!" said the other five soldiers with respect.

"Ralts!" said a gentle, small voice from nearby. The soldiers slowly turned around: at the opposite end of the dark room stood a single Ralts, illuminated by their helmet-mounted lights.

"Well, looks like we found your 'Evil Demon,' Ron," sniggered one of the other soldiers.

"Oh, shut up!" said Ron with growing rage.

"Ralts?" said the little Pokémon in its gentle, sweet voice.

"Well, I'll be," said the officer with amazement, "I wonder how this little Ralts got down here?"

"Maybe the little one got lost?" suggested Ron.

"Looks like a female Ralts," said the officer, "Her very gentle voice gives it away. A male Ralts would have a slightly gruffer voice, yet still quite gentle." The Ralts looked up at the officers with growing fear and started to back away from the group of six humans.

"Oh, you don't have to be afraid," said Ron as he knelt down on his right knee.

"Ralts?" said the Ralts as she glanced at Ron.

"Well, Captain? What should we do?" asked another soldier, "I don't think we should leave her down here." The captain nodded his head in agreement.

"I think so as well," said the captain, "We can't leave a young Pokémon down here without food or clean water."

"I think this little cutie will be a perfect companion for my daughter," said Ron, "She always wanted a Ralts to start her Pokémon journey with."

"You can have her, then Private," said the captain as he turned his gaze on another soldier, "Corporal: capture that Ralts." The soldier nodded as he removed a Pokéball from his utility belt.

"You sure you want a little demon for your daughter?" asked the soldier with a very irritating tone of voice. Ron gave his comrade a dirty look.

"Just capture it before it gets away," said the captain softly, "And try not to scare her."

"As you wish, sir," said the soldier with a scowl as he wound up for a hearty toss.

"Ralts!" said the Ralts with a fearful cry as she slowly backed away from the soldiers.

"Don't worry, I'm going to take very good care of you," said Ron softly and with a gentle smile.

"Now for the final pitch! You're mine now, Ralts!" said the other soldier with grin as he let the Pokéball fly forward with surprising speed.

"RAAAALTS!!" screamed the little Pokémon with sheer terror as the Pokéball flew towards her. Suddenly, before the ball came within three feet of the scared Ralts, the Pokéball stopped in mid air, being held in place by an unseen force. The Ralts closed its eyes as the lights on the soldiers' helmets started to dim. The once clean and silent sound on their radios was soon replaced with static and harsh interference.

"Oh, no!!" screamed Ron, "It's come back!!"

"Poppycock!" said the captain with no fear, "Men: check you batteries and radios on the double! Try replacing the power cells!" The soldiers did as they were commanded, but replacing the batteries did nothing and soon they were all plunged into the deep darkness of the sandy ruins and unable to call for help. Ron was shaking in his boots as a hideous voice echoed in the room from behind.

"Well, well…" said the demonic voice, "What have we here…?"

"Please leave me alone!!" screamed Ron, "You can have these men instead of meeeee!!"

"That will be quite enough, Ron!" shouted the fearless captain, "Show yourself, you stupid beast or whatever you are!!"

"As you wish…" said the voice as hideous laughter seemed to be coming from somewhere in the ceiling, "May as well let my doomed prey know what they are dealing with…" The frightened soldiers drew close to each other as a ring of eerie, blue fire surrounded them, dimly lighting up the room.

"I'm not afraid of you and your parlor tricks!" said the captain defiantly as he drew his rifle and quickly cocked it.

"…Oh… you will be… you… will… beeee…" said the evil voice as a shadow slowly faded into view a few feet above the frightened Ralts, "There is no… escape now…" Ron screamed at the top of his lungs as a pair of red, malevolent and glowing eyes appeared. The other men trembled when they saw a large maw of horrible, sharp, long and twisted teeth in the darkness.

"I don't believe in ghosts, I don't believe in ghosts!" said Ron with terror over and over again as he closed his eyes.

"How dare you fools attack my ward!" said the nightmarish creature of darkness as it hovered over the Ralts.

"Look, I'll just be going now…" said Ron with a nervous smile as he got ready to run for his life when the dark spirit suddenly reappeared with its horrible mouth just inches from Ron's face.

"No…" said the spirit, "You will stay right here, unless you would rather be my next snack." Ron nodded his head with great fear and took a few steps away from the evil spirit as it vanished and then reappeared above the cowering Ralts again.

"You have some nerve coming into my domain," said the spirit as its horrid mouth showed a cruel smile. The captain was still steadfast and he kept his finger on the trigger of his weapon, ready to open fire at any moment.

"Then you try and take my little… friend from me…" said the evil spirit. The Ralts slowly stood up straight, faced the soldiers and opened its eyes. The five soldiers shrieked when they saw that the Ralts's once gentle eyes were now glowing red with an evil power. The captain dropped his weapon onto the floor as his eyes and mouth opened wide from sheer terror. He could not believe what was happening: he, a veteran from the Navy Seals with decades of service was now scared to death of a Ralts!

"Raaalts…" said the Ralts happily as she looked up at the black spirit. The sight of the little Pokémon with its glowing eyes and content smile was downright unnerving, maybe almost as much as the sight of the ghost the soldiers had unwittingly awakened.

"Now you shall pay…" said the dark spirit, "You! The mortal with the Pokéball! You will eat that thing this instant!"

"And… and… If I… refuse?" asked the soldier, quaking with fear. The evil spirit smiled again.

"Then my little one and I are going to have the best feast we've had in a long time," cackled the demon, "Those last two little Pokémon were hardly a mouthful for both of us."

"That's why those sets of footprints suddenly stopped dead in that corridor!" yelled Ron.

"You are correct," said the malevolent spirit. Ron glanced at the soldier as he held the Pokéball in his right hand.

"You better do as he says…" said Ron with a nervous gulp.

"You better hurry, too," said the ghost as it gnashed its teeth, "My patience is wearing thin…" The soldier gulped as he crushed the hard device in his fists. The other soldiers watched closely and with fear as their comrade choked and gagged on the rough plastic and metal. After several heart-wrenching moments, the soldier managed to swallow the last of the wiring. The Ralts smiled again in her unnerving manner as a dark hand appeared above her. The spirit smiled as it gently stroked the Ralts.

"That's a good girl," said the spirit tenderly, "You just watch and learn. Soon, this domain will be all yours."

"Um…" said Ron with immense hesitation, "Can we go now?" The spirit turned about to face the soldiers and flashed them a menacing grin.

"Surely you don't think I'm going to let you get away so easily, do you?" laughed the demon, "Now you will drop your weapons or me and my little friend will consume you all." The Ralts grinned and opened its mouth, revealing a pair of frightful, sharp vampire-like fangs.

"She always did have a taste for fresh flesh and blood!" said the evil spirit as it erupted with maniacal laughter.

"Remember what Lord Cyan told us?" whispered the captain to the soldiers, "If we lose our weapons for any reason and go back to base without them we'll all be demoted to janitors!"

"That's not much worse than being a private…" muttered Ron.

"Enough!" shouted the captain as he swiftly picked up his rifle, "RETREAT!!!" With that, the group of six terrified soldiers, jumped over the ring of blue fire and made a mad dash down the corridor, screaming loudly. As they ran down the hallway, the lights and radios on their helmets started to work again.

"Lord Cyan is not going to like this!" thought the captain with dread, "Still, his wrath is going to be heaven compared to staying with that vile creature!" Lucca smiled, still with her sharp white fangs and looked up at Gremlin in his horrible form.

"An 'A' for Performance, an 'A' for enthusiasm, but only a solid 'C' for Objectives Completed," said Lucca with a smirk as she walked out of the room for about a minute.

"Hey!" shouted Gremlin down the hallway, talking through his nightmarish maw, "You should have at least given me a 'B-' for all that! Now all we have to do is follow their footprints and that should lead us to their base or even whoever is spearheading their operations down here!" Lucca rounded the corner with her small flashlight turned on and with her satchel back on her left shoulder.

"I guess you're right," said Lucca, shrugging her shoulders, "Besides, now I have plenty of ideas for my next paintings."

"Anything for my little precious," said Gremlin, reaching down to stroke Lucca with his large, black hand. Moments later, Gremlin screamed as Lucca bit into his hand. With his loss of concentration, Gremlin quickly reverted back to his Sableye form. He shook his hand vigorously, wincing from the pain.

"Was it really necessary to bite me?" snarled Gremlin, "And while you still had those fangs my powers had given you?!"

"Yep," said Lucca nonchalantly as she straightened her green hair, "Now, are we going after those idiots or not?"

"Hmph!" said Gremlin, "Of course we are."

"You think we'll run into the Guardians before long?" asked Lucca, "They are the main reason why I came here in the first place." Gremlin was deep in thought as the pain in his hand soon started to fad away.

"We're bound to run into them," said Gremlin, "Now, I want you to stay back this time and just sketch. I'll handle those soldiers. Besides, I'm looking forward to scaring the heck out of their commanding officer." Lucca giggled.

"Then I can only expect some more great sketches," said Lucca with glee, "Lead the way." With that, Gremlin and Lucca started down the shadowed corridor, following the footprints of the hapless soldiers into the darkness.

-79-
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.

 

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Section #24

-80A-
"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 curtsy, "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.

 

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Section #25

-80B-
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 underestimate 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…"

-81-
Mack, Aura, Eric, Cecil, Simon, Gremlin, Lucca and K-1 had gathered with Alvin, deep in one of the largest rooms in the entire building. Alvin's idea to level the abandoned facility caught everyone by surprise, even the Guardians did not know what to expect. The Gardevoir scientist proudly pointed up at the massive Seismic Generator and smiled.

"All we have to do is have this machine generate a powerful, but localized earthquake right under these ruins," explained Alvin, "The soft dirt and sand of this desert go down for hundreds of yards before you hit bedrock. The bottom of the desert should be a perfect final resting place for these dilapidated ruins."

"About how far under the sand do you think this building will be?" asked Simon, leaning against one of the walls in the huge, brightly-lit room. Alvin flashed Simon a grin.

"I predict that much of the facility will actually collapse upon itself, even the reinforced coliseum was not designed to withstand a major quake," answered Alvin, "I estimate that the highest, surviving part of this facility will be buried under roughly one hundred yards of sand and dirt."

"That should do the trick," remarked Cecil with a nod, "Why, the people in the Gardev region even ended their search for coal and oil in these parts decades ago after they found nothing. That means no one will probably ever dig up these ruins again, at least not for many years."

"It's a good idea, but I think there are some considerable problems that must be dealt with," cautioned K-1. Mack nodded at his robotic companion.

"Indeed, K-1," said Mack, "Unleashing an earthquake under these ruins does sound like an excellent method for covering them up, but I doubt the Seismic Generator itself could survive in the crumbling ruins for long enough to keep the earthquake focused and localized during the entire procedure. After all, what would happen if this gargantuan machine is activated and then severely damaged during one of its earthquakes?"

"You brought up a good point," said Alvin, glancing up at the monstrous, silver machine, "My calculations did indicate that a severe catastrophe could be the end result if the machine was damaged or interrupted by other means while in the middle of generating an earthquake." Eric could not help but notice that this version of the Seismic Generator was substantially smaller than the one he had erected in the Mt. Terror base. Eric's original earthquake machine was as big as the Pokémon center in Viridian city, while this machine looked like it would fit comfortably in the cargo hold of Mack's S-5 Heavy Carrier.

"Why don't we just take this thing with us?" suggested Eric. Everyone in the room stared at Eric with their eyes wide open.

"That… that could be accomplished," said Mack, "Aura and I could teleport this machine into the S-5's cargo bay."

"Exactly!" said Eric with delight, "And then we could just activate the Seismic Generator while in the air and level this oversized pile of scrap metal once and for all!"

"Are you hearing this, Central?" asked K-1 through his built-in radio, "Could the machine be properly powered while in the S-5?"

"Affirmative, but we would have to set the S-5's power generators in Overdrive mode to generate the required electrical energy," replied Central, "However, the generators cannot stay in overdrive for long as they may melt from the excessive heat. The thermal converters would also be reduced to slag."

"What do you think we should do, Mack?" asked Aura.

"We'll do as Dr. Alvin suggests," replied Mack with confidence, "The procedure is risky, but if all of us work together manning the Seismic Generator, the S-5 and keep a good eye on the status of the S-5's power systems, we should be able to activate this earthquake machine while we're safe on the air. I'm convinced this maneuver can be pulled off and with great success."

"Then the first step is to teleport this machine into the S-5," said K-1 matter-of-factly. Mack glanced at Aura and she nodded her head in reply to an unspoken question. The other Pokémon and K-1 stepped back as the Guardians eyes and pendants began to shine with bright light. Soon, a blue and purple-colored aura surrounded the large machine, growing brighter and brighter by the second. Then, in an instant, the machine disappeared from the room in a bright flash. Mack and Aura's pendants quickly stopped glowing as they each took a deep breath.

"I think that machine was the largest object I've ever had to teleport using my own power," said Mack with amazement, "That was surprisingly… easy."

"You also had my help," said Aura with a smile, "Then again, being a Gardevoir and one of the Guardians of Gardev never hurts either, huh?" Mack laughed as he walked up to his mate and tightly put his arms around her. They held each other close and kissed passionately for many minutes.

"Hey, Mack, Aura," said Alvin with a grin, "We're leaving without you two." The Guardians chuckled warmly and blushed as they released each other from their embrace.

"Central, can you confirm that the Seismic Generator has been secured in the cargo bay?" asked K-1.

"Yes," was Central's reply, "The machine is now in the cargo bay. I'll get it strapped down and hooked up to the S-5's power grid. In the meantime, you should all evacuate the ruins and meet me on the surface. Xavier has just flown in and I had to tell him to return to Gardev on his own."

"There wasn't enough room for him in the S-5?" asked Mack.

"That is correct," answered Central, "Not unless he could become roughly one inch thick and be smashed between the machine as well as the cargo bay doors."

"It just barely fit," said an amazed Mack, "That's great!"

"Xavier will meet up with us back in Gardev," said Central, "In the meantime, let's get this show on the road."

"Roger that," said Mack as he walked alongside Aura and put his left arm around her, "We'll be up in about ten minutes." Just then, Lucca quickly put the finishing touches on her last sketch of the day. She proudly showed it to the Guardians: the picture was of Mack as Aura, locked together in a passionate embrace with their majestic wings unfurled. Aura giggled with happiness.

"This is going in our room, right above the fireplace," said Aura. Lucca grinned at Aura.

"I have to enlarge the drawing and paint it first," said Lucca with a mischievous smile, "That is, after I finish the wedding portraits for the Olympus Royal family. Aura, yours and Mack's painting will be the first one finished."

"Thank you so much, Lucca!" said Aura with delight.

"Anything for a prince and princess of Olympus," said Lucca with a polite bow towards Mack and Aura. By the time Mack, Aura and their friends had gotten back on the ground's surface, the sun was already setting. This had been one of the longest and most nerve-racking days Mack and Aura could remember since they had been married. Mack quickly stowed the rifles, utility belts and other equipment as Central and K-1 finished hooking the Seismic Generator up to the high voltage power cables in the S-5. Aura closed the cargo bay doors the moment Central and K-1 had finished with their welding.

"That should do the trick," said Central.

"Thank you for the excellent work, as usual," said Mack with a friendly smile, "Now, have you finished the calculations for the power systems?" Central nodded her head in reply.

"K-1 and I estimate a timeframe of no more than fifty seconds before the generators and thermal converters start to suffer any damage. After 75 seconds, the power systems will be running at 50% capacity due to severe damage," warned Central solemnly, "After 85 seconds, the power systems will be destroyed and we will crash into the desert below."

"Hopefully we won't have to destroy the S-5 and ourselves in order to wipe those ruins off the face of the earth," said K-1.

"You don't have to worry," said Alvin with a calm tone of voice, "Just get us into the air and I'll take over from there."

"Will do," said Mack as he and Aura climbed up a set of stairs at the back of the large cargo bay hand-in-hand and towards the cockpit up above and at the front of the large vehicle. Cecil, Andre and Simon followed after the Guardians while Central and K-1 stayed behind to help Eric and Alvin.

"I'm actually glad we decided to bring this device with us instead of destroying it," said Eric with glee, "There is so much good we could do with a machine like this."

"I know the feeling," said Alvin with a sigh of relief, "With the press of a button, we could actually stop real earthquakes from causing serious damage and loss of life."

"A pity this machine can also be used as a dastardly weapon," said K-1 with a frown as he checked the machine's inner workings for damage or other faults.

"Agreed," said Central, "I find it strange that great power can always be used for the preservation of life or for the utter annihilation of it." Alvin nodded his head as he started pressing keys and pushing buttons on the Seismic Generator's main control panel. Soon, the yellow, pulsing lights on the cylinder-shaped machine were lit as a low hum started to fill the room, becoming louder with each passing second. Just then, the massive S-5 Heavy Cargo Carrier lurched as it lifted off into the sky. Lucca and Gremlin were sitting on the cold, metal floor of the cargo bay, watching closely as the machine began to power up. As usual, Lucca was smiling and humming to herself, making one sketch after another.

"Power levels are at 45%," reported Alvin.

"I am getting the same readings," reported Central as she turned on the intercom in the cargo bay, "Mack, do you hear me up there?" There was static and a slight pause over the intercom.

"I read you," replied Mack, "We are at 1,000 feet and awaiting instructions." Mack and Aura were piloting the massive S-5, keeping it steady as it hovered over the desert sands.

"Stand by to switch the generators to Overdrive Mode," said Central as the humming from the quake machine became increasingly louder. Gremlin was covering his ears while Lucca continued to work on her drawings.

"Roger that," said Mack.

"I'm at 55%," said Alvin, "It's now or never."

"Switch all power systems to overdrive," ordered Central. With that, Mack feverishly entered a secret access code on the control panel in front of him. After a few faint electronic clicks and beeps could be heard, a glass panel over a red switch slid out of the way.

"Overdrive activated," said Mack as he threw the switch, "T minus 55 seconds to power failure." Alvin threw a few levers on the Seismic Generator's control panel. The machine began to hum even louder while the yellow light panels shone brighter.

"I must say, Mack!" shouted Alvin, "You built the S-5 very well! I'm already at 100% here: Starting earthquake sequence!"

"Got it!" yelled Mack over the intercom, "You have 48 seconds!" The loud noise from the quake machine was now being heard very clearly in the cockpit. Mack quickly repositioned the S-5 so everyone could get a better view of the ruins. Night had fallen over the desert, but the bright moonlight made the facility still quite easy to see. Gremlin and Lucca rushed to one of the cargo bay windows to watch the action as Alvin threw a large, black lever on the Seismic Generator.

"Goodbye and good riddance!" shouted Alvin as he, Eric, Central and K-1 rushed over to the window. They saw dust getting kicked up as the ground beneath the large building started to shake violently. Mack was glad there was nobody living in the area for at least 40 miles in any direction for the sound of the highly-controlled, powerful earthquake, twisting steel and crumbling concrete was incredibly loud, even though the S-5 was over a mile away from the ruins.

"35 seconds!" warned Mack. Everyone in the S-5 only paused for a moment to watch and smile as the ruins crumbled to the ground within a few short seconds. Alvin quickly ran back over the control panel, pulling the kill switch. In an instant, the massive earthquake came to an abrupt end. Mack quickly turned off the overdrive mode of the power generators as the dust started to settle from the ruins. All that remained above ground were small hills of sand and dirt. Mack then flew the S-5 over the facility: not a trace remained of the foreboding ruins.

"I detect metal at a depth of 100 yards," reported Central.

"The sensors are all working properly," said K-1 with a smile, "Just incase you were going to ask about any malfunctions." Alvin jumped for joy.

"Then that means my calculations were correct!" shouted Alvin with great joy and relief, "And those horrid ruins are gone for good!" Simon nodded his head, but he was still very solemn.

"Nevertheless, we will have to be very vigilant in the coming days or even the coming years," warned Simon, "I don't think we've seen the last of those men. I think it's only a matter of time before they will make their presence know again." Soon, the group of Pokémon and robots were back on their way to the village of Gardev. The S-5 moved through the night skies almost silently as Mack switched the view on a small view screen on his control panel to a camera in the cargo bay. He frowned at the Seismic Generator. In a way, he was glad that the powerful machine was preserved and would fit quite comfortably in the launch bay of the underground lab. On the other hand, the Seismic Generator reminded Mack of the evil minds who were back on the scene and surely were plotting schemes that would make the atrocities of Cipher seem like heaven in comparison. Then, there was another problem.

"I know you're out there somewhere, Shadow Mack, biding your time and scheming…" said Mack quietly to himself, "Only one of us is going to leave this dimension alive… I promise…"

>To Be Concluded...<

 

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Section #26

-82-
The time was 8:35 PM on the clear and tranquil Friday night when the massive S-5 finally touched down in the launch bay of Mack and Aura's secret underground laboratory. In only a matter of minutes, the Seismic Generator was unloaded from the Heavy Carrier, strapped to the hard, metallic floor of the massive launch bay and was then covered with a large, heavy blue tarp. All had seemed normal when Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre, Lucca, Simon, Gremlin, Lucca and David said their goodbyes to K-1 and Central before they left the lab and headed up towards Warren's basement. After making sure the weapons and equipment were stowed away and everything was going well, Mack and Aura said goodnight to their robotic friends, boarded the elevator and were on their way up to the basement as well.

"Well?" asked Aura with a yawn, "Shall we go to bed now?" Mack smiled at his beautiful mate.

"We will after we check on something," said Mack as he lead Aura up the basement stairs, "When we landed, I noticed the kitchen lights at the church were left on."

"I wonder what's going on over there?" asked Aura as she and Mack walked through the hallways of the mansion and soon, they were on their way to the church. However, the Guardians were being watched closely. Alexander carefully peered out the blinds of one of the large, front windows of the mansion. He closed the blinds and glanced at his lovely wife, Aurora.

"Is everything set?" asked Alexander with glee. Aurora giggled and smiled at her husband.

"I just led Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David to the back rooms," said Aurora with delight, "Plus, everything is laid out for the Guardians in their bedroom. We'll have to lead them there as soon as they get back." Alexander chuckled warmly.

"Have we got a surprise for them!" said Alexander with excitement as he embraced his wife. Little time had passed when Mack and Aura arrived at the church and entered through one of the back doors into the dark cafeteria. The tables, chairs and the floor were sparkling clean with not a trace to tell of the celebration that had taken place just days ago. Aura couldn't help but think back when she and Mack were married. Then, there were the joyful days when Fredrick and Sakura had been married and then, just yesterday, Enrique and Anna had been joined together as well. The Guardians stopped in their tracks when they heard a loud belch from the kitchen.

"What was that?" asked Aura. Mack frowned as he held out his right hand and started to focus a ball of light in it.

"I think we may have a rodent infestation…" said Mack quietly. He let go of Aura's hand and silently walked up to the kitchen door. In an instant, Mack threw open the double-jointed door, ready to blast whatever was intruding in the kitchen with a blast of destructive light. Instead, he allowed the energy to dissipate and vanish when he laid his eyes on the intruder.

"Oh, my!" laughed Aura as she walked into the kitchen behind he mate, "Looks like there was a rodent infestation!"

"William?" asked a bewildered Mack, "What happened in here?" William was smiling and lying against a cupboard with his belly bloated. There were cake crumbs and frosting all through the Pikachu's normally yellow fur as well as all over the surrounding floor around William. William let out a loud hiccup as he sluggishly opened his eyes. The fat Pikachu squeaked lazily as he slowly stood up on his feet.

"Oh…" said William with a content smile, "I just had the time… of my life…" William flopped onto his face. Aura, concerned for William, carefully took him up in her arms.

"Are you okay, little cutie?" asked Aura softly.

"…I'll…" stammered William, "I'll be alright… in the morning…"

"He's just fine," said Mack with a grin, "It looks like our little friend decided to help himself to what was left of Enrique and Anna's wedding cake."

"Best… day… ever…" said William with a loud yawn. Aura laughed to herself as she set the Pikachu in one of the kitchen sinks. With a sprayer, some warm water, soap and in about ten minutes, Aura managed to get William cleaned up. He was sound asleep as Aura and Mack worked together to get William dried off with a few kitchen towels.

"Well, what do you think happened?" asked Mack.

"I remember hearing something about how Anna was going to reward William for what she put him through yesterday," said Aura with a smile as she held William in her arms, "I think this was our little friend's reward."

"That sure takes the cake, doesn't it?" asked Mack with a grin. Aura giggled and stroked William's swollen belly a few times.

"Ooooh…" moaned William, "What happened to me…?"

"He's waking up?" asked a bewildered Aura.

"Why would I be asleep at this hour on a Friday night?" asked William with a loud yawn, "Man… what happened to me?"

"I think a wedding cake got the best of you," chuckled Mack.

"Is that all?" asked William with embarrassment, "Oh. I forgot all about that…"

"Well, let's get you home and in bed," said Aura softly.

"But I'm not tired!" complained William. Despite the Pikachu's protests, Mack and Aura left the church with William and were soon back at the mansion. The Guardians were pleasantly surprised when Alexander and Aurora greeted them once they had entered through the front door.

"Welcome back, Mack and Aura!" said Alexander with delight.

"Yes," said a happy Aurora, "I'm so glad to see you and your friends all back home, safe and sound."

"After all that happened today, I'm thankful and quite amazed that we're unharmed, too," said Mack with a yawn. Alexander and Aurora's happy smiles were replaced in an instant with looks of bewilderment when they laid eyes on William.

"What happened to him?" asked a confused Alexander, taking a good, long look at the stout Pikachu.

"Not much," said William with a smile, "Enrique and Anna just let me have the rest of their wedding cake."

"You ate it all in one day?!" exclaimed Alexander.

"That he did," said Aura with a smirk. Aurora giggled to herself and glanced up at Alexander. The Gardevoir nodded his head and smiled in reply to an unspoken request.

"Now then," said Alexander with a pleasant tone of voice, "My wife and I have a little surprise for both of you."

"Please forgive me," said Mack, yawning again, "I don't meant to sound rude, but can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"Oh, no," said Aurora cheerfully, "This can't wait for long. We left some presents in your bedroom. How about we show them to you?" Mack glanced at Aura: she just smiled at him.

"Let's go see what they got for us," said Aura sweetly. Mack shrugged his shoulders and smiled at his lovely wife.

"Well, a wise husband always puts his wife first," said Mack tenderly as he held Aura's right hand, "Okay, Alexander, Aurora: Please lead the way." The two Gardevoirs smiled as they turned around and led the Guardians through the mansion.

"Hey," said Mack, "How about we take a shortcut through the ballroom?" Alexander and Aurora glanced at each other nervously, doing their best to hide their fear and uneasiness.

"We…" said Alexander nervously, "We need to stay out of the ballroom for now. Warren is having it deep cleaned."

"At this hour?" said Mack with a raised eyebrow, "Who would Warren hire to polish and deep clean the wooden floors around here after 9 o' clock?" Aurora giggled nervously.

"Paul is quite the handyman," replied Aurora.

"Good point," said Mack, "After all, Paul did help Aura and I get the kitchen fixed up after William and Gremlin blew it up."

"I wish you would all quit bringing that up," griped William. Now that Mack and Aura suspected nothing, Alexander and Aurora carefully lead the Guardians down the long hallways and eventually upstairs. The leisurely walk came to end right outside the Guardians' bedroom.

"Okay," said Alexander, clapping his hands once, "Now, I want both of you to please close your eyes for a minute."

"This is a surprise," said Aurora with excitement. Aura smiled and closed her eyes. Mack was skeptical, but he still did as his in-laws had politely asked. The Guardians heard their bedroom door slowly creak open.

"Now, we'll guide you into your room," said Alexander as he gently held Mack's hands and lead him into the room. Aurora did the same for Aura and they had the Guardians, who still had their eyes closed, stop in just the right spot.

"Okay…" said Alexander as he and his wife let go of the Guardians' hands, "Look now." Mack hesitated, especially after he heard Aura gasp and then yell with sheer delight.

"This can't be good…" thought Mack as he finally opened his eyes. The male Guardian looked on with disbelief at his father and mother-in-law's gifts: a pair of elaborate ball gowns were laying spread out over the bed.

"They're so beautiful! Which one is mine?" asked Aura happily.

"Yours is the sky-blue one," replied a smiling Aurora.

"The dark green dress is for you, Mack," said Alexander with a friendly smile. Mack had only just gotten used to wearing his wedding dress, but now he was going to have to don a ball gown as well? The two ball gowns were almost identical: each dress had long sleeves, a very full, flowing skirt, layer upon layer of soft petticoats under the skirt, decorative embroidery, stand up collars, a large bow with trailing ribbons on the back of the dress just above the waist and laces on the back to close the bodice. Aura's dress; however, also had puffed sleeves, pale blue petticoats under the skirt, plus the fabric sparkled and shimmered brightly in the light while Mack's dress only shimmered and had light green petticoats for added lift.

"Is something wrong, Mack?" asked a perplexed Aurora while her daughter gleefully wrapped her arms around her new dress, holding it tightly against her body and feeling the soft fabric.

"Aura said that green was your favorite color," said a shocked Alexander with a frown, "Do you not like it?" Mack looked up at Alexander as if his father-in-law had gone completely bonkers.

"Dad?" asked Mack with fear; "Is there something I should know here?" Alexander chuckled warmly.

"I really don't understand why you are so afraid of the clothing we Gardevoirs think is perfectly normal," said Alexander.

"I think it's just culture shock," giggled Aura.

"How can I put this?" said Alexander as he picked the extravagant dress of the bed and tenderly handed it to Mack, "Just think of it as the gown you normally wear when you dance with Aura in the ballroom almost every night here in the mansion, except this dress is much more extravagant, especially for the party that's going to start in about ten minutes."

"A party?" asked a very nervous Mack, holding his new dress up at an arms length, "What kind of party?"

"A very nice, relaxing and fun party," said Aurora, trying to reassure her son-in-law, "This is going to be the first weekly meeting of a group my husband and I started many years ago."

"That's right, my dear," said Alexander happily, "From now on, every Friday night, the Ballroom Club is going to meet here at Warren's mansion. Of course, our friendly mayor loved the idea."

"So, what happens at this… Ballroom Club?" asked Mack nervously.

"Simple," replied Aurora with delight, "The Ballroom Club is all about married Gardevoirs and Gallades spending a night together just dancing, enjoying some fine food and having fun with their mates. Unmarried Gardevoirs and Gallades also come here for a nice date as well."

"Plus," said Alexander, "Every Gardevoir and Gallade will be wearing beautiful and traditional garb for the evening." Mack let out a heavy sigh.

"Why do so many Gardevoir traditions have to involve dresses?" grumbled Mack as he glared at his new, shimmering green gown.

"You wear one every day Mack," giggled Aura, "It doesn't seem to bother you at all."

"Good point…" said Mack with another sigh, "I guess as long as I don't draw a lot of stares or get laughed at, I should be fine."

"Well, if you'll please excuse us, Aurora and I need to get dressed for the evening. We hope to see you in the ballroom soon, especially since Agatha was so kind as to cater the banquet for us," said Alexander.

"This is just like old times," said Aurora with a blissful sigh as Alexander put his left arm around her, "Having a wonderful, romantic night of fine food and graceful dancing…"

"I'll come with you guys," said William as he leapt out of Aura's arms and onto the floor.

"That's fine, William," said Aura happily, "We'll be down soon."

"Very good," said a happy Alexander as he led his delighted wife out of the room, "See you then." As soon as Alexander, Aurora and William had left the room and closed the door, Aura started to get undressed, eager to get into her new, fluffy gown.

"Just think Mack," said Aura, deep in bliss, "Everyone is going to see all those dance moves we learned over the last few years." Mack kept his eyes glued on his green ball gown. He glanced at the bed and saw a pair of green, shimmering slippers that completed the ensemble. Aura had light blue slippers to go with her dress. It did not take long until Aura had slipped on her new dress and its matching shoes.

"Come on, honey!" giggle Aura, "Time for you to get 'Dressed' too!" Mack sighed heavily, yet again.

"That's not funny, Aura," said Mack with a scowl. Nonetheless, he started to get undressed; bracing himself for what could very well be a very long night. Soon, the time was 9:30 and several dozen Gardevoirs and their mates had arrived at the mansion in stunning, colorful dresses. They waited eagerly in the large ballroom for the party to begin. At the back of the ballroom and in front of the large windows that faced the mountains, stood all the members of the royal family, minus the Guardians. Anna could not have been more delighted.

"I just love it!" said Anna with sheer delight, twirling in her sparkling pink dress with pale pink petticoats under her skirt, "It's so soft and fluffy! Best of all, it's pink!"

"I'm well aware of your favorite color," giggled Angel in her sparkling black ball gown, "After all, who do you think spent the last several months making all the gowns for this event?" Ramirez smiled as he stood next to Angel with an arm wrapped around her, wearing a dark green ball gown. Around the ballroom, it was very obvious that all the dresses had, in a way, been color coded: bright colors and shimmering or sparkling dresses for the females with darker, plain dresses for most of the males. All female Gardevoirs were also wearing gold or silver bracelets, anklets, earrings and necklaces with gemstones to match the colors of their dresses. The guests were all talking amongst themselves, waiting for when the Guardians and some other special guests would arrive.

"That reminds me," said Angel, "Ramirez, would you excuse me for a moment? I need to go check on some of our guests."

"Go right ahead," said Ramirez. Angel smiled and walked through the group of Gardevoirs and through the double doors on the opposite side of the ballroom. The master Gardevoir seamstress walked through the mansion corridors, upstairs to one of the unused bedrooms and gently knocked on the door.

"May I come in?" asked Angel sweetly. She pressed her right ear against the door just in time to hear a heavy sigh.

"You can come in," said a familiar and very nervous voice. Angel opened the bedroom door and giggled with glee.

"You all look so handsome!" said a delighted Angel.

"I really don't think so," said Eric with a look of fear on his face. Alvin, Eric, Cecil, Andre and David knew they were in deep, deep trouble as they stood in a line, wearing identical, shimmering, dark blue ball gowns.

"The ladies are going to think you all look downright fabulous!" giggled Angel with excitement. The ball-gown wearing Gardevoirs and Mewtwo said not a word for several awkward moments.

"Someone please remind me how we got tricked into this?" asked a very nervous and very scared Andre, "This is like one of my worst nightmares come true!"

"You think you've got it bad?" snorted David, "Whoever heard of a Mewtwo in a dress?! Sheesh!"

"Now, now, boys," said Angel with sinister smile, "Remember: Glacian ordered all of you to don the traditional ballroom dancing attire and to join the rest of us in the Ballroom Club for a night of dancing and fun. After all, you are all citizens of Olympus and must obey the king's orders."

"I should have stayed home and become a psychiatrist instead of joining Cipher!" complained Andre, "Then none of this would have happened and I wouldn't have been ordered to cross-dress!"

"Would you rather have a pink dress instead?" snapped Angel. Andre became quiet in an instant.

"It could be worse, Andre," said Eric with a sigh.

"How?" demanded a sullen Andre.

"We could have been ordered to learn ballet," replied Eric.

"I'll take tights over this dress any day!" griped Andre.

"Is that so?" asked Angel deviously, "Do you know what the traditional attire is for Kirlia and Gardevoir ballet dancers?"

"I don't think I want to know," said Andre, but Angel ignored him and walked up to him. They stood eye to eye.

"Kirlias and Gardevoirs tend to dance the same way, so they dress the same way," said Angel, grinning at the nervous Gardevoir, "It all starts with a pair of white, satin ballet slippers…" Andre was shaking with fear.

"You can stop now!" said an increasingly-terrified Andre. Angel said nothing as she wrapped her arms around Andre.

"And then…" said Angel in a sinister tone as she spoke in Andre's right ear, "You have a white dress with a very full skirt, cut several inches above the ankles so your cute slippers can be seen easily. Your dress is covered with lovely embroidered deigns…" Despite their predicament, Eric, Alvin, Cecil and David could hardly contain their laughter as Andre shook and sweated profusely with mounting terror.

"Let… me… let me go! You're gonna give me nightmares!" screamed Andre. He tried to run for it, but Angel kept him close with a strong embrace and continued to speak to the frightened Gardevoir face to face in a most unpleasant manner.

"…Then you have long, decorated sleeves and a collar that goes all the way up to your neck," said Angel with an evil smile, "A white bow with trailing ribbons, just above your waist, accents the back of your shimmering dress. There is layer after layer of soft, fluffy and white petticoats under your skirt." If there was time that Andre wished that just once, he could disappear without a trace, this was it.

"The satin and the fluffy tulle feels so wonderful on your body," said Angel, "And finally, you're locked into your pretty dress with white laces on the back of your dress with bronze loops. Then… at last… your transformation into a male ballerina IS… COMPLETE!!" Andre screamed as Angel erupted with foul, horrifying laughter. Angel held Andre close to her body, laughing the whole time at his face as the male Gardevoir desperately tried to squirm out of her tight embrace. Ramirez was standing outside the bedroom when he heard the bloodcurdling scream and Angel's evil laughter. Ramirez had followed after Angel to let her know that the Guardians would soon be arriving at the ballroom. He was glad he had gone after Angel after all.

"What on earth is she doing in there?" thought Ramirez as he threw open the bedroom door.

"Hello, Ramirez," said Angel nonchalantly and with a smile as Andre was still screaming and trying to get free from the sadistic, female Gardevoir's arms.

"I see everyone is ready to go," said Ramirez with an appreciative nod, looking over the other Gardevoirs and David as a grin spread over his face.

"Someone save me!!" shrieked Andre, "HEEEEELP!!"

"You're not going anywhere!" laughed Angel, "Now, you have to DANCE in the ballroom!" Andre continued to howl and scream.

"Get a grip, soldier!" snapped Cecil, "It would appear that ballroom dancing is going to be far less worse than ballet!!" Andre finally stopped screaming.

"Oh," said Andre as he finally stopped struggling. Angel slowly let Andre free from her bear hug embrace.

"Is everyone ready to go now?" asked Angel with a sweet smile.

"Yes!" said the wide-eyed Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David all at once. Ramirez laughed quietly to himself.

"Well, let's get out there and on the dance floor," said Ramirez, "Mack and Aura should be coming downstairs any moment now." The relief Guardian was correct as Mack had finally gathered enough courage to show his face in public as he wore his shimmering, dark green dress. Aura was leaning against her handsome mate and smiling blissfully.

"You're enjoying this too much," said Mack, glancing at his delighted wife. Aura just flashed Mack a smile as they walked down the hallway and towards the ballroom. Meanwhile, Agatha had just finished the preparations for the banquet. The master chef admired the three large tables, covered with fancy food, all while keeping a close eye on Gremlin and William.

"Don't you two burglars even think about stealing this food," said Agatha with an evil smile on her face.

"No need to remind me," said Gremlin with a loud gulp, "I'm going to wait until after everyone else has been served."

"I'm not hungry anyway!" said a fearful William.

"Very good," said Agatha, glancing at Simon as he stood on her left, "Thanks for the help."

"Anytime," said Simon with a polite bow. Just then, the large double doors of the ballroom swung open as Mack and Aura stepped into the ballroom. The Gardevoirs and their mates erupted into loud cheers and applause, clearing a path so the Guardians could go join the rest of their family at the other end of the ballroom. At that same moment, Ramirez and Angel appeared from the opposite doors with Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David in tow. Mack was blushing from embarrassment, but he soon started to laugh loud and hard when he saw the ex-Cipher members smiling and blushing nervously in their own ball gowns. The crowd became quiet as Mack, Aura and the rest of their friends stood behind Glacian, wearing a dark purple ball gown, and Gloria, donning a shimmering and sparkling bright red gown. The two monarchs, wearing their golden crowns, stepped forward, hand-in-hand.

"I wish to welcome all of you to the first weekly meeting of the Ballroom Club!" announced Glacian with a bright smile. Again, the Gardevoirs and Gallades cheered and applauded. They became silent the moment their queen started to speak.

"This is a time for dancing and just having fun and relaxing with your mates," said Gloria happily, "We hope you will all join us here each Friday from now on to dance with us."

"Now, I believe it is time we got this party underway," said Glacian as he turned his gaze to a small Gardevoir orchestra in the back, left corner of the ballroom. The Gardevoir conductor smiled and nodded his head as he faced the Pokémon musicians. Glacian faced his beloved wife, held her right hand in his left hand and then tenderly placed his right hand on Gloria's waist. Gloria giggled as he placed her left hand on Glacian's right shoulder. The band's conductor started to move his baton and instantly, fine music filled the room. Glacian and Gloria started to dance in time with the music and only a few minutes passed before every Gardevoir and Gallade in the ballroom was dancing with their mates. Ramirez and Angel couldn't help but stare at each other's faces as they drifted about the ballroom together, deeply in love.

"Less than a year to go Angel," said Ramirez tenderly. Angel blushed and smiled at her mate to be. Gremlin and William sat still on the sidelines, watching the Gardevoirs and Gallades as they danced in their stunning and beautiful attire. Gremlin was just waiting for the right moment, for he had a special present for Enrique and Anna.

"What's that big book under your arm for?" asked a curious William. Gremlin grinned at the inquisitive Pikachu.

"You'll see," replied Gremlin with a soft cackle, "This is something I whipped up just for the newlyweds." Gremlin pointed at the two delighted Gardevoirs in pink and dark red ball gowns. As for Andre and his comrades, they had hoped their ordeal would soon be over, but Glacian had other ideas. After the first several dances, the Gardevoirs eagerly lined up to partake of a fine, late-evening meal. It was at this time when Glacian made his intentions fully known to the nervous Gardevoirs and Mewtwo.

"Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David," said Glacian softly as the nervous male Pokémon got in line for some of the fabulous food, "I would like all of you to come with me for a moment."

"Okay," said Eric, shrugging his shoulders. Somehow, he and the rest of his ex-Cipher friends had managed to avoid going on the dance floor or even drawing much attention to themselves for the last half an hour, but that was all about to change. The four Gardevoirs and David followed Glacian and Gloria to the furthest area of the ballroom where they saw five smiling female Gardevoirs in a line against the wall. Glacian smiled as he turned around to face his guests.

"I think it is high time you all started to get more comfortable around the opposite gender," said Glacian with a friendly smile.

"Is this some sort of a blind date?" asked a worried Andre.

"As a matter of fact, yes," replied Glacian, "You may not remember, but out of compassion, I did welcome all of you in as members of the Olympus royal family. Therefore, due to the fact that our family has dwindled down over the years, it is the duty of every member of the royal family to find a mate."

"You're not going to marry us tonight, are you?!" asked a terrified Andre. Glacian and Gloria laughed while the single female Gardevoirs blushed and giggled at Andre's outburst.

"No Gardevoir or Gallade is ever going to be forced to marry!" laughed Glacian, "Nonetheless, I want you to all be courteous and try to have a nice evening with these nice, young ladies." The five female Gardevoirs smiled and offered a curtsy.

"I'm Sandra," said the Gardevoir in a light green gown.

"My name is Ariel," giggled a Gardevoir in a bright red gown while the Gardevoir in the middle of a group, wearing a bright yellow gown said, "My name is Jenifer."

"You can call me Serene," said the Gardevoir in the light blue gown while the Gardevoir in the bright pink dress said with a cheerful voice, "My name is Victoria. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Elizabeth," said the last Gardevoir on the far right, donning a light violet ball gown. Though they were extremely nervous, Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David bowed politely out of respect towards the delighted female Gardevoirs.

"They already know who you are," said Glacian as the two groups of Gardevoirs and one Mewtwo stood up straight once again, "Now, how about each of you young ladies pick out a dancing partner for the night?" In less than a minute, Elizabeth had decided to dance with David, Sandra chose Alvin, Ariel picked Eric, Jenifer decided to chose Cecil while Vitoria stood next to Andre as he nervously trembled uncontrollably.

"Very nice!" giggled Gloria. Glacian smiled at the Gardevoirs and their dancing partners.

"I want all of you to get to know each other and have a great time dancing together. Maybe some of you will want to dance together next week?" suggested Glacian. The female Gardevoirs smiled as they held hands with their new acquaintances.

"So," said Victoria as she eyed Andre, "Have you ever danced before?" Andre shook his head back and forth in reply.

"No, I haven't," said Andre bashfully.

"Well then," said Victoria sweetly, "How about I show you? The next song is about to begin."

"Okay," said Andre, shrugging his shoulders. Glacian was delighted when he saw the five couples join the rest of the Gardevoirs and Gallades on the dance floor for another waltz. Simon, having witnessed the entire ordeal that had just unfolded before him, was very thankful that he was just a visitor and not a citizen of Olympus.

"I've got my eyes on you, King," thought Simon, glaring at Glacian from the other side of the ballroom, "You'll not have me under your thumb, ordering me into a blind date with some random love-struck Gardevoir." Glacian met Simon's eyes from across the room, and although he didn't speak, Simon got the impression that Glacian was laughing at him. Unnerved by this, Simon made a hasty and unnoticed retreat behind the service tables.

"Well?" asked Gloria, winking at her husband, "What are we standing around for?"

"Indeed," said Glacian with chuckle, "I think we're the only Gardevoirs not dancing right now. That is a problem we must remedy at once."

"Indeed we should, my dear Glacian," said Gloria with a blissful smile. With that, the Gardevoir king led his queen onto the dance floor. The hours ticked by and midnight was soon approaching. During one of the last dances, Mack and Aura finally noticed that their ex-Cipher friends had actually come onto the dance floor and they were each dancing with a nice female Gardevoir. Mack and Aura carefully twirled and seemed to glide over the dance floor towards Glacian and Gloria.

"Are you trying to get those guys mates, or something?" asked Mack with a grin. Glacian grinned back at the Guardian as he danced with Gloria.

"Maybe…" was Glacian's reply in a sinister tone of voice. When the clock finally struck 12, the Gardevoirs and their mates enjoyed one last, slow dance together. For Andre and his friends, this night had started out to be one of the worst they could remember, but now, even Andre was no longer nervous and was actually having a good time with Victoria.

"You're actually a pretty good dancer," giggled Victoria with a bright smile on her face, "I hardly had to teach you anything." Andre blushed deeply while Victoria erupted with warm laughter. Just then, the Gardevoir conductor waved his baton for the last time of the night as the last dance came to a slow and pleasant end. Again, Glacian addressed the crowd of now-tired dancers.

"I want to thank all of you for coming and making the first meeting of the new Ballroom Club a wonderful success!" said Glacian loudly as his voiced echoed in the massive ballroom, "I hope you will all join us next week. Best of all, this club is going to meet at six o' clock in the evening next time, so we can all enjoy more time dancing together."

"You all have a wonderful night and anyone who wants to spend the night here in the mansion has Warren's permission to do so," said Gloria. With that, the Gardevoirs and their mates said goodbye to one another before leaving the ballroom and walking out of the mansion before teleporting back to Olympus. Only a dozen or so male Gardevoirs took their mates up in their arms and then carried them away towards the empty bedrooms in the mansion. Little time passed before the royal family, as well as Angel, were now on their own in the massive and quiet ballroom. Eric, Alvin, Cecil, Andre and David bid their friends goodnight before escorting their new dancing partners out of the ballroom. Glacian was delighted to see his ex-Cipher friends had actually enjoyed the night dancing with the five young female Gardevoirs.

"That was the most fun I've had in so long," said Aurora with a blissful sigh as she leaned against Alexander.

"Indeed," said Glacian with a smile and a yawn, "Looks like our little weekly dancing group is going to do very well."

"You know we're looking forward to next week," said a happy Fredrick as he held Sakura close.

"Now then," said Glacian, turning to face Mack and Aura, "What did you find in Alvin's old facility?" Another half an hour dragged on as Mack and Aura told Glacian all that had happened from finding the facility stripped of raw materials, weapons and equipment to discovering soldiers in black armor.

"That's the story," said Mack, growing more and more tired.

"We really don't like what all transpired today," said Aura with a frown, "Everything in Alvin's nightmare came true."

"That is most troubling," said Glacian in a series tone of voice, "At least you managed to secure the Seismic Generator. I'm glad to know that horrid weapon is in good hands now." Gremlin looked up and noticed that the crowd of dancing Gardevoirs had dispersed. Now was the time to unveil his surprise for Enrique and Anna.

"Either way, there is nothing we can do for now," said Glacian, "We'll just have to be extra vigilant until we learn the identity of our new adversaries."

"There's no point in worrying," said Simon with a long yawn while he stretched his arms, "There's no reason why we can't relax and get some rest in the meantime."

"Before you all go to bed," said Gremlin happily, "Maybe you should take a look at this first!" The Sableye had what appeared to be a large and thick book under his left arm.

"Oh!" said Anna with a smile, "What do you have there, Gremlin?" The smiling Sableye motioned for everyone to gather close to him as he handed the book to Enrique and Anna.

"Gather 'round, everyone!" said Gremlin with triumph, "And bear witness to my belated wedding present for Prince Enrique and the beautiful Princess Anna!"

"Go ahead," said Enrique as soon as Anna had the heavy book in her hands, "You can open it." Anna smiled and slowly opened the front cover. She laughed at the first picture, covering the entire first page.

"What's this?" asked Alexander as he took a closer look. The picture showed Sakura and Anna with another, very nervous female Gardevoir who was dressed up as a bride.

"Hey! That's Alana!" laughed Ramirez as he wrapped his left arm around Angel, "I know that wedding ensemble anywhere!" Simon did his best not to blush or draw any attention to himself as the group of smiling Gardevoirs gazed at one picture after another from the day 'Alana' had come to visit Gardev.

"That turkey dinner was the best I'd ever had," remarked Glacian, "I wonder who the lucky Gardevoir or Gallade is who will have her hand in marriage?" Simon glared at Gremlin.

"What?" asked Gremlin, trying to pretend he was innocent.

"How did you get those pictures?" demanded Simon angrily.

"Simple!" cackled Gremlin, "I hid in the shadows and used a great digital camera that Paul let me have in return for dealing with the rodent problems at his store."

"You scared them all away, didn't you?" giggled Angel. Gremlin looked up and grinned at Angel.

"Sometimes I'm just too much!" said Gremlin, turning his gaze upon Simon, "You should have been there, Simon! I'm sure you and Alana would have been lovers in no time!"

"How… how dare you!!" sputtered Simon while Anna laughed.

"Thank you so much, Gremlin," said Anna with immense delight, "I shall treasure these pictures forever."

"Heh!" scoffed Gremlin, "You're just getting started! Keep flipping through that book. The rest of those pictures are from your wedding." For several more minutes, the group of Pokémon eagerly looked through the large photo album. Without being seen, Gremlin had captured such sweet moments as Enrique and Anna, trading bites of wedding cake, the bouquet and garter toss as well as the young couple's first dance together as mates.

"You're a natural photographer!" said Anna with immense joy, "Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome, princess. The album is for you and Enrique to enjoy," said Gremlin with a polite bow, "Now; may I please borrow it for a moment?"

"What?" said a baffled Anna, "I've only had this photo album in my hands for a few minutes and you want it back already?"

"Not for long," said Gremlin and he got on his knees and looked up at Anna with pleading eyes, "Please?"

"Alright," said Anna with a grin, "You can borrow it." Gremlin walked back to the other end of the ballroom and opened the photo book right in front of William.

"Look here William!" said Gremlin in an excited tone of voice, "There was this sweet little female Pikachu at Enrique and Anna's wedding! You and her surely would have liked each other a lot! You could have danced with her, too!" William growled with anger as weak static bolts lanced off his red cheeks.

"Gremlin!!" shouted William with embarrassment and anger. The group of Gardevoirs and other Pokémon erupted with laughter.

"Now the evening is complete!" said a laughing Glacian.

"I agree," giggled Gloria, "Now, Glacian my dear, how about we spend the night here in the mansion?"

"Works for me," said Glacian as he took his smiling and blushing mate in his arms. He took a few steps forward, glanced back at the married members of his family and then said, "Follow my lead!" With that, Alexander, Mack, Fredrick and Enrique took their lovely wives up in their arms and proceeded to carry them out of the ballroom. Now, only Ramirez and Angel remained in the ballroom. Warren had gone to bed hours ago and Agatha was just finishing cleaning up the food and dishes. William followed slowly after the royal Gardevoir couples, muttering under his breath and wishing he could forget all about what had happened on Enrique and Anna's wedding day. Ramirez smiled and embraced Angel one last time for the night.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, won't I?" asked Ramirez.

"At the same coffee shop, I hope?" asked a happy Angel.

"Of course," said Ramirez as he held Angel tightly, "You have a good night, my love."

"You too, Ramirez," said Angel with delight, "Just think Ramirez. Soon, you and I will get to go to bed and sleep together every night." The Gardevoir lovers blushed and hugged each other one last time. They jumped when they saw a bright flash. They laughed when they turned their heads and saw Gremlin standing a few yards away with the camera aimed at them.

"See you tomorrow," said Ramirez with a smile as he released Angel from his embrace and slowly left the ballroom with a smile on his face, "I want a copy of that picture, Gremlin!"

"Yes, sir!" said Gremlin with a salute. Angel followed after Ramirez and Gremlin tagged along. Once outside, Angel watched her mate to be as he spread his wings, flapped them vigorously and then flew into the night sky, flying off towards Mt. Ivory.

"Looking forward to having wings, eh, Angel?" asked Gremlin. Angel laughed with delight.

"Oh, yes!" said Angel as she twirled with her black dress sparkling brightly in the moonlight, "You're right on, Gremlin."

"That's what I thought," said Gremlin, "So, would you like me to take pictures at your wedding, too?" Angel gasped and quickly looked down at the smiling Sableye.

"You mean it?!" she asked with hope.

"Of course," said a grinning Gremlin, "It would be my pleasure."

"In that case, do you think you could do me a little favor?" asked Angel sweetly and with a friendly smile.

-83-
The next morning, the Gardevoir seamstresses were back in Angel's shop and back to work. Now that wedding season was over, the young female Gardevoirs could finally take it easy. It would not be until the next spring when the demand for wedding attire would be very high demand once again. During the summer, the seamstresses would work from dawn 'til dusk together on an average of 200 or more wedding dresses per year.

"It sure is nice to have a break," said Victoria with a smile.

"No kidding!" giggled Ariel, "Now we won't have to work so hard and so fast until next wedding season."

"Speaking of weddings," said Jenifer with a blissful smile as she picked up a large piece of the soft and strong white Gardevoir satin, "I think Glacian set us up with some nice men."

"I think so, too!" said Victoria as she blushed, "Andre was so sweet and such a good dancer, as well!"

"I can just close my eyes and see me and David, that handsome Mewtwo, as we twirled for hour after hour in our lavish ball gowns…" said Elizabeth with a blissful smile on her face, "He even said he wanted to dance with me next week!"

"The same thing goes for Cecil and I," giggled Jenifer, "He looked so… wonderful in his shimmering, dark blue dress."

"Maybe our new boyfriends will trade in those ball gowns for wedding dresses next year?" asked an excited Victoria. The five female Gardevoirs laughed out loud.

"Well, maybe that will happen… just maybe," said Jenifer with glee. At that moment, they heard the bell at the front door of the shop ring. The five seamstresses gasped when they saw Angel slowly walk into the large shop, still wearing her sparkling black dress. Angel smiled at her coworkers as she sat down in a chair at one of the workstations.

"Good morning, everyone!" said a delighted Angel.

"Good morning, Angel!" said the other five Gardevoirs happily.

"I see you all had a wonderful night last night with your new boyfriends," remarked a smiling Angel.

"Say, where were you last night, Angel?" asked Victoria, "We didn't see you anywhere at the dance."

"I'd like to know why you're still wearing your ball gown," said Sandra, "Though I must say it looks very cute on you."

"I just didn't want to take off this lovely dress after such a wonderful evening. I was there at the dance, alright," said Angel with a sly grin, "But maybe you all were too busy with your new love interests to notice me and my date." The female Gardevoirs blushed deeply and giggled happily.

"Say, who did you dance with?" asked Jenifer. Angel smiled as she stood up and shook her fluffy skirt a few times to even out the black petticoats underneath the sparkling fabric.

"I have an idea. Why don't you all come back to my office with me for a moment?" asked Angel with a friendly smile, "I have something special I want to show all of you." The five eager seamstresses nodded their heads, stood up all at once and then followed Angel to the back of the huge sewing shop. They were wondering just what kind of surprise their boss had in store for them. Angel whistled a nameless tune as she turned the brass knob on her office door. Sandra, Victoria, Ariel, Jenifer and Elizabeth all gasped when they saw what was hanging on the back wall of Angel's office. There was a pair of wedding dresses on white hangers. The two dresses were exactly like what Mack and Aura now had, except the groom's dress had hundreds of small emeralds and diamonds to accent the exquisite embroidery while the embroidery on the bride's dress was covered with a few thousand shiny black garnet stones and diamonds. The shimmering and sparkling wedding dresses were absolutely stunning and beautiful. Angel smiled as she stepped in front of the five delighted Gardevoirs to take another good look at her handiwork.

"Angel, these are amazing!" declared Victoria.

"Those dresses are surely fit for royalty!" giggled Sandra.

"Say," said Ariel as she glanced at Angel's back, "Who are these wonderful dresses for anyway?" Angel stared straight ahead as an evil smile spread across her face, unseen by her coworkers.

"Didn't I tell you? I must have forgotten," said Angel. Now, she was finally going to get back at the seamstresses for all the years they had hounded her about getting a husband.

"Tell us what?" asked Elizabeth eagerly.

"I'm getting married next summer," said Angel, still with the mischievous smile on her face.

"You're getting married?! That's wonderful!" exclaimed Sandra.

"Who's the lucky Gardevoir?" asked Victoria.

"Or did you find a wonderful Gallade to marry?" asked Ariel as a grin spread across her face. Angel giggled sinisterly.

"I'm going to marry Prince Ramirez," said Angel, savoring her imminent revenge, "The Guardian of Gardev." Angel glanced over her left shoulder: the shocked and envious looks on the seamstresses' faces were priceless and something the young Gardevoir would remember for the rest of her life. Especially since Gremlin was hiding in a dark corner of the office, completely unnoticed, taking pictures with his new camera.

>The End...<
>To Be Continued in "The Village Guardians Chapter #3- The Lost Love"<

And so concludes the latest chapter in The Village Guardians Anthology. I hope you have enjoyed this story and are looking forward to the next chapter, although I am contemplating not posting it at Pokecommunity. We'll see what happens. See you another time.

 

[molater]

It's really rare to find five fan-fic masterpieces in a row written by the same author. The length of the stories alone should be enough to tell you that the series written by Dr. Mack Foxx is something to behold.

*Spoiler Alert* The following text contains spoilers so just stop right now if you have not read Foxx's fan-fics (or read on I don't care xD)

It was nice to see how Mack (the guy in the story not the author xD) was not just another God-modded, stereotypical main character that is in so many other stories. He also is not just another beginning trainer that knows nothing about the Pokemon world (in these stories, Mack already has many badges, trophies, etc.) which is a little thing that sets these stories apart from others, even in its early settings. There is also a very strong sci-fi feel to the fan-fic (what'd I do for a plasma rifle xD) which is also a nice change.

Well, I guess I'll start off with the most important thing in a great story, the characters. Characters such as Mack and Aura do a very good job at providing action to the stories (such as when they fused in the first story), and characters such as William and Gremlin provide the much needed comic relief that is done so well (we all got to laugh, right? xD). Characters such as Mack and Aura are also great because they also are good for romantic scenes (even though some people don't want to admit it, a story would get boring if it was 100% action and 0% romance).

There are many elements of foreshadowing in this series (if I DO actually have to point out that the bouquet/garter tossing of a wedding foreshadows the next, then you must be blind o.o). Also, there were numerous cliffhangers that made the series one of those things that you can't put down till you finished it. There was a vast amount of attention to details, but not enough so that the whole story became overinforming. This makes the story easily imaginable, but not boring. In addition, there were many symbols that showed the good vs. evil archetype such as Mack and Aura having the ability to use light.

There's a whole lot to love in this fan-fic series xD. My personal favorite was the time when William and Gremlin blew up the kitchen trying to steal pies.

Frankly, I was a bit worried for awhile when Mack fused with Aura (admit it, I know that you were thinking something along the line of, "Wait, isn't that Gardevoir a female and that fox a guy?!?!"), but I was glad when it all worked out in the end. Also, NOT ENOUGH ENRIQUE =O. You focused to much on Anna (the Alana scene and the training), and left Enrique out of the series almost completely =(. Eh, I guess you can fix that now that he is in the Royal Knights.

I really enjoyed reading this fan-fic series and would recommend it to anyone who likes Pokemon, action, or someone who just likes a good story to read.

 

[Dr. Mack Foxx]

Thank you very much for the review! It's been over two years since the last time I've received feedback of this caliber at PokeCommunity.

I must say, I greatly appreciate that you also took the time to review my entire series. I'm very glad you got a lot of laughs as well as enjoyed the combination of the action, suspense, romance and sci-fi genres.

I do agree with your point that I have not used the character Enrique very much in my stories. Not to worry, he's going to be showing up a lot more in later chapters.

I've been working very hard on these stories, for nearly 3 years now and I'm delighted to see that I do indeed have fans at this forum. I shall definitely post the third chapter of The Village Guardians Anthology, The Lost Love, at PokeCommunity as soon as it is complete.

Again, thank you very much for the great review and I certainly hope you will enjoy the next novel-sized piece of my fan-fiction series. ^_^