Late Morning, Meteor Falls…

   At long last, Zane arrived at Meteor Falls.  He had in fact lost track of the suspicious duo, but he knew the general direction they had traveled, which led him to this location.  As he crept into the cave, he stopped and listened.  There were others not far ahead, so he would have to be much more careful; on the other hand, he could see the two men in front of him, and so he slowly followed behind them, making sure not to slip on the wet ground.

----

Meanwhile, Deeper inside the Cave…

   “Are you sure found the meteorite here?” Tabitha asked sternly.

   “That’s correct…I found it here” an exhausted Professor Cosmo replied as he checked a radiation scanner for the sixteenth time without any results.  The men and women who kidnapped him the previous night had dragged the professor to Meteor Falls so quickly that he had nearly injured himself on the way.  Apparently they wanted his knowledge, not the meteorite, which according to one of the grunts didn’t “contain enough energy to be of any use”.  This meant that now he and several of the grunts had to search around for a meteorite with more energy stored within it, which was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.  Professor Cosmo may have been cooperating with Team Magma, whoever they were, but in the back of his head he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  Why would they want a meteorite as an energy source anyways?

   “You’d better be right, for your sake” Tabitha replied in a menacing tone, “We can’t afford to waste any time here.”

   “Just out of curiosity, what are we doing here?” Professor Cosmo asked.

   “Just shut up and keep working!” Tabitha shouted in annoyance.

----

   Several minutes later, Zane heard the voices getting louder, along with sounds similar to digging.  When it became loud enough, he ducked behind a rock and peered around it; there were other people in similar uniforms to the two men, as well as one who was dressed normally.

   That must be the Professor, Zane thought as he took in details on the surroundings.  The way the group operated was efficient and precise, far too disciplined to be an ordinary gang; Professor Cosmo was without a doubt in serious danger.  For now though, the trainer knew it was best to hang back out of harm’s way for the time being, even though he was certain that he would be found out eventually.

   Hang in there just a little longer Sir, Zane thought apprehensively as he reached his left hand for Salamence’s pokeball and his right hand for his katana, poised to engage the enemy in combat, but biding his time.

----

   “The house was empty when we checked, there was no one else there” a grunt reported as he and another one entered the area.  They had been sent by Tabitha to scout Fallarbor Town in case an alarm had been raised, but as far as they knew the town would be just discovering the event right at that time.

   “Perfect” Tabitha replied, “At least we have the advantage of stealth for now.”

   “Sir!  I found one!” one of the grunts shouted.  Tabitha and Courtney ran over to a wall the grunt stood in front of.  The handheld radiation scanner he held in his hand was showing readings off the scale in terms of energy, and directly in front of it, a small meteorite the size of the average person’s head.

   “Excellent work” Tabitha replied with a smug grin before he turned back towards the Professor, “Thank you for your cooperation.”

   “You’re welcome, now can I please go home now?” the Professor asked worriedly, hoping his wife was okay wherever she was.

   “I’m afraid not” Tabitha sneered, “We can’t trust you not to tell anyone of our plans, and knowing our luck, Team Aqua will pick you up sooner or later.”  Tabitha, Courtney and two grunts each sent out Mightyenas, and with a hand gesture from Tabitha, they began circling the Professor.

   “Personally, I wouldn’t want them getting anything from you, and I’m sure you know what that means” the Team Magma Admin said in a menacing, evil tone, the Mightyenas growling at Professor Cosmo as if to emphasize the statement.  Just as Tabitha was about to give the order to kill him, a sound of metal sliding on metal reached his ears.  He turned around and froze up in both shock and fear; a young man, no older than twenty at the oldest, had the blade of a katana pointed at his throat.  The other Team Magma grunts as well as the remaining admin also turned looked on in stunned amazement at the youth’s brazen act, but as far as Tabitha was concerned, he was either suicidaly brave or hopelessly stupid.

----

   “Looks like we have an uninvited guest” Courtney said in a bitter tone, clearly a bit flustered at the trainer’s sudden, if not dramatic, entrance.

   “This has gone far enough” Zane said in a voice as cold as the steel blade of his katana, “Release him.”  Tabitha only chuckled confidently, completely contrary to the fact that he could be killed any second.

   “Come on Boy, you can’t possibly think you can kill me and live to tell about it” Tabitha sneered, gesturing with an upwards nod behind Zane.  The youth looked back to find two Team Magma grunts some distance away, and two more on each side of him each with a pair of Mightyena by their sides.  Zane’s eyes shifted back and forth rapidly as he counted up his foes, which totaled eighteen people and thirty-six pokemon.  The odds against him were suicidal, but it was too late to turn back, and he also had his own honor to uphold; surrender was not an option.

   “Then it looks like this will be my final battle…so be it…” Zane replied without faltering, a determined, raging inferno seeming to be burning behind his jade-toned eyes.  He took a step back from Tabitha, lowering his katana so as to enable him to defend as he raised his other hand up, pointed it just past Tabitha, and pressed the button on Salamence’s pokeball.  A white beam of light erupted from the sphere, followed by the dragon type’s appearance behind Tabitha, right next to Professor Cosmo.  The pokemon let out an intimidating roar that caused the Magma grunts to take a couple of steps back.  “Salamence, get that man to safety!  Now!” Zane ordered.  Salamence gave a quick nod before it picked up Professor Cosmo, kicking and screaming, in his mouth, then spread his wings and flew out of the cave through the narrow tunnel at the entrance.  Now Zane was alone, but at least he accomplished what he came to Meteor Falls for; even if there was no guarantee of his survival, he would go down fighting.

--------

   Meanwhile, not too far away in the Cave… Ninetails slowly walked along a narrow ledge formed from limestone over one of the many rivers running through this area of the cave.  Although her training made her somewhat resistant to water, she knew that falling off a waterfall would still be extremely painful, no matter how well trained one was, and so was extra careful to watch her step.

   Why is it that everything surrounding me seems to have changed so greatly? the fire type thought as she crossed over to the other side, It is almost like I entered a strange, alien world.  How am I supposed to find Master if I have no bearing on where to begin my search anew?  Ninetails sighed and sat down to think, attempting to gather her thoughts and make sense of her new situation, but then she realized what she had said, and scolded herself for having defeatist thoughts.  Normally she was optimistic, one who although thought of things realistically tried to make the best of every situation; perhaps it was being away from her master for so long, or perhaps it was despair over the tragedy of the civil war that had all but decimated her beloved home.  Regardless of why she felt this way, Ninetails would never allow herself to give up, no matter what.  Her master, Zane Ryusen of North Hoenn, had told her that.  As Ninetails thought back to her many years of memories with her master, she was astonished by how distant the time seemed, as if all of her life were merely a dream.

-Begin Flashback-

   Ninetails and her master were walking alone through a field, near a small settlement in central Hoenn known for its abundance of flowers, fresh air and an overall feeling of youth, of life.  However, the two armies had just fought here against each other, and now only death could be detected on the now barren landscape, charred from massive infernos and stained red from the dead and the dying.  The cries of the wounded had already faded into silence, taking with it the last signs of life from this place.  It sickened Ninetails that humanity could do such a thing, but she knew better than to think that all humans were that way, her point and case being her master.

   “I fail to understand, Master” Ninetails said, trying to hide her mounting fury but failing to do so, “Why?  Why must so many die for the sake of only two humans, and how many more must die for them to realize what they’ve done!?” She squeezed her eyes shut to fight back the tears forming in her eyes, but again to no avail.  She just couldn’t bear the sight of such destruction, and she knew that no amount of pokemon tears could save those who have fallen.  As she sobbed, she felt a gloved hand, warm and comforting, resting on her shoulder; she looked to the left to find her master kneeling down beside her.  She could tell by his eyes that he felt the same pain she did, but how was he remaining so strong, even now?           

   “Ninetails…” Zane said, his normally emotionless voice tinged with grief, “Let me lend you some wisdom my father told me years long since past…are you aware of why humanity hasn’t wiped itself out?”  Ninetails looked at her master in confusion, not following his thought process.  “It is because although we destroy each other in droves, there are those who still bear a vision of hope, of peace and harmony” the ronin said, “Those are the ones who restore balance to the world, even if they are martyred.”           

   “How can one restore peace with only a vision?” Ninetails asked incredulously, “Does peace not require one to take actions towards obtaining it?”

   “I never said they refuse to take action” Zane replied, “But it is because they see a brighter future for all life, humans and pokemon alike.  Because they bear this vision, such individuals are able to accomplish the impossible.”  He placed his other hand on the side of his companion’s face and concluded, “If we refuse to relinquish hope for the future, then we can and we will restore peace.”           

   “Oh…so it is not the vision itself, but rather the inspiration such a dream may give oneself” Ninetails confirmed, “I understand what you mean, but that does not justify senseless slaughter…pardon my changing the subject, but might I ask you a personal question?”  Zane nodded in a silent reply, after which the fire type asked, “What happened to your father?”  The warrior glanced away from her, avoiding her gaze, but Ninetails could see what seemed to be tears forming at the corner of his eyes; he had never cried while around her, so this was a surprise.           

   “My entire family is dead” Zane answered finally, “That is why I must bring this unjust war to an end.”

-End Flashback-

   Ninetails knew that her master had been right, as he had brought the war to its final end, which left only for him to be found.  As long as she never let go of hope for the future, she would find him, no matter what happened between now and then.  Even so, she would appreciate assistance, even divine intervention if necessary.  Lord Arceus, please answer thy prayer; grant me your unfailing wisdom, lend me a sign! she prayed silently, hoping that if she couldn’t find her master alone, then perhaps the Original One would lend her guidance.  Several seconds later, nothing happened; Ninetails had expected this, as she knew that sometimes Arceus would test his followers’ patience by having them wait weeks, sometimes months or even years before their prayers were answered, and would usually reward those who remained faithful and waited. 

   This did nothing to lift her spirits, however, and with a disappointed sigh, she resigned herself to having to begin her search from the very beginning, but as she turned to take the exit route, she heard a noise.Ninetails stopped right there and tensed up, her ears perked as she pinpointed the source of the noise, which sounded much like voices, human voices.  They came from the entrance, unfortunately the way she would have to get out of the cavern. 

   Well…I suppose that would be the sign…I just hope it shouldn’t kill me first…” she thought apprehensively as she ran off in the direction of the entrance.

--------

   After a few tense seconds, Tabitha at last gave the final order, “Take him down!”

   Live with humility and die with honor… Zane thought as he raised his katana and swung it in a wide arc, the blade slashing into four of the Mightyenas that had attacked him first, the force of the blow slamming their now lifeless bodies away from him to land several feet away.

   “Hmph!  They should have been more careful” Tabitha growled, knowing in the back of his head how difficult it would be to justify the loss of four Mightyena.

   “Tabitha, maybe this isn’t a good idea…” Courtney began, also concerned about their superior’s possible reaction to their losses.

   “Shut up!” Tabitha shouted angrily, “Attack again!”  Another quartet of Mightyena lunged at Zane with even greater ferocity, intent on avenging their fallen comrades.  The swordsman ducked to avoid the initial attack, causing the dark types to collide and knock each other away.  Without missing a beat, the pokemon had stood back up and began attacking him one by one, but in short order, Zane parried their attacks and felled them one by one until the last of the second group was out of the fight.

   “Your strength in pokemon has been reduced by a quarter, Team Magma” Zane said with a warning tone, “and I haven’t even begun to fight.  Surrender and I might forget this ever happened.”

   “That’s where you’re wrong Boy” Tabitha replied with a sinister grin as he pulled out a gray and crimson pokeball from his belt, “Compared to what I have in here, those Mightyena were nothing.”  Courtney turned to look at her fellow admin in shock, but the stern look Tabitha shot her way in response told her to keep her mouth shut.  The pokemon he intended to use was loaned to him by their boss in the event they ran into trouble, and by trouble their boss was referring to the rival Team Aqua, not a modern-day samurai.  If anything happened to this powerhouse of a pokemon, as unlikely as it was, Courtney and Tabitha would be in hot water with their superior.

   “I have nothing to fear from the likes of you” Zane replied in the same threatening tone, “Bring it.”

   “If you weren’t afraid before, you will be now!” Tabitha sneered as he pulled back his arm and tossed the special poke ball, “Steelix, crush him!”  A bright flash erupted from the sphere as it struck the ground, the white light soon taking on a massive serpentine form with spikes along its length; the light then faded to reveal a dull gunmetal hide harder than diamonds, and just as sharp.  The massive steel and ground type let out a fearsome metallic roar and took in its surroundings, its eyes soon coming to rest on its victim.  Zane stood horrified at the sight of the creature, knowing that the chances of winning against a Steelix by himself was virtually impossible, and retreating was out of the question, as it could still move much faster than any human can on foot.  He was starting to regret sending his Steelix to Fallarbor Town with the Professor, but now was not the time for second-guessing.

   “Where’s your bravado now?” Tabitha taunted confidently.

   “I never said I was afraid” Zane replied, not loosing face but obviously shaken, “and I’m not about to give up anytime soon!”

   “It seems I’ll have to break your will” Tabitha said in a menacing tone, “Steelix, force him down!  Earthquake!”  The iron snake pokemon roared and slammed its tail into the ground, causing massive tremors that knocked nearly everyone save Tabitha and Courtney to the ground.  Although the shaking lasted only seconds, Zane was disoriented by the intense shockwaves, his sense of balance virtually nonexistent for a moment.  As he recovered and attempted to stand, Tabitha made his next move.

   “Now use Screech!” Tabitha ordered.  Steelix responded by scraping the end of its body against a boulder, creating a loud, ear-piercing screech.  The katana-wielding trainer fought hard to stop from screaming in agony as he was brought to his knees by the high-frequency noise.  The Team Magma operatives were also affected, but even so, Tabitha gave Courtney a thumbs-up, a way of saying, “I knew this would work.”

   Meanwhile, Zane continued to struggle, his senses numb from the dual assault from sound and shock.  Even so, he stood back on his feet, ignoring the agonizing pain in his head from the sound and charged right at Tabitha.  The Magma Admin leapt away out of reflex, just in time to avoid losing his arm to Zane’s attack, but instead suffering a glancing blow to the shoulder.  Steelix had finally stopped using Screech upon realizing that its trainer was under attack and blocked Zane from attacking again with its massive body before swatting him away into a large boulder, leaving him stunned.  Tabitha, wincing in pain and grasping at his wounded arm, was infuriated beyond words; he just wanted this to end, and by now he could care less how he did it.

   “Time to end this nonsense!  Hyper Beam!” Tabitha commanded.  As Steelix opened its mouth and an orange sphere of energy formed in its mouth, Zane looked on in defiance, although in his mind he was beyond terrified; this was the end, without a doubt.

-------           

   After several minutes of hiking through the cave the same way she came, Ninetails at last arrived at the entrance hall.  She had gone deep enough in the cave that the sounds she could hear from there had been faint until now, but upon arrival, what had sounded like an argument became an all-out brawl.           

   What in Arceus’ Name is happening down there!? Ninetails thought in astonishment, A battle intense enough to cause such an unendurable racket is certainly worth investigation; I just hope not to get involved in a fight other than my own.  As she leapt from rock to rock in order to reduce the distance traveled, the sounds became louder and louder, making her image of the fight more and more violent in her head, until at long last she reached a ledge overlooking the main entrance.  Down below, the fighting had stopped for a moment, but it was clearly far from over.  The same men from the previous night were down there, and had surrounded a solitary youth with their Mightyena.  Eight of the dark types lay lifeless on the ground some distance away from the youth, a young man who after all this fighting looked quite ragged, a katana in his right hand with its blade stained crimson from the blood of his enemies.  Ninetails had to admit that such a young man was very brave and obviously quite skilled, but she couldn’t interfere with this dispute if she wished to find her master that much sooner.           

   However, as she turned to leave the scene of the battle, a nagging feeling pushed at the back of her thoughts, and prompted her to look again.  As she did, Ninetails could pick out other details, such as the youth’s pitch black hair and, after even closer scrutiny, emerald-shaded eyes.  There was an odd feeling as Ninetails looked on as certain details fell into place, but her thoughts were momentarily disrupted as she was forced to duck down to avoid the attention of one of the villains’ pokemon, a Steelix.This skirmish should not last much longer Ninetails thought, If I wait this out to the finish, then the path to the entrance will hopefully be unobstructed…but I can’t help but wonder, who is that stalwart youth?  The nine-tailed vixen closed her eyes and focused on a pair of mental images, one of her master, and the other of the boy fighting below; much to her amazement, their appearances were virtually identical at first glance, without any notable differences. 

   Despite the similarities, however, there was only one way to know for sure if the stranger was in fact her master; her master was legendary not only for his skill, but for his unfaltering courage, no matter how great the odds were against him.  She knew that alone, no human with any sort of weaponry or training she knew of could ever hope to defeat a Steelix in a one-on-one duel.  Her master’s unique variation of Bushido, which he had dubbed Ryu-Bushido­ (Path of the Dragon Warrior), forbade surrender, and he followed it to the letter.  Nobody else who had his appearance would ever be willing to face down such impossible odds.

   With a sigh of resignation at the slim odds of her finding her master here, but nevertheless hopeful, Ninetails cautiously peeked out from her hiding spot to watch the battle proceeding.  The young warrior had been thrown to his knees, and a sudden piercing squeal told her why.  Using her power, the vulpine pokemon shrugged off the tone, although her ears still rang from Steelix’s Screech attack, and as she looked back at the fight, what she witnessed left her stunned indisbelief.  The youth had stood back up, despite having severe wounds on his body from fighting the Mightyena, his surroundings seeming to burn from his determination, and after a brief pause he leapt forward and attacked the man controlling the Steelix, only to be swatted back into a boulder.

   Is that... Ninetails thought as she watched the final moments of the battle unfold, It must be!  I knew you were alive!  However, her joy was short lived, and turned into horror as he heard her master’s adversary give the order to use Hyper Beam, clearly a killing blow.  This terror was also short-lived, and quickly became anger.  I just found you after so long; I will NOT lose you now! the vulpine pokemon thought furiously as she leapt off of the ledge.

--------           

   After a tense few seconds, Steelix unleashed its attack, intent on annihilating the fallen trainer.  However, in the split second between firing and impact, something interfered with the attack and created massive explosion that filled the cavern with smoke.  As Zane opened his eyes, the smoke slowly beginning to dissipate, he caught a glimpse of his savior; before him stood the graceful vulpine form of a Ninetails, with a powerful barrier placed in front of itself and him.  A pokemon he had never seen before, for no apparent reason, had shielded him from certain death, but why?  The smoke finally faded completely, enough that Tabitha’s grin quickly turned to an expression of stunned disbelief.           

   “What the Hell just happened!?” a Team Magma Grunt exclaimed.           

   “Dammit!  That Ninetails shielded the bastard with Protect!” another yelled angrily.  Tabitha remained speechless; he was caught completely off-guard by the Ninetails’ interference, but what baffled him was why here, why now, and most importantly, why him?  Something was seriously wrong, and could cost him the battle or worse.

   “Those who fan the flames of war shall be consumed in the same!” a voice shouted seemingly from all directions, but Zane knew it was safe to assume the Ninetails could use telepathy, a common ability amongst that particular species.  After the final word, the fire type opened her mouth and loosed her Fire Blast; with a loud bang, the attack collided with Steelix and sent it careening into a wall.  The steel type, badly handicapped against such a strong fire-type attack, collapsed in defeat.           

   “I don’t believe this!” Tabitha yelled furiously as he recalled the defeated iron snake, “First the old man, then the psycho you just protected and now you show up!  What compels you to interfere with out plans!?”           

   “That is of no concern to you, heathen!” Ninetails growled, “Now unless you desire to be incinerated, you will retreat back to the pit from whence you came!”  The Team Magma Admin stared back at the fire type with barely restrained fury, further amplified by his humiliation.  However, he also knew that none of his squad were in any condition to fight, and they still had to bring the meteorite back to their base; he had no choice but to retreat.           

   “…Fine, we’ll leave” Tabitha said in a threatening tone, “But remember, just because you won the battle doesn’t mean you won the war!  Team Magma, retreat!”

----

   As Team Magma departed, Ninetails stood watching the entrance for a moment to ensure the team had truly left; when she was certain they were gone, she turned her attention to her master, who was, to her surprise, attempting to stand even after all of his injuries.  He winced in pain and dropped slightly, but caught himself; even so, the fire type moved to his side to give him support.  However, at that instant, there was a flash, and her vision went blank.

   Zane held onto the pokeball, keeping it shut as it registered the capture until at last the ball stopped shaking, signalling success.

   “Sorry, but this is for your own good” Zane muttered as he stared down at his newly acquired pokemon, secured in the red and white sphere in his hand, “one day I’ll repay you for saving my life…I promise…”  With that said, Zane slipped the pokeball into one of his undamaged pockets and departed Meteor Falls for Fallarbor Town, bruised, bloodied and sore, but nevertheless with his chin held high and triumphant beat to his step.  The battle, though a bit odd, had been the toughest one in his life, but he had survived, and that, to him, was all that mattered.